Pandora Postcards from Tossa de Mar!

We found ourselves travelling further south from Ceret, France to Tossa de Mar on the Costa Brava in Spain for today's adventure.

First stop at Hotel Diana (this is where we spent our first week of our 2014 adventure) for a coffee break before our walking tour. 

               

           

           The unique eaves troughs...

        

    Looking up to the rooftop terrace...

   Diana ...

Some of the inside detail ...

We entered from the beachside and left from the main entrance ...

The morning was spent touring the Castle grounds, the "Vila Vella" the medieval city. We walked up and around on the wall on the hill to the top!

The view from the Hotel Diana rooftop terrace ...

The ramparts and towers are visible from the "newer" town below.

Again the views from the top were breathtaking ...

We stopped to say hello to Pandora (Ava Gardner). 

Tossa de Mar was the setting for the movie "Pandora and the Flying Dutchman" starring Ava Gardner and James Mason. Released in 1951. During the filming Ava Gardner and her husband Frank Sinatra stayed at the Hotel Diana.

The area around the old Castle is full of history, narrow cobble stoned lanes and buildings of character ... with minimal commercialization.

                       

                                   

There were only a few tasteful shops ... an antique shop and a couple artisan shops.

      I like it here ... it is quieter!

Let's head back down to the seaside boulevard to quench our thirst ...

Come back soon, we will be going for lunch and touring the rest of the village!

Hotel Diana (Casa Sans)

#TossadeMar#HotelDiana#PandoraandtheFlyingDutchman

After our three hour sidetrip to Sa Tuna we continued to our destination the "Hotel Diana"  in Tossa de Mar which is an outstandingly well preserved Art Deco style building.

*"The building has an unusual sea facing facade, with Modernist gargoyles representing the four seasons, trencadis mosaics made from glazed shards, and wrought iron similar to that found in Gaudi's Casa Vicens in Barcelona. 

... Most of Antoni de Falguera's original decoration is preserved.

The magnificent stained glass windows ... and the spectacular fireplace are absolutely characteristic of the Catalan Modernist style.

The marble staircase and the fountain with it's Frederic Mares sculpture of Diana the Huntress both belong to a later period, after Casa Sans was acquired by the Vilallonga family in 1930."

* above info from local tourist info brochure.

It faces the beach and bay with views of the walled town and the main entrance is in a small square.

Our room overlooks the square... 

               

After a brief rest we strolled through the Historic Center and decided on a restaurant for our first evening meal in Spain. 

"Tapa A Tapa" was at the end of a narrow alley way...

As we had a significant meal at lunch, we opted for a lighter fare with some Spanish wine and later we were treated to a homemade Spanish liqueur, Orujo (similar to Limoncello) on the house by the restaurant owner.

An enjoyable "Welcome to Spain" which led to another very good night's sleep!