Abandoned villages

We packed up Ivy and hit the road again, feeling rested and ready for more adventure. We’d found an interesting place on Park 4Night that we wanted to explore about an hour’s drive away. It was a quaint and quirky little village that was previously abandoned but has been restored to its former glory. Nestled deep in a tree lined valley was a magical setting straight out of Lord of the Rings. Lovely little stone built dwellings with narrow cobblestone paths separating them, and lush grassy gardens. They were clearly being lovingly looked after of by the resident care taker of the village. On a sign at the entrance there stood a billboard with a plan of the village, on it were the first names of all the people who used to live there before it was abandoned, and which of houses they lived in. Which I found super cute and respectful. Would have loved to have been able to see inside the houses but they were all locked up. It would be fascinating to learn a bit of the history and to get a glimpse of what it was like to have lived here. It really feels like you are surrounded by the ghosts of the people who inhabited here, but not at all in a creepy or scary way. Just meandering around the tiny village streets was so interesting and thought provoking. As the only people there we felt like we were intruding into the private lives of the ghosts. Sorry Maria, Pedro, Sophia and all of you. Thank you for showing us your homes.

We decided to move on to another deserted village ( unrestored this time) where we hoped to stay the night, located a further hour away. We arrived at a stony dirt track that took us up onto a plateau, all around the top was the village that dated back to medieval times, now completely deserted and in ruins. There was a large old church next to our parking spot which was the only building that still had its roof of vaulted stone intact. All of the many other buildings were crumbling down, nature gradually taking over and consuming them, but you could still easily imagine how the people of this little village struggled to survive here. The houses would have been tiny and very basic. Built of stone walls with narrow paths between them. The long grasses and the myriad of wild spring flowers made it an enchanting and beautiful place even though the village itself was decaying.
After exploring we spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the vast view from the hilltop vantage point, soaking up the peace in quiet isolation. Lounging in the hammock chair hung in Ivy’s side door was just the most pleasant way to while away the time watching the sinking sun cast an ever reddening glow.もっと詳しく