Tarragona and Montblanc

6-30-2012

Today I ventured out to the two ancient cities of Tarragona and Montblanc. But, the first stop on the bus was to see the ancient aqueduct of the Roman Empire.

Many years ago, the Roman Empire spread into many parts of Europe, including Spain. The aqueduct that they used functioned as a way of getting water into and out of the city. But, pretty much like everything the Romans did, it is constructed with beautiful architecture and design. The aqueduct is made up of two huge arches stacked on top of each other. It was amazing how intricate the architecture was and even more amazing when I considered the types of primitive materials that the Romans were using. After the stop at the aqueduct we proceeded on to the quaint town of Tarragona. It is a coastal town built during the 9^th century. The town itself is fairly run down with many small tourist shops scattered throughout. But, the center and masterpiece of the town is the giant cathedral that looms over all in the center of the city. Originally a synagogue, then turned into a mosque, and finally a cathedral built on top of the other two, it is made of intricate architecture and laced with symbolism in every curve.

Once I toured around Tarragona and sat periodically in under the palm trees shade (sidebar- I still get excited about seeing palm trees. It is such a refreshing difference from the evergreen forests that are prominent back home) I proceeded to the Medieval town of Montblanc. One of the highlights of the trip was a wonderful 4 course meal at El Cortijo, a local Spanish bar in Montblanc. The courses included 1. Salad- containing hazelnuts, fresh green olives, corn, tomatillos, and delicious leafy green lettuce. 2. Bread covered in 3 different types of melted cheese 3. Crème de Catalan- essentially the Spanish version of Crème Brulee. 4. Café (that is, good Spanish coffee.) The meal was just the perfect break from the exhausting heat and walking around that Tarragona required.

After the meal, I walked around Montblanc for a bit, watching the locals and taking in all of the medieval ruins. One of the coolest parts was the remains of a castle that was located in the middle of the city. There was one turret left standing (I use this term loosely because it was very much starting to crumble) that jutted out of the rock. It was quite the breath taking view of the entire city. At this point in time my camera died, but I have a couple pictures I will post as soon as I get internet. After the castle, I wandered around the giant cathedral in Montblanc. The stain glass windows of this chapel were the most intricate designs that I have ever seen.

Finally, I boarded the bus and ventured on home. I spent the night on Las Ramblas, wandering around, doing some shopping, and just taking in the general splendor that is Barcelona. For dinner my friend and I stopped in for some beers at a local bar (there were no English translations and none of the waiter spoke English, which made the experience much more authentic.) The picturesque day ended with a nice walk back to the beach, a taxi driver stopping us on the bridge and saying he would give us a free ride because he was going down to the port anyway, and them him speeding and getting pulled over by a cop as he dropped us off. Overall, quite the amazing day!!