Postcards from Spain: Tarragona

 

We are back and had a wonderful time.

There were 13 of us this year - our family of six; Sam's girlfriend, Sophie; my brother, his wife and their three children and my mum.

Although we fly to Barcelona, the campsite we have stayed at three times in the past four years is about an hour's drive from the airport.

The nearest city is Tarragona which we had never visited before.

For just 2.60 Euros an air conditioned bus took us to this remarkable Roman city.

Tarragona contains the largest collection of Roman remains in Spain and was once the capital of an area that covered half the Iberian peninsula.

 

This picture was taken just after we (eldest son, Sam; me; daughter, Briony; Sam's girlfriend, Sophie and mum) stepped off the bus on the seafront.

We walked along the main street, the Rambla Nova, past a busy market and found these statues of the human towers or "castells".

In Catalonia it is a tradition to build a Castell during festivals.

The tradition originated in a small village near Tarragona towards the end of the eighteenth century and is still flourishing today.

The highest castells contain 10 human storeys.

I love the motto of those who take part which is: strength, balance, courage and common sense.

A lesson for any pursuit I think.

 

My husband, Paul could not resist being photographed by a bakery bearing his name.

 

 

 

The town is sited on a rocky hill which slopes down to the sea with some amazing views.

 

 

 

Here we are outside the Cathedral.

The original Romanesque church of Santa Maria del Miracle was built in the 12th century on the site of the original amphitheatre.

 

Around the back of the cathedral was a row of orange trees.

As Sophie is a Fine Art graduate we decided to take her to the Museum of Modern Art which provided a cool and cultured hour.

And of course, how could we resist a spot of shopping in a Spanish Zara
where I purchased a top, a scarf and this necklace for just 15.97 Euros.

 

 

Shoes - Boden

Dress and belt - Top Shop

Necklace - Zara

Hat - eBay