Lauria Tarragona

Another night parked by the beach which means opening the curtain to a beautiful sunrise in the morning. Val happily sat on a seat on the promenade with her cuppa tea and watched the people walk / run / cycle / skate by. Val is definitely a people watcher, which is great because ...

... experiences were new to her… and she vowed on this trip she would come with an open mind and give anything a go. She tried all the tapas including the steamed octopus which shocked Kim but proved Val was true to her word as she is never usually that adventurous. Further to Kim’s surprise she drank the local beer all night and tried the local wine too, both normally no go zones for Val as she is a Southern Comfort girl through and through.

... a walk around the old town, and we started (although it was very hot) at the Amfiteatre Roma, where you can still see the old concrete bench seats set up in a circular from, so that the sport being held below could be viewed by all. Unfortuanately, the sport held in this arena, at that time, was a fight to the death (think the Gladiator movie), where men/gladiators either were forced to fight each other, or an ...

... we decided to explore some of the ancient Roman ruins and chose two of the main ones: the Roman Forum and the Ampitheatre. Compared to the ones in Rome, they´re pretty dinky but still pretty cool. The Ampitheatre is particularly impressive as it backs onto a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea. Apparently this too was used for gladiator fights which disappointed me, I was hoping it was used for more theatrical purposes but those darn ...

... crepe which was stuffed with glazed onions, aubergines, basmati rice, sweet potatoes, zuchini. The dish also came with more basmati, cous cous, whole Spanish chillies to give each bite a nice kick, fresh black olives, a side salad topped with a hummus type dressing. I can honestly say this is one of the best vegetarian meals I´ve ever had - only needed a nice glass of cold white wine to go with it. Yum!!!! I think I should sign up for a walking food ...

... and his life in Italy and he told me about all the places I need to visit in Tuscany. After lunch we drove back to Tarragona and rested for a while at the hotel. About 20:00 we headed to La Rambla (the main street in town) and watched the performers who were out for St. George´s Day. It is a tradition to give women roses and men books on St George´s Day so there a bunch of people selling both also. That night we had a small snack dinner at Louis house and talked until about midnight.

... like centuries old here, and they have definitely perfected some serious Catalonian cuisine. After dinner we walked along La Rambla the city's main drag, rife with street performers and people drinking goblets of Sangria so big I think I could have stuck my whole head in one. Barcelona seems to be built for mischief. No matter what it is you want or where you need to go to get it, there will surely be several dark dank alleyways you will venture down with small groups of people ...

... it was just amazing - see pics! Next morning we visited the La Sagrada Familia - Gaudi's masterpiece cathedral which is still not complete. The expected date for completion is 2082 (he began it in 1882!). It is Barcelona's most famous building and has to be seen to be believed (see pics!). We took a lift to the top and walked all the way down winding stone staircases. The cathedral is a wonderful mix of stone, stained glass windows, and ceramic mosaics - just wow!

... things, and some more Gaudi things. Then we went out for dinner and out for a few drinks. Good times indeed. Well i am going to the Beach yet again today, and will be doing some more shopping! :) Wow, i´ll be home in two days! Weird. See you all after Wednesday!