Tarragona Cathedral

The cathedral at Tarragona dates to 1154, though the site already had a lot of history by then.  It was a Roman temple, Visigoth church, and Moorish mosque before taking its present form.

Tarragona

We're back home now, after a long day of travel followed by a day of unpacking and feeling out of sorts and off schedule.  That's my excuse for the delay in posting about our Saturday trip to Tarragona.

Anyway, we spent the day with Jordi, a fellow language learner.  We met on italki and talk on skype, practicing English and Spanish.  Jordi met us at the Camp Tarragona train station and showed us around the city.  As you can see, the weather was iffy, alternating between pleasant and ugly.

Odds and Ends

Well, anytime you empty out the fridge before a long trip, there are leftovers.  I have  pics I like, but could never fit in.  Here are a few.

I've seen lots of high art statues, but I also liked these souvenirs.

Market Goodbyes

We went to the Collblanc market for the last time this morning, not so much to shop as to say goodbye to friends we've made there.  Sylvia, the talkative clothes vendor, the olive ladies, one with a daughter who's going to university in San Francisco soon, the butcher ladies, who taught us the word "filete" as they sliced chicken, the Barca futbol fans from Argentina who supplied our fruits and vegetables.

Two months.  I haven't lived away from "home" this long since I first went to college in the 70's.  It's been less like a vacation and more like moving.  I miss some things back home, especially my sobrinita, but I'm sad to be leaving.  Mary is ready for home, though.  It's been hard for her having no one to talk to but me.  Imagine that!

We've spent the last couple of days wandering around parts of Barcelona we love, and some we have neglected to visit until now.  We're still discovering new things and having new experiences.  For example, we wandered into a somewhat sketchy neighborhood, and I finally encountered my first (to my knowledge) Barcelona pickpocket.  I should have taken a picture, but I'm afraid he would have absconded with my camera.  He was a gregarious sort, and at the same moment he was saying, "Welcome to Barcelona!" I felt his hand at the top of my pocket, just in time.  I was able to turn away, secure both pockets, and walk away with wallet intact.  He was working solo, or I'm sure he would have succeeded.

Potter's Castle

After our Montserrat visit, our tour included a dinner and wine tasting.  It was held at a castle surrounded by a resort, including a golf course, restaurant, and winery.  The food was amazing.

Mary's main course was lamb with a pear sauce.

I had duck with berry sauce.

Placa de Catalunya, 1936

Yesterday we took a walking tour based on the Spanish Civil War.  I've been trying to digest what I learned, and come up with ideas I can write about that are fit for a G-rated blog.  The entire affair makes me want to just give up and cry.  What I will say is that lots of things I've seen in Barcelona look different to me now.  I'm re-reading Orwell's Homage to Catalonia, and doing some googling and reading to understand more.

The only way I can describe what I learned and stay family friendly is that the Spanish Civil War was a prelude and, for some, a practice session, for World War II.   It did have some uniquely Spanish aspects, but many of the events in Spain happened again, soon afterward, on a more global scale.

For example, which city is this?

Barceloneta

Barceloneta is where the fishermen lived in old Barcelona.  The narrow residential streets are still there, just adjacent to the beautiful man-made beach.  It looks sort of like this.

Montserrat

Montserrat is famed as a place of calm spirituality, but our tour on Monday started as anything but.  There were two main reasons.  First, Barcelona has about 100,000 extra visitors this week for the global mobile phone convention.  Second, the metro is on strike.  Not completely, just minimal service.

So, we started an hour early for a trip that should have taken half that time.  And we didn't make it.  But they waited for us.  So, we did the tour, but only after much running and cursing.

The weather was iffy when we arrived.

Fixer Upper

Seems there was some interest in my beachfront fixer-upper, and I suspect there are others in the states that might like to find a place for themselves.  (I'm looking at you, Martha.)  So, I've been on the lookout for other bargain places here.

I found this diamond in the rough here in Hospitalet.

Monumental

Awhile back I wrote about Las Arenas, the bullring converted to shopping mall.  Barcelona actually had two bullrings, the other being Monumental.  It's a museum now, which Mary and I visited yesterday.