Day 109: Tarragona, Spain

On the road again. We drove a little over an hour south of Barcelona, down the coast, to Tarragona. Talk about having a history. Originally settled by Iberians, then Carthaginians, Tarragona was the site of a battle between the encamped Carthaginians and advancing Roman army in the 3rd century BC. Thereafter the Romans used Tarragona as their base camp to conquer the Iberian peninsula. Eventually this fortified base become a Roman resort and is considered one of the most important cities of Roman Spain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarragona

There are quite a few Roman remains which can be visited, and we were able to tackle two of them before they closed early being Sunday. Our first stop was the Amphitheater, built in the 2nd century AD. Some original parts remain but time and neglect have damaged most of it. Efforts are currently underway to renovate parts of it.





Our next stop of the day was to the Circa Roma. After 3 centuries and changes within the Roman Empire, the Circa Roma was built in the 1st century AD. It consists of three large squares, one set slightly higher in elevation than the next in a terraced fashion. The lowest square, the Circus, was where public spectacles where held, such as chariot races. Remains from the Circus have been excavated and can be walked amongst. The Circus was so large that parts of its arches can be seen inside stores and buildings a few blocks away where they still stand (renovated somewhat of course).


(Outside the Circa Roma.)


(Model of what the entire Forum used to look like.)


(View from the top of one of the towers of the Circa Roma.)


(Another view from the top.)


(And yet another view. In the direction of the Amphitheater.)

Since it was Sunday and almost everything closes at 3pm (except for restaurants), we decided to end our sightseeing there. Coincidentally, Ilana has a friend (David) that lives near Tarragona who met us for drinks, dinner, and a walk around town in the evening. It truly is such a great feeling to meet people you know to show you casually around a new town, rather than having to navigate with a map the whole evening. The three of us had a great evening chatting and walking around town. We took some pictures of the cathedral and the scene along the Rambla while we strolled.


(Ilana & David outside the cathedral.)


(Side shot of the cathedral.)


(Ilana & David on the pedestrianized walkway called the balcony, which overlooks the Mediterranean.)


(The Rambla Nova.)


(This area has human pyramid competitions. Just a statue of what they look like.)

Thank you so much David for taking time to come spend the evening with us. It was really a pleasure for us both.

FJ