My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
We had to set an alarm for 6:30 this morning so that we could have breakfast, checkout, drive an hour to Sofia, fill the car with gas, return the rental car and catch the 10:40 plane to Madrid.
A combination of confusing car return instructions and Google Maps suggesting ‘shortcuts’ put us on some very bad roads as we tried to find the right place to return the car but we finally did it.It was interesting to see a lot of American Air Force planes parked on the tarmac as we taxied to the take of runway.
We had so many grey and chilly days in Bulgaria that it was fantastic to see the sun when we got to Madrid. It was also really nice to be able to read the street signs and understand some of the language. We’ve been to Madrid so many times that it almost feels like home.
Looking down Gran Via from our hotelWe had jamon, sangria and wonderful bread and olive oil at Museo de Jamon.Then we had cañas, olives, and patatas bravas at Cervecería Alemana
To read our blog post about our second day in Madrid, our first full day click here.
Today was a travel day. This morning we left the Parador of Aiguablava at 7 A.M. for the one hour drive to Girona, where we returned our rental car and caught a 9:00 high speed train to Lyon, France.
Our room at the Parador included breakfast, but the breakfast buffet didn’t open until 8:00. So yesterday I ask if they would give us some breakfast to take with us. They said yes, they would give us a picnic.
These are the picnic bags they gave us – water, juice, ham sandwich, cheese sandwich, cake, muffin, tangerine, grapes. Wow!
There was very little traffic and we had no problem returning the car and catching the train.
On the train to Lyon
The high speed train ride was 4 hours and 20 minutes. In Lyon we walked the mile or so to our hotel.
Our hotel was just on the other side of the river
After a bit of a rest we went out exploring and later had a great pizza dinner.
Today was a lovely day of rest and relaxation. After a leisurely breakfast we went for a hike along the coast. There were a lot of people out exploring since today is Good Friday and a holiday.
This is the view we woke up to this morningWe hiked along the coast to the other side of the bay.There was lots of up and downA rest near our turn around pointThe Parador
The sunrise over the Mediterranean from our hotel room I’m Tarragona was lovely!
Sunrise in Τarragona
We went out for a walk and had coffee and pastries on Rambla Nova.
BreakfastOn Balcó de Mediterrani
We packed up and checked out but before we left Tarragona we went to the Roman Aqueduct in a park about a ten minutes drive from our hotel. The aqueduct is in a great hiking park, a short walk from the parking lot. I don’t think I have ever walked across a Roman Aqueduct before today.
The Ferreres Aqueduct. It was built by the Romans in the first century!
The path across the aqueduct
I’m the dot in the middle on top
There was a lot of stop and go traffic on our drive today. As a result I think today was our longest drive in Spain.
The town of Begur and the Parador of Aiguablava are on the coast north of Barcelona. This will probably be the last Parador we visit this year. We will be here two nights and then on Sunday we go to Lyon, France.
The Parador is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful hotels we have ever stayed at. Our room is on the top floor with glass walls overlooking the Mediterranean. I think I’d be happy here even if I never left the room.
The view from our deck.
We ate dinner in the parador restaurant.
Starter of sardines and prawn croquettes My sea bream with pepper jam with seafood fideuáDuke’s Catalan Crema desert
Before we left El Saler this morning we went for a walk on the beach. It was beautiful and we found several pieces of what looked like pottery.
On the beach at El SalerThe first piece of pottery I found
Then we drove for about three hours north along the Mediterranean to Tarragona. The parents of some good friends of my daughter’s family live in Tarragona. We met up with them and they showed us around Tarragona.
On Las Ramblas in Tarragona
We saw so much with them and learned so much about Tarragona. It was wonderful. And then, to make it even better, today as a part of the Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations there was a big procession through the street from the Church of Saint John the Baptist. We had a perfect place to watch near the beginning.
One of the Misterios (floats). This one was pushed but the rest were each carried by at least 20 people.
The beginning of the parade. There at least 3 groups of Roman soldiers with very authentic costumes.There were hundreds and hundreds of participants
Then we had wonderful tapas for dinner at a restaurant right next to the Cathedral.
Dinner at Casa Balcells
One other really interesting thing we learned is that Tarragona is well known for its human towers (Castellas).
This is a picture from a poster on a building. The towers can be 8 or nine levels high!
We had such a good time in Tarragona. It makes me want to come back again.
The view from the window of the hotel where we are staying (the H10). There are a lot of Roman ruins in Tarragona (walls, an amphitheater, a circus and other stuff too)
Marion's Blog 