Tarragona - October 16th onwards

We chose Tarragona as our winter home for a number of reasons.  One, it was close to Barcelona, which had been our first choice, but had no space available.  Two, it has a dramatic and ancient history, which dates well before the birth of Christ, and has lots of ruins to explore.  Three, they had space for a catamaran, which many marinas didn’t.  And last, it was close to transportation to the many other interesting places in Spain to visit during the winter. 

As it turns out, Tarragona has an additional benefit – it is small enough that there are only a few of us staying the winter here, and the marina staff have been extremely helpful.  It’s like having a bit of a family here. 

As you might expect, there are some disadvantages .. the main one is that the marina is surrounded by discos!  Even that wouldn’t be such a problem, except that in Spain the discos open at 11 pm and close at 5 (AM!) during the week, and 5:30 or later on the weekend.  But .. we are learning to block out the noise quite effectively!

The origins of the present-day city of Tarragona go back to ancient times.  The earliest documented evidence dates back to the 6^th century BC, and mentions the Iberians and their enclave in the hill of Tarragona, Kesse.  Greek writers referred to it as Callipolis, the beautiful city, “famous for its high and lofty walls”.  In the winter of 218 BC during the Second Punic War between the Romans and Carthaginians, Tarraco was incorporated into the Roman Empire.  The Roman era of Tarraco was significant for two reasons: it was the most important Roman city founded outside Italy and its islands, and it was the capital of one of the largest Roman provinces for a couple of centuries.  In fact, Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus lived in Tarraco for some time. 

During the 1^st century AD, Tarraco (now with a population of some 40,000 people) began a splendid period of prosperity, with temples, luxurious mansions, a forum, a circus maximus (where the chariot races were held), an amphitheatre (where gladiator contests were held before 14,000 people), aqueducts and thermal baths.  Many of these buildings are still standing today, and can be seen just by walking around the city.

Just about every Spanish city (it seems) has a Rambla.  It’s usually a large divided street in the middle of the retail, tourist and financial district of the town.  On each side one finds stores, bars, restaurants, commercial and residential apartment buildings.  In the middle, there are usually newsstands, flower stands, and sometimes cafés.  Plus, of course, a wide walking area, often with many architectural sculptures and fountains.