DAY 17, Parador Alcaniz to Parador Tortosa 23 October 2016:

Only a very short drive today. The day dawned bright and clear and we are ready to load up and head out….after a substantial breakfast of course to give strength! Carmen got us out of town safely and we headed for Tortosa.  We forgot to mention that on the way into Alcaniz (just 10K outside of Lleida) we passed a farm with lots of donkeys and….camels! Seriously….camels. Now why they have so many camels here we have no idea but they seemed content! Paul did a quick u turn and we went back for Kodak moment! There were some camels, behind a wall, and all we saw were their humps but one has to assume they too, were camels! One of life’s little mysteries.

We approached Tortosa from the northwest and decided to stop and explore Aldover, for no reason other than we needed refreshment and a potty stop! Strange little town, but lots of people sitting outside drinking coffee and beer. Via Verdes are very prevalent here. They are paths through the countryside for walking or cycling. Nice I think. They are very health conscious, especially the young people who you see out running and biking and walking regularly. Paul was shooed away from his first choice parking as it was on the Via Verde! We complied.

Getting into the Parador was a little more complex as the first bridge was one way due to repair work and no one had told Carmen so she was totally at a loss! We eventually figured it out by heading for the town center and crossing at the next bridge down. We are talking about the mighty Rio Ebro here. Spain’s rivers are often trickles of water, unless they have a downpour, but the Ebro is fabulous. It is the second largest in Spain and flows through many Provinces, Aragon, Zaragoza, La Rioja, Cataluna to name a few. This path led us past a park with lots of outdoor tables and people eating lunch! You know what we are going to do? Eat lunch! After a sumptuous repast we piled into the car and stopped at the first ATM to replenish the coffers. “ Sorry transaction not authorized. Contact your bank”! Excuse me? I remember calling SCCU myself! What gives? We tried at a couple more… no deal. Eventually I used my USAA card and that worked just fine. We will check on this later.

We drove up, what seems to be a standard road for castles on hills……steep, narrow with arched gates and big stone walls! Paul handles it with great aplomb! Nothing fazes this guy! I head into reception with a bit of trepidation; there are stairs everywhere and no ramps. I cannot believe that they have not updated this since we were last here, don’t they have the equivalent of the ADA here? In years past, they had a portero who would help you, but I guess times are tough and there have been many cutbacks. The receptionist directed us to a different parking lot and said she would help.!

It is a beautiful suite! A 12^th century castle with a lovely suite and balcony. Just lovely, I will forgive them for the lack of porters! It is my birthday and I am not heaving suitcases anywhere! There is a lovely view right down the Ebro and the sun has made it into a ribbon of silver! Lots of people come up here just to walk around the walls and admire.

We decide to eat at the Parador as a special treat. I am not up for trying to find a restaurant in town, and the Parador restaurants are gorgeous. Just put your mind in an ancient castle with a beautiful dining room with silver and crystal and beautiful chandeliers. Sigh!.. We dressed for dinner and by that I mean I dressed in lace and gold necklace and Paul took his vest off! It was super and all a girl could ask for on her 70^th birthday. I love Spain and castles in Spain! Paul says I have to tell you what we had. I had this awesome starter of mil hojas {flaky pastry like a vol au vont} filled with caramelized onions, mushrooms and pate. Mmmmm! and salmon, Paul had chickpeas with cod, spinach and chorizo and roasted lamb shank, which he tells me, fell off the bone. It was a lovely birthday and the Rose wine divine!