DAY 18, Parador Tortosa DAY 2 24 October 2016

A bit overcast and damp today but supposed to be sunny and mid 70s. Paul said he wanted to go to Miravet where there is a castle from the last days of the Knights Templar. It stands on a hill overlooking the Ebro and was in a tremendous defensive position. I am sure I have told you before but it bears repeating. They were the warrior monks who helped free Jerusalem and received great rewards in return. They became the guardians of pilgrims and as pilgrimage was big business back then, they also became in effect the first bankers. People of high rank would not carry money for fear of bandits so the Knights Templar would give letters of credit and so an early international banking system began. They became very rich and powerful and this did not sit well with Kings or Popes. They were brought down brutally by torture and violence but it is said their fortune was never found! It is a fascinating story and the castles and fortresses they built are magnificent. That is a thumbnail sketch from memory so you had better google it for the details! Anyway this castle at Miravet was one of the last to fall and we were eager to take a look at it.

As we turned off the C-23 highway Paul spotted a beautiful at the first little town so a quick U turn brought us to the Cathedral of Vino in El Pinell de Brai. We stopped for a coffee and chat with the manager who assured us that the castle is open every day as is the Bodega. We assured him we would be back after the castle and sallied forth!

It was about 10-15 kilometres away, but we know no boundaries! We climbed and turned and made it up to the top and guess what?...... It was closed. It is Monday, so, it is closed and all chained up!! Damn, damn, damn! It is in a great position way up high overlooking the Ebro. It is most imposing and said to be in great shape but we will never know!

We returned to the Bodega and chastised the manger who was suitably incensed because he got his information from the castle people! So we took the tour. I have to say this was one of the best bodega tours we have ever taken. You follow the numbers on the floor and at each stopping point there is a full description. Pagos de Hibera was built in 1922 by Cesar Martinelli, a disciple of Antoni Gaudi and is quite magnificent. Its construction is in the Modernist/Catalan Art Nouveau style. It is said to be an architectural gem of the early 20^th century. It is formed by a nave with 46 cement tanks of 30,000 litres each and 25 underground tanks which at one time could hold 2.5 million liters! Dang! There is also another nave with an artesan oil mill. You go through the tour and then watch a couple of short movies which explain how it came about in an effort to bring a sustainable life to the area. Other bodegas were buying up the grapes for next to nothing and people were starving in spite of their hard work. They were encouraged to join together in a cooperative and steer and rule their own lives. It took a while but it worked. It is a self guided audio tour and seriously, it was terrific. There is a smell test in the tunnel of aromas which I have never seen before and found really interesting. You could even sync it for the movie. Now, we speak Spanish but there really is something about getting the whole thing and not missing out on those words you don’t get and agonize over! Wine tasting followed with a bit of bread and cheese and all this for 6 Euros apiece! What a deal.

Apparently there is only one restaurant in town as the bodega only serves food on weekends. So off we trek to find Restaurante Angel, up the hill, there always a hill involved, and stairs, two flights in fact! We had an excellent meal, rabbit (again) for Paul and he says I had sausage but I know I had more than that. That is the trouble with playing catch up on the blogs, you leave it too long and you forget!

We went in to town to try and visit the Cathedral. Tortosa is a strangely dark and foreboding place. It seems very muddled and disjointed. We followed directions and parked in an underground parking lot and the followed the signs. Usually at this time of the evening there are people out walking and mingling, but there was none of this here. We really did not even come upon a Plaza where the children play. It was very gothic and claustrophobic. I really did not feel safe or comfortable. Never felt that before in Spain and they do say you should follow your instincts. We finally found the Cathedral but access was very restricted as there was a mass so we decided to cut our losses, retrieve the car and returned to the Parador. This is one cathedral that has not been renovated, at least externally, which is very odd, but this is Cataluna and they do things differently here!

After drinkies at the hotel, where we met 3 Americans, a Scotsman and a Spaniard, we headed back down the winding road to Lizarran, the restaurant of pinchos which we found initially in Valencia and later in Alcala. It was good. We didn’t need too much as our meal in El Pinell was substantial.

And so to bed, another busy day. I have very mixed feelings about this part of the world. I will ponder on it and let you know what I think. As ww recall when here with Ron & Sandy on the 2004 Maria Wedding Trip we stayed entirely at the Parador and did NOT venture into town: Ron & Sandy trust us you did NOT miss anything worth remembering!!!!!