VALENCIA
The next day we geared ourselves for our biggest drive not knowing how many mountain passes we were going to have to cross. We left early to be faced with a blanket of fog that engulfed the valley. Once above the fog and cloud we stopped and watched the morning sunrise. Sounds quite romantic and peaceful. We drove across the rough and rugged Spanish country side for 5 hours.
It was a very scenic drive which ended up being quite easy for Rob as the highways were extremely good. We was impressed at the ever changing Spanish landscape which change from agricultural sloped land to massive escarpment formations. At times it felt like we were in the land from the BFG! At any moment we were ready for a giant to wake from his sleep from behind the giant rock formations. The more time we spend here in Spain the more we are falling in love with this country’s unique differences from that of home. Again we were able to view snow on the mountain peaks!
Our accommodation here in Valencia was apartment living. The photo from our apartment window tells its own story – communal high density living a way of life here in Spain. People here just love having a very tiny terrace. Freshly squeezed orange juice is a must here as Valencia orange trees line the city streets and the strawberries here taste like candy.
TARRAGONA
Our next amazingly historic Spanish town that we stayed in was called Tarragona just an hour out of Barcelona. Wow it was a true find. Just a beauty! We arrived on the holiday night of the Three Kings men which is the Spanish Christmas Eve. The city is surrounded by a castle wall and contains a Roman amphitheater over looking the ocean. The old town was decorated in Christmas lights. Our apartment overlooked the old Cathedral and the thin cobble stone alley ways. We ventured out at night for a drink and a bite to eat. Rob was in heaven as he found it hard to choose from the great selection of craft beers but Rob’s best find was a gourmet chip shop. We went back twice!!! We watched the sun set over the ocean against a back drop of statues and fountains along the square, Whilst we slept the restaurant down below us in the alley didn’t close until 6am in the morning. Now Catalonians know how to party.
Today brought an end to our first big road trip as we return our hire car over the border in France and then caught a speed train back to Spain for one last special city in Spain -Barcelona. Now if you are not good with choice imagine our faces when we came face to face with the Toll Station in Barcelona – lucky we were cruising these highways early. We could imagine this Toll station peak tourist season in summer.
