INTRODUCTION
Before you read this article, you need to have read "Finding Great Food in Spain - Part 1. Once you have read that, we can continue our trip. In this part 4, we will cover three regions, Catalonia on the eastern side of Spain, Aragón and The Pyrenees. So let´s dive in.
CATALONIA
We will start our trip to Catalonia by heading to Tortosa. Here the parador is a tenth century arab castle which sits on a hill overlooking the city. It has nice rooms with balconies and a lovely pool and garden. Here´s the link to see and book this parador:
https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/kYmcNbtJ Within the centre you may just enjoy relaxing, walking around the historic district. The cathedral and central market are worth paying a visit. There are some interesting day trips one can do from Tortosa as follows:
The first is a visit to Ebro Delta nature reserve. You can see flamingoes and other birds there all year round, but the best times are in winter and spring when they are most numerous. Here´s a link to book this: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/kiPuqNeS
Second, if you have children you may want to visit Port Aventura. Here´s a link for that: https://getyourguide.tpk.mx/FyzkAfTL
Third, is a trip to Peñiscola, a village by the sea on a rock with a castle overlooking a bay and sandy beach full of nice fish restaurants. You´ll drive to the village and then take a private tour to show you round. Here´s a link for that: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/EeKjeTUq We recommend you combine your trip to Peñiscola with a trip to Morella, a gothic town in the mountains. You could have lunch at one of the beach restaurants in Peñiscola, such as our favourite, La Frescura, https://lafrescura.es/ and then drive up to Morella to see its castle and wander around its medieval streets.
Next, we will go to Barcelona and stay in a charming very Catalan building built by the famous artist of it´s name in 1908, the hotel Fuster. It is in an excellent location for seeing all the main historic sites in the centre, serves excellent breakfasts and food generally, has comfortable rooms but can be a bit dark (ask them for a brightly lit room with a balcony). One word of warning. Barcelona is a thieves paradise - there are gangs, many of them expert pickpockets and bag snatchers, and these days the police do nothing about them. They can ruin your trip to this fascinating city. Our advice is to walk around with photocopies of your documents, locking up the originals along with your latest iphone or ipad in your luggage or hotel safe... yes I´m serious - buy a cheap second hand phone before you arrive in Barcelona so you can make calls and take pictures, but which you can just write off if it is snatched or stolen without being too upset and without bothering to go to the police which in itself would be a traumatic experience involving hours and hours of waiting and filling out forms and so on. You will also be less of a target if you are going round in a small group rather than on your own. There is lots to see and do in Barcelona and in our experience the best way is to take private or very small group tours. We will recommend a few general ones plus a few fun activity ones doing things that we have enjoyed, but at the end of the day, what will be best for you will very much depend on your personal interests and passions. We loved seeing the Park Guell, and all the other creations of Gaudi including the Sagrada Familia. A private tour that includes these and much more is the following: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/qYM3HlOH If you like hiking, it makes a fun day out to go to the Montserrat mountain where you also get to see an old monastery. Here´s a link for a small group tour for that: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/sW9hreNS If you´d like to do the same tour but without the hiking, we recommend a private tour which also includes riding in the cable car and a meal. Here´s a link to book that: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/KY3cBXXT A fun way to see Montserrat from a distance, weather permitting, is to take a private two hour balloon ride. Here´s a link to book that, but make sure you tick the boxes saying you want to be picked up and returned to your hotel in Barcelona, that you want a private two hour tour, and any requests regarding your brunch: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/EihJBb4I If you prefer to do Montserrat by horseback, then this would be the tour for you: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/keIYtIbp Finally, you might like to see Barcelona from the sea, and relax on board a sailing boat; to enjoy this you need good weather but you don´t need to have any sailing experience. Here´s a link to book this: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/4VgzK4zH
We will now head to Cardona, only about an hour and a half´s drive from Barcelona. The parador here was an important castle dating all the way back to the 9th century. Here is the link to book this: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/IggY9cwv After what will have been a busy and intensive time in Barcelona, we recommend winding down and just enjoying your time in this incredible castle. Have a look around town, visit the chocolate museum, maybe the Puente del Diablo which is about 5 minutes out of town.
We will now continue our journey to Vielha in the Valle d Arán, high up in the mountains. The parador here is a modern one with beautiful rooms (choose one with a balcony), spa facilities an indoor and outdoor pool, and jacuzzi. Its an all year round destination. Here´s the link to book: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/SnlEJf iQ In winter there is likely to be snow in the area and the best ski slopes are at Baquiera Beret about 20 km away. In summer, there are lots of trails in the area for hiking. This is a place to take it easy, enjoy the parador and the wonderful nature and beauty of the area. In spite of the hotel´s spa facilities, we recommend a day trip to Balneá in France. From Vielha the road winds up to the top of the mountains and then crosses the border dropping down the other side to more flat rolling countryside where you will find the town of Balneá. There are lots of different pools ranging from tepid to hot, a jacuzzi and sauna and an excellent restaurant where it is essential to book in advance. Nearby is the Lac de Genos-Loudenvielle which is well worth a visit. You can book tickets at http://www.balnea.fr/ They do a special deal of restaurant + balneá for 45 euros at the time of writing this.
We will now proceed to Alcañiz in Aragón. The parador here is an old 12th century castle which was converted into a palace in the 18th century. It is a spectacular place with fabulous views. The link to book is: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/iVJTEozA A nice day out from here is to go to Oliete and do a tour of an olive oil mill - here´s a link to book: https://tripadvisor.tpk.mx/JdoeBcz0
We hope you have enjoyed this blog. The links in it recommending places can benefit us financially - we humbly ask you to make your bookings through these links as that helps us to keep this site up and running - and it won´t cost you any more than if you were to book directly on the provider`s own website. Also, in the event of a problem, it makes it easier for us to resolve it. Happy Travels! And we would very much appreciate it if you could forward this to those of your friends who love historic towns, beautiful countryside and travelling. Thank you, and may God bless you. Lean and Anthony, the travelling donkeys.
