Torroja Spain
After a month of intense planning we flew to Barcelona for a 4-month adventure. We have a brand new Renault Clio and 4 apartments leased. We wanted to live in smaller communities to experience not so touristy areas. We planned a circular route loosely around the Pyrenees but our first location was the mountain village of Torroja, southwest of Barcelona. It is in the heart of the Priorat Wine region, within an hour drive of the Mediterranean and the coastal town of Terragona, as well as so many more areas of interest. This area turns out to be very popular in the summer with rock climbers - most specifically the Japanese enthusiasts. The geography very much reminded of us Colorado, and we enjoyed many hikes exploring the Montsant area.
Our apartment had a great view of the hills. It was quiet and charming. We enjoyed meeting the owners, Montserrat & George, who were holidaying below us for a week of our visit. Montserrat's family had property in the town for several generations. Shortly after they arrived, they got the TV hooked up and we saw news of the big blizzard in Denver - quite a surprise after a week away. This apartment did not have Internet access but we were able to go to a near by Visitor Center and use the wireless there to send and receive messages. We also had GPS navigation installed in the tablet notebook, which helped us greatly when we got stuck in a roundabout in Reus, unsure of which was to return to the highway.
We explored the Ebro River area several days as well as the delta where much rice is grown. It is a huge contrast to the mountains as it is flat flat flat! We saw many wind turbines to generate electricity. Also we saw the nuclear plants along the Ebro - a decided contrast with the old Templar Castles. This region seemed to be a study of contrasts that always surprised us. Many new wineries going up next to age-old monasteries where the wine has been cultivated for centuries. The terrain is very rocky with a type of shale so the drainage is excellent. The Priorat wines are very unique deep purple-red color with a rich full-bodied flavor - quite different than other types of Spanish wines.
Our drive to our next apartment in L'Escala was going to include a visit to the Montserrat Monastery. On our drive we noticed a gentleman who seemed to be in a bit of trouble with his car. After driving by several times we stopped to see if he needed some help. He had been turning around and dropped a wheel of his car into a ditch and was pretty well unable to move it. We tried several methods of putting things underneath the wheel and trying to figure out the jack, etc. In the end he called a friend from his hometown who came up the pass and towed him out. To thank us for our efforts, he bestowed on us a case of wine from his Co-Op - more than generous. We told him he reminded us of our father and we would want someone to stop and help them if they were in the same situation. By now we had lost the desire to visit the Monastery, so we found a spot for a picnic lunch before driving on to L'Escala.
- Siurana Spain
- Overlooking the river valley from the mountain top location of Siurana Spain and a perfect postcard day.
Schedule
Itinerary Highlights.
Fun things to do.
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
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3 December 2006 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
Depart Denver British Airways Denver - Heathrow Flight #: BA0218 Dep: Wed 6/12/2006 18:10 Arr: Thu 7/12/2006 10:15 Duration: 9hrs 5mins |
British Airways Heathrow - Barcelona Flight #: BA0480 Dep: Thu 7/12/2006 14:25 Arr: Thu 7/12/2006 17:30 Duration: 2hrs 5mins Barcelona, Spain Hotel Astoria, C/Paris www.derbyhotels.es |
Tour Barcelona Barcelona, Spain Hotel Astoria |
10:00 am Renault Eurodrive Hotel Bel Air, Passeig Maritim, Castelldefels Torroja del Priorat, Spain Ca l'Alemany Key Holder: Lluisa Bretón |
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10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
Tour La Vilella Baixa & Falset Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Siurana Overlook Lunch @ Sa de la Mussara Reus CiberK@fe Called L'Escala Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
La Vilella Baixa - Hike to Peu de lo Rocas (base of Montsant) Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Castell de Miravet - Templar Knights Castle Corbera d'Ebre - Town destroyed in Civil War Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Terragona - Roman Museu Arqueològic Altafulla Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Poblet - Monestir de Poblet Montblanc Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Walk with Montserrat & George to Gratallops 14-km Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
La Vilella Baixa - Hike to Pont Cavaloco (base of Montsant) Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Parc Nat Delta Ebre La Cava Sant Carles de la Ràpita Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Paint-Sketch stone bridge across Rio Siurana Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Montserrat & George left for Barcelona Hike to Barraca del Creuetes (Montsant) Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Paint Stone Bridge Drive to Falset (Internet), Reus (ATM), & Carrefour (groceries) |
Flix & Asco on the Rio Ebro Iberian Poblet del Roig del Roget Torroja del Priorat, Spain |
Montserrat Helped old man with his high centered car Girona L'Escala, Spain #4 Passeig Mar, L'Escala |
Happy Travels,
Pam and Henry