Tarragona

After a LATE (as in returning at 3:15 a.m.) night out Monj and I awoke this morning to tackle yet another day trip. We took the train to Tarragona, about an hour and 20 minutes away via a commuter train along the coast, to see the Roman ruins and enjoy the beach. Tarragona was "muy preciosa" (beautiful) and easy to navigate! After we got off the train there were signs to the old Roman city center. Here we saw the amphitheatre, cathedral, Jewish quarter, torres (towers), circus area and other various ruins. Present day Tarragona is literally built upon the old Roman city and back in its heyday was the most important Roman center in the area! I had never in my life seen such complete ruins from this era. It wasn't just like looking at old encased pieces of stone, but rather a complete amphitheater!

After a few hours in the ruins we took a stroll down to the beach and took in the sun and the sand. Tarragona's beach is the most beautiful beach I have ever been to. It hugs the Mediterranean with a skinny area of white sand. The water is turquoise and you can walk out for several feet before it even begins to drop off. The beach is like a tropical island or something. It is also slightly more secluded than the beaches in Barcelona or even Sitges. The water was perfectly clean, as was the sand, and it was easier to get away from people who smoked, etc. because people had more personal space. We loved the beach and didn't catch a train home until almost 8pm!  

Monj and I were really proud of each other for getting out of bed, working out the tram system and spending a wonderful day of history and relaxation outside of Barcelona. Once again we were reminded of the ticking clock of summer as we realized this is one of our final Sundays here in Barcelona! We are traveling the next two weekends and will be scrambling to finish some final shopping and packing on the final Sunday! It is insane how time flies.