Showing posts with label Morella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Morella. Show all posts

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Fiona and Justin visit!

We have been friends with Fiona and Justin for over 47 years. Fiona taught in the school where Margaret first started teaching and we have kept in touch ever since.



However, this was the first time they had ever been to Spain and, needless to say, the first time they had visited us here.


Despite the fact that it was getting a little late in the year, the weather in mid October can be quite changeable, we were very lucky as each day was sunny and even quite warm.


During the week we took Fiona and Justin to some of our favourite places such as the Ermita de Santa Bárbara and the Sanctuario de la Virgen de Gracia at La Fresneda in the photos above,...


...the bar/restaurant El Racó dels Torrats in our village, Torre del Compte...


...as well as showing them around the village itself.


During the week there was an emphasis on eating Spanish cuisine and sampling the many varieties of wines.


Rocky loved their visit as this was another opportunity for him to make new friends.


Valderrobres is always outstanding...


...a visit to the castle is a must...



...as is a meal at Fonda Angeleta, one of our favourite restaurants.



The next day to Alcañiz and lunch at Restaurant Meseguer...


...followed by coffee at the Parador.


On Sunday to Morella...


...and lunch at the Hotel/Restaurant Rey Don Jaime...


...followed by a walk around the shops.


A Monday morning a walk to the Viaducto del Val de Zafran...


...and another lunch at the El Racó del Torrats.


On Tuesday a visit to La Torre Cremada, the ancient Iberian watchtower on a hillside along the Matarraña valley,...


...the Iberian settlement at Calaceite with a view of the Ermita de San Cristóbal,...


...lunch at the wonderful Hotel/Restaurant Miralles, Horta de Sant Joan,...


...and a visit to the Convent de Sant Salvador in the afternoon.


After such a busy day, a quiet evening meal.


Next day, to Zaragoza, lunch in IKEA, then the flight back to England after a thoroughly enjoyable week.

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Friends stay for an extended birthday celebration.

Elena, Diego and their 2 daughters, Irene, 10, and Claudia, 6, came to my birthday meal on the 3rd August but as they came some distance, they are our neighbours at Vinaròs, they stayed with us for 3 nights so we could show them the local area.


On the Thursday morning we visited the ermita at La Fresneda...


...and then to Valderrobres...


...for a very good lunch at Fonda Angeleta.


After lunch a visit to the castle, museum and church then in the evening a walk around the village of Torre del Compte.


Friday we started by visiting the Torre Cremada, the Burning Tower, a local Iberian lookout post for the nearby settlement some 2,500 years old.


In the photo above we are standing on the site of the Torre Cremada so that you can see the village of Torre del Compte between us and the railway bridge, now part of the Via Verde, to the right of Elena, Diego and Irene.


Next up, a visit to the Iberican settlement at Calaceite with the ermita de San Cristobal in the background.


On the way to Alcañiz we crossed the Greenwich Meridian, another photo opportunity..


...with one foot on the line and the other in either the eastern or the western hemisphere.


Lunch in Luthiers, one of our favourite restaurants...


...followed by a walk up to the Parador for coffee.



Back to Torre del Compte for...


...games in the evening...


...and as you can see, there are...


...a couple of potential sports girls here!


Supper.


Saturday morning and we go to Morella.


You can't visit this region without coming here...


...and lunch at the Hotel Rey Don Jaime before exploring the village in the afternoon.

A thoroughly enjoyable stay and a great way to extend my birthday celebrations!

Sunday, July 31, 2016

Our 45th wedding anniversary.

45 years ago, on 31st July, we got married.  



To celebrate we went for a run out in our new car to Morella, a lovely town, which is 63 kms from us to the south west in the province of Castellón.



There, we went to the Hotel Rey Don Jaime, one of our favourite restaurants, for lunch.



When we returned it was time for a celebratory glass of cava and a dip in the jacuzzi.



One year after we were married, in 1972, Carole King wrote a song for us. Here it is with the photos taken on our wedding day and on our honeymoon in the Lake District, England. To see the photos, click HERE.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Morella

Just a short drive from Torre del Compte is the ancient walled town of Morella standing at 1,072 metres above sea level and positioned just beyond the pass in the mountain range of Els Ports between the river Ebro and the Mediterranean. It's history goes back to the days of the Iberians and everyone has been located here from the Greeks, Romans, Visigoths and Moors due to it's strategic position.
 

Today, the main industry is tourism but the shops which generally sell local produce are tasteful rather than tacky.


One of the attractions of the city has to be the castle, originally built by the Iberians and then said to have been rebuilt by Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid, who was in the service of the Muslim King, in the 11th century. 



The castle has been of key importance featuring in every major conflict up to the Spanish Civil War in 1938.



Some of the streets appear to be made from the original stone.


The Convent of Saint Francis, El Convento de San Francisco, is gradually being restored and is due to become a Parador, a state hotel.



As you climb up to the top of the castle there are some terrific views.


Although the castle itself appears to be impossibly far away, the gradual circuitous path means you get to the top without too much exertion...


...with plenty of pauses along the way in order to take photographs of the town and countryside below.


The castle has been described as similar to a 3 layer cake with the 1st layer being formed from the Church and Cloister; the 2nd being the services of the castle such as the bakery, the soldiers' quarters and Arsenal with the highest level  being the parade ground  and the Officials' Hall.


The castle has been impregnable, not even an army of Orcs could get close!


One of the most important features of any Spanish town, the bullring, has to be within the town walls.


When you have reached the top you must take another photo to prove that you were there.


The local council is really missing out as there is not a shop at the top selling cold drinks and ice creams! They would make a fortune!


On the way down you can see even more photo opportunities.


There is even a "state-of-the-art" cannon from around 1885 on the 2nd layer.


Another great day out!