2017-07-23 Sant Carles Marina, Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain
Today we decide to take a pleasant Sunday drive and visit some of the nearby townsOur first stop is the fortified seaside town of Peniscola, south of Sant Carles de la RapitaRic decides to drive up the narrow alleyways to a car park closer to the castleWe invited our new friend Ricci whom we met at the marina to join us for the outing todayThe white vehicle bottom left is ours, well parked Ric!!We see fabulous views over the busy beach beside the castle as we climb to the highest pointOn our way up we visit the church with its Cistercian austerityThe interior of the church which was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Three KingsAs we climb higher the views become more spectacularLooking south over the portThe Peniscola Castle and old town are built on a rocky outcrop with water on either side and joined to the mainland by a narrow strip of land
The gardens below overlook the seaThe castle also known as Papa Luna’s Castle (Pope Benedict X111) was built between 1294 and 1307. The Pope made the castle his pontifical seat in 1411Papa Luna lived out the final years of his life here at Peniscola and his grave is under a flagstone that can be seen in the churchLeaving the wonderful Peniscola Castle we pass the crowds on the beach enjoying the sun and water on another hot and humid dayWe next head north west to the town of Morella passing some magnificent terrain on the wayIn the far distance the spectacular town and hill top castle of Morella can be seenWe approach the town of Morella which is an ancient walled city located on a hill-topWe park the car and on foot we decide to explore the walled city and castleThe castle dates back to around 1084 when it was rebuiltOne of the gates to the old walled cityThe ancient bell tower of MorellaMany of the old buildings are well restored in the old townThe quaint narrow cobbled streets of Morella are popular with the many tourists that visit the townThe houses with the suspended balconies are typical of this areaWe purchase tickets to continue up to the castle from hereAs we walk higher the view over the town and beyond is fabulousWe continue on determined to reach the topInteresting factsA statue of the infamous gentleman, Ramon Cabrera who was born in 1806 and was the commander-in-chief of the Carlist forcesThe massive gates to the castleOverlooking the town below from the castle wallsContinuing higher, we see the top of the castleAn impressive piece of weaponry!A bull fighting ring below!We still have higher to climbWe overlook the magnificent Santa María la Mayor Archpriestal Church belowNot far to go now!!Finally at the top to enjoy the magnificent view in all directionsWhile on top of the castle we heard quite a lot of loud thunderAs we make our way back down, the clouds seem to look more threatening tooWe pass the infamous well photographed statue once againOn our way down from the castle we stop and enter the Convent de Sant Frances where many musical concerts are heldThe gardens of the convent were quite lovelyUnfortunately we missed photographing the facade of the magnificent Santa María la Mayor Archpriestal Church so this one was poached from the internet!!We quickly make our way back to the main street of Morella as a few raindrops start to fallOnce we were safely sitting undercover at a table in a small cafe in the main street we experienced a massive storm. Torrents of rain and and also hail fell for almost 30 minutes. The street almost turned into river!!! The cafe owners were pleased with the extra business they got from the unexpected storm!Once we were back in the car and underway heading back to Sant Carles de la Rapita, the sky cleared and the sun came out againAgain we pass the cement factory on our way back to the boatIn the evening Ricci, Ric and I take a walk into town passing the crowds of people enjoying the town’s festivitiesThe streets are lined with families waiting for the procession to arriveThe first float in the procession arrives and makes it’s way down the street towards the waterWe continue on to the Tapasanta Restaurant which someone at the marina said was goodWe order some tempura seafood with vegetables and shrimps with a cream sauce…….and a paella to shareThe three of us shared a bottle of wineI couldn’t help taking a photograph through the window of these gorgeous well behaved twin girls sitting with their proud parents outside the restaurant
Leave a Reply