Very calm and very friendly


We are climbing 169m to top the ridge to go through Vilalba dels Arcs,. We are in Battle of Ebro country. The Ebro Offensive was the beleaguered Republic’ls last great attempt to push back the fascists and prolong the war until the Democracies finally work up to what was going on.  It did, in part, they didn’t.  More of that in other places.  Villalba de los Arcs suffered great damage in 1938. It wasn’t the first time.








The pueblo was part of the Templar estates centred on Miravet and, when the Order fell, a Hospitaller town.  The 14th century, generally thought of as a fairly bleak time, saw depopulation. The Reaper’s War - think Catalan Peasant’s attempt to decouple from the whole Spain thing - saw the town sacked by government troops in January 1643. Once the war was over bands of rebels operated in the area until 1685.  During the Succession War the place became a hospital for the wounded.  King Phillip’s troops occupied the place and kept a garrison there till 1759.  I’m sure the French probably did ghastly things in the 1800s but I can find no evidence. During the Carlist war it supported the Pretender and a fight between Carlist Requetes and militia from Barcelona saw 35 deaths. The two churches were burnt to the ground.



The town peaked in 1897, with 1880 inhabitants. It has been in decline ever since and today has 600.  



We are going into town so lets pop into the Casal Cultural Rossinyol.  A month ago Mariana gave five stars.  She said ‘Place next to the cinema, social center of the village, large dining room, everything very clean, it's a Thursday and you have to understand that it's a small town, they didn't have the kitchen on, I asked and ate a loin sandwich with cheese and bread with tomato very good, very calm and very friendly. thank you’  Nuria added ‘The management of the place has changed two months ago. Jordi and his wife get along very well. Very good food, we had vermouth and a combined dish, a large and quality dish. Very clean establishment. Pleasant village atmosphere To repeat without a doubt.’



A year ago Jordi was less than impressed. ‘A TRASH.  The title couldn't be clearer, I went with some friends from the town at 9:30, it took them 45 minutes to serve us, there was no tablecloth or glasses, we had to write what we wanted, and the food is nothing out of this world. ‘





Time for a rest.  The Nou Moderno offers a double room tonight for 75 euros - 10 more for breakfast, 100 euros for half  and 120 full board.  It gets 4.6 stars from over 500 reviews.  A week ago quim said ‘Wow, we had a great meal! The attention from the staff 10/10. I can't comment on the rooms because we only went to eat. It's a luxury to have it close by! 100% recommended’  A month ago Joan said ‘A highly recommended restaurant in Terra Alta, we did the "tasting" menu and everything was delicious and also accompanied by the white Grenache wine from the area. It's worth it even if you have to drive a few kilometers.’



We will wander on replete and look across the fields.







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Much a do about something

Image
  In North Lincolnshire there is an OS square which is all but empty,  In a single corner stretches a few metres of power cables to spoil the virgin whiteness.  Today’s walk is not so blessed with flat calm.  We will see trees.  We will see ups.  Views are compulsory.  Houses aren’t.  Let's talk about Asturias in the years from 718 to 757. In 711 the full force of the Islamic tide swept from North Africa into Visigothic Spain. At the Battle of Guadalete King Roderic and much of the nobility were killed and the Iberian Peninsula collapsed before the all conquering crescent.  The thing is, Asturias is a long way from the main body of Spain. It is a bit wet and more to the point lacking the plunder which was the way of paying the Army of the Conquest.  The Caliphate’s hold on Asturias was tenuous to say the least.  Enter  Pelagius. Pelagius has many myths swirling around him and a very butch Victorian statue in Gijon.  Accord...
Read more

In which a Roman Bridge and a Funeral Parlour are reviewed.

Image
  We are rising again. We are rising 20 of your earth metres today. We will be 818m above the level sea. We are about at the highest point in the Cheviot Hills. We cross the Rio Porma and into Villarente and Puente Villarente. Both these twin settlements, lurking along the roadside, have generally grown in size since 2000.   https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage/great-routes/way-saint-james/puente-villarente First we must cross the Roman Bridge. Coyotuco is back with a five star review: A beautiful BRIDGE with a lot of history but it is not PEDESTRIAN. For pedestrians they have made a PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY right next to it. We are passing by the Artesanias Luyma so let us gaze at their ceramic goodness. Let us wonder  https://www.artesaniasluyma.com/categorias/pereruela/ While we are here and we are passing the Tanatorio Camino de Santiago let us visit this 39 reviewed funeral home. It gets an average of 4.9 stars.  https://www.antamontalvo.es/esq...
Read more

Mini Pieces of Supposed tuna

Image
  Pina de Ebro has something for everyone who enjoys the architecture of Spanish pueblos.  It has the tiny lanes, on which houses have been rebuilt for generations without a care for the needs of the modern motorist.  We have the pathways which have been tiled over but once were dirt tracks.  We have the modern suburban developments of low rise houses and 80s hopefully aspiring shacks.  First all, however, we have a park. One thing we noticed, especially with a small boy in tow, was the number of parks with interesting play equipment.  This is because, in Spain, people seem to like children.  This does make them a semi-public property and people feel free to indulge them with sweetmeats and pass comments. ‘I think sucking thumbs makes children look ugly’ said one elderly woman.’ My Spanish for ‘well desiccated prune face, no one asked you’ deserted me.  The play equipment is in the Plaza Pilarin Artigas.  Honestly I’ve looked and was giving u...
Read more