The word is a very exciting place

 Alicante was a bit of a no go. I'd arrived on a Monday, in which everything was closed. The tram system was only running part way, meaning you had to change back and forth onto busses to get anywhere, and the place just had a bit of a miserable feel about it. It was one of those places where you think to yourself, why did I come here? I'd quite enjoyed my first time in Alicante, which I'd done as part of a tour when I was on a family cruise, and it seemed like a nice place.  I'm probably being too fussy. Alicante is great if you're wanting sun, sea & sand, and long relaxing days on the beach, but thats not for me! Sometimes you visit a place, and you just don't gel with it. It happens to us all! You might visit Alicante and have an amazing time. It all comes down to personal preferences. Do lots of research before you go places, and it should help you build up and idea of what the place will be like. My personal highlights were watching two pigeons fighting...

Valencia is one of those places that's beautiful, but doesn't have an awful lot to do, especially when you compare it to smaller sized cities like Tarragona and Cartagena. A day there is all you will need to take in the sights. It's a great place to break up the journey along the Spanish coast, and is a good place to take it easy and unwind. The main highlight for me was the tin soldier museum. It's quirky, and once you get past the various re-enactments of battles, you actually find some really nice scenes there. There's models of various important historical events, such as the death of Nelson, with some humorous scenes of Christians fed to lions, goat herding and all manner of models from famous TV shows & books, such as Barbar the king of elephants and the Asterix series. At 8 euros, it's not bad value for a couple of hours. Valencia also has a beautiful central market, the Mercado, which has a variety of stalls selling pretty much anything you could wan...

 Can you believe that there was anything left to do in Tarragona? There wasn't much left, and I really didn't want to leave! Luckily, there was two last places to visit. The first was the archaeological museum. Although it is closed for restoration, there is a collection based around some of the most notable exhibits in the Tinglado 4, in the port area. It's small and you can breeze through it, but it will be worth waiting for the museum to reopen fully as it sounds like it's going to be amazing! Also, it seems like the port area is also being redeveloped, worth keeping an eye out for when its finished to see what's it's like. There was this fun train in the area that seems to be finished. Finally, there's the Tarragona Necropolis (often called the Early Christian Museum) is a large museum housing many interesting artefacts related to death and burial in the early Christian years. It's a shame more visitors don't come here, its beautifully laid out, ...

 The jewel in Tarragona's crown as one of the must visit destinations has to be it's aqueduct. Known as the Les Ferreres Aqueduct (Although sometimes it's also called the Pont del Diable, the two names seem interchangeable) I walked there from Tarragona, passing the university and the area known as Sant Pere I Sant Pau, and then following a path that led under the motorway and through the parkland. If you're driving, there's a couple of car parks nearby, and busses to nearby areas, but all of which still require a fair walk.  The aqueduct is in great condition, and the stone's shine in the sunlight. When I visited, there was nobody there, and a only a Spanish couple arriving as I left. You can walk all around it, and then back across the top in the old water channel.  Monuments like this really show just how well the Romans engineered their projects. For all intents and purposes, 2000 years on and it's here nearly as good a the day it was built. It's int...

 Like all large Roman settlements, Tarragon (or Tarraco as the Romans called it) had a circus in which chariot racing, athletic events and executions would take place in. It's a combination that maybe nowadays would prove to reverse the decline of public entertainment. You get some good snacks, watch the chariot racing, some sports and then the execution of some criminals. I think it would be a big draw and would definitely increase the amount of tourists visiting your city! For the Romans, it was part and parcel of normal life, where the boundary line between grotesque and entertainment was often very, very blurred. The Circus is included in the multi pass, and it combines with the Torre Del Petori, a roman defensive tower, greatly restored in the medieval period, which has information about Tarragona's history on panels throughout, as well as hosting art & culture events. It also gives some great views of the city and out to sea. The Circus itself is still partially hidde...

 The Tarragona Amphitheatre is an amazing position by the sea, I'm sure if anyone ever got bored of looking at such a thing they would be able to have a beautiful sea view instead. Its very well preserved, and has a little Visigothic church in the middle of it too (which obviously came afterwards). It's a steal at only 5 Euros to enter, or you can pay 15 for a Tarragona Multipass ticket, which gives you access to 6 different sites in the city. This option is best if you're planning doing all of them (like I did).  If you're wanting more history, then make sure you discover the Archaeological passage, it's included in the Multipass ticket, and gives you an amazing whistle stop tour through and around some of Tarragona's historical sites. You'll see everything from cannons, defensive walls, crazy paving & beautiful plants and flowers. Something unique about Tarragona is its tradition of tower building, the unique part being towers made of people. Now while...