I talked to you about my hometown, but I guess I should also tell you something about the city where I've lived since I started university. I've lived there for six years (that's a paradise, too: no parents, no pressure ).
Tarragona is 100 km north from the Ebre Delta.
It's well known by its ancient Roman monuments and of course its history. Tarraco was a very important city in the Roman Empire.
Legend has it that Jupiter, the God, left his wife, the mortal Tiria, when he fell in love with Tarragona, a city which captivated him. History tells that in 218 B.C. the Romans strategically settled in this place and that it became the capital of Hispania Citerior as time went on. From that magnificence there still survives a very rich monumental heritage that allows us to admire some remains from the Roman Empire such as "La Muralla" (The Wall), which surrounds the old part of the city, "El Forum", "L'Amfiteatre", "L'Aqüeducte", "La Torre dels Escipions" (The Scipios' Tower) and "L'Arc de Berà" (Bera's Arch).
The festivities in Tarragona begin in January with "Els tres tombs", a horse exhibition. Carnival gives way to the Holy Week, which includes a solemn religious procession on Good Friday. Sant Jordi (St. George's day, 23rd of April) and the Feast of Corpus Christi are the prelude to summer festivities such as Sant Joan (St. John's day, 24th of June), Sant Pere (St. Peter's day, 29th of June) in El Serrallo (the fishermen's neighbourhood) and Mare de Déu del Carme (in honor of the Virgin Mary, 16th of July), together with the Fireworks Contest (in July) and the Summer Festivals in the Camp de Mart Auditorium next to the Roman Walls. On the 19th of August, Sant Magí's day (the minor patron saint of Tarragona) is celebrated, but it is on the 23rd of September when the city celebrates its major saint's day, Santa Tecla. On these days everybody gathers in the street to enjoy the traditional characters of the town's festival: Diables -people disguised as devils dancing with big sparklers and firecrackers-, the Medieval Beasts, Nans i Gegants, Colles Castelleres, as well as the Ball de Bastons and Dames i Vells, both traditional regional dances from among others.
Something I especially like about Tarragona is its "castells" tradition, that is, human towers!!! I love that!
Ok I'm tired and I'm sure you are, too. So that's enough for today
Tarragona
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