Spain 2023 Tarragona

Well, our first two days on the road were (unfortunately) typical 🙄

Day 1 - Sète to Tarragona 

We left a good hour later than we wanted (lots of packing trips to the car), and we hit a traffic jam, sending us off the autoroute (aka autopista / freeway). So, the 4+ driving hours (and hoped-for 5 hours of travel time) became 6 hours, and we were driving into the sun for the last two hours.

The good news is that we arrived before dark. The expected news is that the French tolls came to about 17€. The unexpected news is that there were no tolls at all in Spain! 

The hmmm news is that:

- We arrived just after the police had closed our street. 

+ After a useless detour, we ended up back at the barrier, and asked the police there for advice. They were *very* kind, and let us through!

+ We found out that the road was closed because there was a *fiesta* for Epiphany ! We parked, checked in, and unpacked just in time for fireworks, then a parade!

+ We could have arrived (but didn't!!) during the parade 😲...

We went out to enjoy the atmosphere, but we were both very tired from the trip and it's various stressors. We got some tapas to go, and enjoyed them (along with the complimentary wine) at the hotel. And... conked out early 🙂

Day 2 Tarragona and drive to Valencia

We were up early (for us), and ate a "Scandinavian breakfast" (sandwiches) out of our cooler, packed, then went out for coffee and a stroll.

We checked out and left Tarragona by 11. We *still* had half a tank of gas, but filled up in town, just to feel that good "no pressure " feeling 😉.

I had done my usual back-up scribble of directions to the next place, but some sections were still a bit confusing - signage, etc. are subtly different here... Well! It turns out that *using* those notes, holding them in my hand while driving, was a *big* no-no! *Right* at the most confusing spot, trying to understand whether we had already turned right-then-right-then-left or not, I got pulled over by the police 😬... Can't blame them, really... 40€ later, they sent us in the right direction 🙂.

Along with rest stops, this 2 1/2 hour drive took 

5 hours travel time.

~~~

To note: 

When pulled over, you pay the fine on the spot. They tried to use our credit card, but had problems, so we paid in cash and got a receipt. This particular fine did not include points off my license (too many points off, and you can't drive for a while).

I'm not sure what single drivers do in Spain - you're not allowed to use a GPS device, and obviously you can't consult a map or notes.

Gas was 1.65€/liter. I'll look up our mileage/kilométrage after a few days, but it's looking good!

We finally deciphered the autoroute signs for rest stops (aka aires) - you look for the blue signs that have a big "S" in a box, along with infographics for gas, food, etc. There's usually an indication of how many kilometers to it, and sometimes how many to the next one.

You can see photos and videos in my Spain 2023 album in the right column.