Tarragona Roman Museum, 1

After lunch we walked the short distance over to the city's Roman museum. We can never get enough old stuff, and the National Archeological Museum of Tarragona is said to be one of Spain's best.

En route to the Roman museum, more Roman bits; a sign said
this was the site of the synagogue; usually, in Europe, such
signs are dated 1942 or thereabouts; this is Spain, and it was
dated 1492; a reminder that, in addition to unifying Spain and
giving us Cristoforo Colon, and the New World, the dynamic
regal duo, Ferdinand and Isabella, and mostly Isabella, also 
expelled all the Jews and Muslims, and gave us the Inquisition; 
all in 1492

In the museum, a helpful map of Augusto Tarraco

"You want a toe? ...Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o'clock this
afternoon"

Yeah, but, a really big, big toe

Toga! Toga!

What it takes to reassemble a mosaic

Ditto

Seriously ditto

From the Centcelles villa, painstakingly reassembled by a German
team in the 1950s

Interior shots of the dome at Centcelles

Obligatory amphora, some recovered from the sea

Thus...and memories of Turkey

Oil lamps, and, something we'd not seen before, an oil lamp
chandelier

Doll with moving parts

Service for several

Great Roman glass

Including these two huge jugs

Two-toned

Best €15.50 Tasting Menu Ever, So Far: Ares In Tarragona

After the cathedral we headed for a restaurant we had read about, Ares. What attracted us initially was the guidebook description of it as Modernista. That turned out to be true, sort of, but the food, traditional Catalonian, was at least as good as the decor. As it turned out, it is a mom and pop restaurant--she cooks, he serves--and he designed the place 12 years ago. We had the five-plate tasting menu.

Beautiful old city

Ares restaurant

Interior views

The meal started off with bread and olives, and the included
wine

Then, the beginning of the five plates...first, a salad

Then a creamy squash soup

Then couscous with chicken and carrots

Then the sardines (I got all the sardines)

Then the pork medallions with patatas (what was left of them)

Then--we were tired of flan--cacao coated almonds

And coffee

Then more of the decor

It was early for lunch...1:30, so we were the first customers
of the day

Neat place

Exterior wall, with original column, arch

Tarragona Cathedral, 2

Continuing our visit to Tarragon's cathedral...

Wandering a bit, here we are behind the altar...

And now in the treasury; has anyone ever retold the St. George story from the
dragon's point of view?

"Put your snout under the spout where the Gospel comes out"

Great preservation all around

Sumo double-flutist, back in the cloister

Best funny face

The rats' funeral procession...they're carrying a dead cat

But the cat then springs to life...the theological point is lost on me; something
about resurrection?

Beautiful and beautifully maintained cloister

Tower from within the cloister

Killing the three guys

More interesting capitals

Celtic, yes?

A brother trying to escape?

Now in the cathedral's museum (!); mosaic from a nearby villa

Sarcophagus of Apollo and the 9 Muses

Moorish arch

Nice Christian sarcophagus of a couple gazing at each other

The museum...a large barrel vault