Catalan Culture Experience: Tortosa, Catalonia

Every semester, the IES Liberal Arts and Business Program in Barcelona goes on a study journey. I am not sure where they have gone in previous years, but we were fortunate enough to be the guinea pigs for Tortosa. According to our provided guide Tortosa is a historic town for Muslims, Jews, and Christians on the River Ebro and has "a special charm that makes it unique" with fortresses, churches, and palaces. IES may have exaggerated a little...don't get me wrong the view was absolutely amazing, but Tortosa sure lacked charm in my opinion. It kind of seemed like a ghost town because there were very few people, which was disappointing to me because I originally was very excited to see a place that seemed so important to Catalonia and its culture.

However, more than a month after this experience, when I reflect on it, it was an important place to visit. I decided to do some research(because my tour guide was giving her first English tour and consequentially, I couldn't understand much of what she was saying. I learned that Tortosa is the capital of the comarca of Baix Ebre and located 12 metres above the river. It is in the province of Tarragona, which I look forward to visiting. The main sights include the castle of San Juan, the Cathedral, Bishop Palace, Despuig Palace, Oliver de Boteller palace, Montegut Palace, and Lonja, which is the oldest Market in Aragon. I remember seeing one castle and the Cathedral, but besides that I do not think we made it to all the main sights of Tortosa. I wish I could've seen this market because markets are very important cultural settings and it would be interesting to compare this market to the markets in Barcelona.

Nevertheless, Tortosa did provide me with some amazing pictures that are showcased bellow and I am hoping to enjoy the rest of the Catalonian cities even more, although I am thankful that I had the chance to see a place with such important historical meaning.