Go reader Mary Moynihanmade the most of a trip to Costa del Azahar, in Spain
FORGET R FOR recession and think R for Reus - and a €5 flight to some Spanish winter sun.
Reus, south of Barcelona, is a gateway to Costa del Azahar - or Orange Blossom Coast. Its top three attractions for us were the wild-bird reserve of Delta de l'Ebre, the little town of Peñiscola and the Unesco World Heritage city of Tarragona.
Armed with a satnav and road map, we headed down the coast. My motto for travelling is "Save on flight, spend on hotel". Our first stop was the Flamingo Hotel in the pretty harbour town of L'Ampolla. We had seen flamingos farther south, in Antequera, in winter and were hopeful of seeing them again. Surrounded by photographs, prints and paintings of my feathered friends, I went to sleep choreographing a ballet of flamingo dancers to the music of Enya.
We awoke to glorious sunshine, then prepared for the short journey through the paddy fields of Delta de l'Ebre. We saw egrets, cormorants and herons - all of which we have at home - but nada a flamingo: they had gone south for winter.
Only a boat trip down the River Ebre to the sea, where kite-surfers were a colourful distraction, cheered me up. Speaking in both Catalan and English, the captain told us that the Arabs introduced an Egyptian irrigation technique to bring fresh water to the delta, to grow rice. Later, we saw the reservoir, 50km inland at Tortosa, where the fresh water was diverted by canal to the delta.
Next stop was the parador in Benicarló, right on the beach. Well-fed and watered, we drifted off to sleep watching the beams from the full moon shimmering on the waves below. We awoke the next morning to sunlight sparkling on the same surf.
We were delighted with a trip around Peñiscola, 10 minutes away. The old "city within the sea" that the castle is situated in is surrounded by an impressive fortress. It is a fine example of Renaissance military architecture. The Charlton Heston film El Cid was filmed on this rock. The Templar Knights, founded in 1118, had a stronghold here.
The next day, we bade a sad farewell to the blue sea and looped back through the mountains of El Maestrat. With eagles soaring above trees laden with oranges and olives, we climbed until we reached Morella, an unscheduled stop. This small Gothic city is surrounded by 2,500m of medieval walls studded with watchtowers and topped with a castle.
After a diversion drove our satnav mad - it kept telling us to turn around - we headed up a corkscrew road that was not for the faint-hearted. Eventually we reached Tortosa, where another parador opened her medieval arms and offered us shelter.
I was reading about Indian poverty in Aravind Adiga's White Tiger and felt a little guilty indulging in mango, figs and kaki the next morning. Still, a traveller has to keep her strength up.
Walking up the Rambla Nova in Tarragona, we admired an impressive sculpture of a human pyramid - castellers - and the vibrant market stalls. Sadly, we came to an area where animals and birds were caged, as on Barcelona's Ramblas.
Then an amphitheatre appeared before the sea. Built in 200, it was used for gladiator wrestling and fighting with wild animals, and was where executions took place. Then, walking past the Roman circus (from 100) we headed for the Cathedral of Santa Maria. My first glimpse of it was disappointing. Once inside, however, I was delighted by this masterpiece. In a side altar, I felt a presence from above: there, painted in all its glory, grinning down at me, was my elusive flamingo.