Palamos, Begur, Montgri. Living like Kings of Aragon.

Palamos.  Once per trip:  A breakfast presentation.  This is our morning delight at a modest hotel, family-oriented, a little away from the beach so there is quiet.  The Saint Joan at Palamos - -

Palamos, Spain. Breakfast at the Saint Joan Part I

Tomatoes and peppers and other salad vegetables at breakfast balance the fats and grains we are so accustomed to clogging us in the morning. 

Palamos, Spain, Costa Brava, Breakfast at the Saint Joan, Part II

More balance:  a little pastry then some plainer stuff. Sour of yoghurt or creme fraiche.

Palamos, Spain. Breakfast at the Hotel Saint Joan, Part III

Saint Joan:  Of course, the hotel cat. With my cat allergy, I am pleased to report that everything was so spotless that I never wheezed, not once.

Palamos, Spain. Hotel Cat.

Aragon's history includes Charlemagne taking it back from the Moors in 801, the French fostering a dominion of Barcelona that then became so strong it defied France, and in 1035, Sancho III of Navarre establishing the Kingdom of Aragon and dividing it among his sons.  See tacitus.nu on Kings of Aragon.  Catherine of Aragon was the Spanish wife (the first wife, of Henry VIII), mother of Mary. See http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/catherinearagon.htm

Palamos, Spain. Marina.

Palamos, Spain, One family's house.

Leaving Palamos, near Begur, Spain. Another family's house.

Montgri.  Palamos was the port for the Kings of Aragon, after a move there from Montgri.   Montgri is known for its 13th Century Torroella de Montgri. 

We found a sign for this castle and veered back to find it.  With new road construction, it was still inaccessible by car, so we offer here the distant view: hike up, some 2-3 hours. We moved on. We have never had a theft problem, but leaving a car, obviously a tourist car, knowing it will be there for hours, is not wise.

Montgri Castle, Spain.

The fortress-castle was never finished. It is known more the commanding site than specifics of historical confrontations.

Aragon.  More on the history of Aragon. Hot, dusty, views, visions of the waftings of lives and fortunes.  Remember the wealth, the glory of kingdoms gone, and the misery of the poor beneath, is that so, as now.  Here, Catherine of Aragon, in Royal Doulton, trying to convince Cardinal Wolsey (not shown) not to annul her marriage to Henry VIII.  She lost.

Catherine of Aragon, Royal Doulton