“We finally traveled eleven very long leagues on a very rough road called "Malarrocha," that is, "bad rock." And there the name is truly appropriate.
The 1st day of October, traveling on a difficult path, after two leagues we arrived at the castle of Ginestar, near the banks of the Ebro river. The river Ebro, which runs from the mountains towards Zaragoza, navigable like the Danube near Ratisbon, dividing the realm of Valencia from Catalonia. On its two banks are many hamlets of Saracens of the religion of Mohammed, whom the princes tolerate because they are diligent and work hard in agriculture and don't drink wine. They exact a large tribute from them. There are on both banks a very fertile place with olives and tamarinds, which produce a sweet fruit, which is fed to mules and to horses, that we call "Saint John's bread." On this same day we arrived at the pleasant town called Cherta, riding four long leagues until the dinner hour.”
What Münzer Saw:
The road continues narrow and winding, as Münzer says. The castle he saw was not in Ginestar, but across the Ebro River, and it was a Templar castle. Four-square and heavily fortified, it sits above the town on a steep hill. If at this point he crossed the Ebro, he probably did it on the sort of ferry we used to cross the river (with horses instead of a car, of course). It works entirely by use of the natural river currents.
Olive, tamarind and other fruit trees still grow in the area, and there are many towns along the river, including Cherta (now spelled Xerta), but the “Saracens” (now North African immigrants, no longer inhabit these towns, rather they are in their own neighborhoods in the larger towns, like Tortosa, where Münzer didn’t go, because of a plague epidemic. (But we did, ironically staying in the Parador there, which is in a restored Moorish castle.(5/22/2011)
Munzer Talking About the Road to Valencia, ctd.
“On the 2nd of October, descending two leagues by the coast, we arrived in the morning at the ancient city of Tortosa, but not having entered it because of the plague, traveling through very extensive and deserted plains, riding with great determination, we arrived after six miles at the castle of Alcanar. The 3rd of October, crossing through the pretty settlement of San Mateo and through seven miles of some cropland, we arrived finally at Kureal. On the 4th, passing some desert, by Villarreal, and traveling some 7 miles, we arrived at the town of Fredes, in a very beautiful and fruitful plain that receives water from all around. It is a very beautiful place, situated on the coast, with a very large and arrogant fortress situated on a high mountain.
[Monastery of Jesús del Valle]: The 5th of October, leaving in the morning, traveling one league towards the west, we arrived at the monastery of Jesús del Valle. This monastery is located in the western foothills of a fairly high mountain. Everywhere around it is sterile land. The brothers here are of the Observant Order of Franciscans. They maintain a pretty garden, which they irrigate with water taken from a well by means of a mule. The cloister is small, but everything is lovely and excellently placed. When we were there, there were only ten or twelve people. There were four priests, two deacons, two sub-deacons and two lay brothers.”
What Münzer Saw:
We are confused here. The itinerary that Münzer cites makes little sense. Alcanor is there, but with later fortifications. Perhaps Münzer was referring to the extent castle in nearby Ulldecona—or perhaps the Alcanor castle has vanished. San Mateo still exists, but no one has ever heard of Kureal; perhaps it’s the town of Borriol, and transcribers misread Münzer’s handwriting.
What Münzer could have seen:
The entire coast, from Tarragona to Valencia, is quite flat, and certainly has an abundance of cropland. We did go to Fredes, but it’s nowhere near the coast—it took a rather harrowing drive into the mountains to the west, and Fredes was tiny—with no evidence that it ever had been bigger. Maybe he meant Sagunto, originally a Roman city, which has an imposing fortress (no pictures—sorry).
The Monastery of Jesús del Valle, apparently very small, has completely vanished. But if Münzer really made it to Fredes, he might have seen the Convent of Santa María Benifessà, established in the 13th century—though our view suggests much more modern structures, we couldn’t enter, as it was only open on Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m., and we came on a Tuesday.
What Münzer Never Would Have seen:
The cropland is near the coast, but on the immediate coast are an almost unbroken line of tourist hotels—the whole concept of European travelers going to the beach just for amusement sake would have been completely incomprehensible to him.
(5/23/2011).
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