Marjal Peniscola

In Peniscola there is a freshwater Marsh directly behind the hotels on the seafront,  and it is a protected conservation area. The Marsh is fed by groundwater springs which form small lakes known as Ullals.

 
When these overflow, it forms the marsh. The area is managed by the building of drainage ditches which channel the excess water through the lower part of the town and out to sea via South Beach. The largest is the "acequia templera" or Templars Channel. Keeping the channel free needs a special sort of boat.

 The Marsh is home to the Valencian Samaruc which looks like a Goldfish, and is in danger of extinction. It's also home to another rare fish, the Spanish Toothcarp, known locally as the Fartet.


The heart of the marsh is now accessible on foot via a boardwalk. Visitors are urged to remain quiet while walking across and not disturb the many resident birds. There is a "hide" for birdwatching.

There is visitor information posted in several languages along the route. I'm guessing that the No Moped sign on the main map is aimed at local teenagers!

Plan B

The last time I was out in Spain, our nearest neighbour was kind enough to connect me to his internet router. This we achieved by dangling a cable across 3 houses. Fine in summer, but not so clever in winter, as his router was perched on an exterior spiral staircase, 2 floors up.

So our neighbour kindly offered to ask a good friend of his to call by and connect me via their secure system, to his Wifi. We'd decided to take an alternative solution with us, just in case there were problems! Computing wizz pal, arrives, does not speak a word of English, so dialogue is a bit patchy. So he takes my Netbook and is unable to connect me, something to do with the password length.

Never mind, after a suitable length of time, we walk up the street to our neighbours place, stand in the middle of the road, and make like locals by shouting his name! When his head appears, closely followed by his pal's, we shout PLAN B, and hold up a long roll of computer cable.
We now know that PLAN B needs no translation and is immediately understood in Spanish, as connection follows swiftly.

I'm supposed to be decorating, but the weather is just too wonderful to miss, so we take plenty of trips to the beach and seafront to soak up the views.

It was fairly unusual to be able to walk around the Old Town and see much more of the place. No matter how many times we walk over to the Castle there is something we've not seen before.

 

We'd assumed that we were there just between seasons, right up until we saw one of the Tourist Trains go past along the seafront, full. A little while later, another one passed by, also full. The town as usual, has carried on with it's cultural events, and the Notice Board is beside the Tourist Office which is open for business.

The town roundabout on the seafront was remarkably quiet, most unusual!

While at the supermarket I spotted the hugely confident local Geese, one decided to have a go at me. I grew up in the country, and I have yet to be intimidated by a Goose. Still, I have to admire them, strutting their stuff outside a supermarket, just a month before Christmas!

As for the decorating, once I'd started there was a little bit more renovation that I'd been expecting. Scraping and filling holes to be done before any decorating could be started.

Time to retire to a deckchair, with a glass of something decent!

La Cena

I make a pretty outstanding Tortilla de Patatas for a foreigner, and they turn out even better when I make them with an authentic view. I put the changes down to the local cooking oil, having a proper Tortilla plate, different potatoes and more time. The big shops do sell bags of potatoes specially selected for Tortilla making, and they do make a difference.

Having stuffed half of this Tortilla these two adults were like well fed Pythons, content and pretty well unable to move. The following day, we ate the left overs in a baguette and were so full we could barely walk. Seemed criminal to waste it!

Relax

It's Fiesta time, so a great opportunity to kick back and relax. Time to enjoy the late summer sun and soak up the views. There was one small technical hitch with the  plan.

Never mind, normal service was soon restored and we headed to a bar beside the Bufador in the old town. When the sea swell comes up a hole in the rocks, it sounds like a bull snorting - honest!

Next morning, sunrise was pretty spectacular, but there was clearly something stuck on my camera lens, just on the horizon out at sea. I checked with my neighbour and it's apparently a gas rig, spoiling the view.

Doing nothing is an art form, and I do need to practise. Pool time, followed by long periods of staring out to sea, more eating, drinking and snoozing.

 I had made a vow to stay away from Chufi as it's easy to drink lots and quite fattening. However on spotting a new blend in the supermarket, I soon convinced myself that I really should try some. It's wonderful, very creamy and I'm doomed!

We settled down into our Fiesta fortnight routine, with evenings spent on the seafront, or in the old town, soaking up the vibes.

Spain is in recession, and unemployment is high, though folks are still coming to the town in big numbers for Fiesta, with South Beach being turned into an impromptu carpark on Saturday night.

Dear British Airways

I was caught up in the latest BA industrial dispute. Come to think of it, I was caught up in the last one, and the one before that, but I digress. A couple of days ago, my nerve failed me. I would be 1500km from home with no access to a laptop and only a PAYG mobile phone, before I'd find out if BA were going to run a plane to get me home. Not a good situation, and with potentially limitless costs ahead, and with BA's new reputation for not paying stranded travellers' expenses hitting the tabloids, I've bottled out.

Discussed my options with my OH and we agreed I should get on the phone and move my flights away from BA's ongoing problems. He would have to manage alone, and I would not be arriving by plane/train.

So, after looking through the latest strike list of options from the BA website, observe that they have blocked DIY changes, I'm obliged to phone a call centre.

Problem #1, I'm gullible. The operator can't offer me the dates I want, because the computer says no. She offers me 2 earlier dates, which are no good to me, and I tell her this. I am reassured that it's okay, I can go into the system later and change them. So, having been duly reassured, I agree, and await the email I'd requested to confirm the changes.

Problem #2, I'm trusting. When the email arrives, not only are the dates no good, the return flight is now only 2 days after the outward one, which is utterly useless. I decide to test what the operator has told me the day before and swap them.

Problem #3, As BA appears to have still disabled part of it's website, customers cannot change their travel, you have to keep phoning them.

I'm an Executive Club member, so they are the people who I phone. Up to now, I thought I'd had a few problems, but really that was just chicken feed.

Problem #4
The operator tells me:
That "to change your flight will cost be £60, plus any additional fare costs."
That "you are only allowed 1 change"
That "I'd entered into a new contract"
That "if you cancel you won't get a refund"

So, by now I'd really had just about enough of British Airways. I've naturally done nothing about the flights, they are still a crock.

It's pretty interesting that the rights of passenger seems to be pretty poor with this company. I made a booking in good faith to meet a tight timetable with a scheduled train service which is advance reservation only, and realistically 1 train a day.
Like most of the public, I cast my eye over the booking conditions, but fail to read into any of the weasel words in the sub clauses because it generally takes me into a closed loop, and I have a life.

Why does the schedule play no part in the booking contract ?

When a BA passenger books and pays the money, the company does not have any obligation to deliver to meet the schedule. It's in the small print.

So, for a fair and balanced contract, I should be able to turn up and get on any plane to my destination, yes?

Well no. The airline takes my money, and I enter into a one sided contract. It then runs the plane to it's timetable if I'm really lucky. If not, then I won't get a refund.

As a passenger, it's become a matter of (if) not when I'll arrive.

I'll be searching the web for a decent priced airfare for my return trip.

As for not getting a refund, from reading I've done it seems that like most of the plane companies, BA charge disproportionate sums to refund the Taxes and APD charges paid by travellers that they hold until after we have travelled.

Disabling the website from offering this function, DOUBLES the charge they make on the hapless punter, because the only way to make the cancellation is by phone. Nice little earner, and no wonder the operator in the Executive Club sounded happy.

As for my reservation only onward rail travel with Spain's national rail operator RENFE, I simply cancelled the booking online, paid a single figure admin fee and the money was back in my credit card account in 2 working days. Excellent service. British Airways should take note.

In December 2009, I flew with BA, I had no idea how I would get home, but a judge intervened and declared the strike ballot unlawful.

In March 2010, I flew with BA, well actually I flew with Jet2 and Air Finland. My outward flight was cancelled and it took me an hour and 20 minutes on hold to BA to get a seat on a later flight. I had no real indication of how I'd get back when I left the country, but as long distance public transport at my destination, is plentiful and most requires no advance reservation it's not such an issue.

Of course BA were supposed to email/txt me with details of any cancellations, and I received nothing at all, so have little confidence in their service.

I do not feel that British Airways has any right to expect any loyalty from me or any of the other victims of this fiasco. I have lost a small amount of money in comparison to many travellers. We should have all lost nothing, as it's not our problem.

The Valencian Summer

This week, I have read that Valencia had it's third hottest summer on record this year. The sunshine brought record numbers of tourists to the beaches, and Peniscola was declared Spain's 4th most popular resort. May was not especially warm, and we had rain, but I can confirm that July was a scorcher.

The tourists utilised every possible place to park, including traffic islands and roundabouts, and the town, opened South Beach for parking. I imagine that this tourist did not arrive on Ryanair.


Here are the cars on the beach in the evening. Also in the image is frame for the Beach Cinema, which generally starts at 10.30pm.

Here is a queue of folks waiting for a table at a popular restaurant. It's about 10.30pm and they are queueing around the cars which are parked on the roundabout. The road was also open for traffic!

I took the time to go and explore nearby Benicarlo, which is not a tourist destination and has some great buildings, and the centre is quite smart.



I did my best to try some local specialities, and eat like a local. Some foods promised much and delivered very little!


I managed to see the beach early one morning, freshly raked and almost empty, so strange for high season.

There are always street performers on the promenade in the evenings. Some are more sophisticated than others.



Each September as part of the Fiesta, young bulls are set loose to run up the beach. The view here is of the safety fencing set up on the beach with the old town in the background. This was a very still, warm evening and it's about 10pm when I took this photo.

The weather was more humid than usual, and I've heard that this was typical throughout the region. We were not too badly affected, as the estate is on a hill and we always get a breeze. I did suffer my first local mosquito bite ever! Typically the insects blow past at such a rapid pace, we need no screens or spray.

Summer ended with the usual Gota Fria downpour, and nearby Vinaros achieved 20 litres per square metre of rainfall one day.

The Battle of The Beers

We were quite surprised to find our favourite Chimay beer in a supermarket 2 towns away. We made the decision to check out the flavour with the Med as a backdrop instead of the usual Swiss mountain. As it's 9.0% vol, it's potent stuff.

The next day our nearest Spanish neighbours called round and surprised us by presenting us with a case of a specialist Spanish beer called Ambar 1900, plus 4 Spanish wines.


These two beers were vastly different. The Chimay is a dark heavy beer, incredibly tangy and strong, when compared to the Ambar, which is exactly as described on the bottle, a Pale Ale! It's made only in Zaragoza, by one company, so is just as unique as the Chimay, with the exception of Chimay being made by Trappist monks!

The Chimay was a different beer to the one we'd been drinking earlier in the year, but brewed along the same lines. However it still does produce the same buzz. It's best not to even consider going out after a Chimay or two.

Ambar is a light refreshing drink, serve it chilled and it's perfect for a hot climate. Good job we were presented with a case!

El Noche del Fuego

The town has quite a few festivals throughout the year. We'd missed a Jazz Festival by one day on our arrival and I was around, for the series of concerts of Baroque Classical Music taking place in the castle each evening, at 10.30pm. Each night a large brazier was lit on the roof of the castle at the start of each concert.



To announce the start of the concerts, a large Firework Display was set to music, organised by the local experts Pirotecnia Tomas. I'd seen the guys setting up the fireworks on the beach over a couple of days. Lots of folks drove in from other towns and villages as this was quite a spectacle.

Everything in a plastic bag is explosive!



I headed up to the castle ramparts for a good view, and as they began at midnight, stopped at a shop to buy some water. My diversion meant that I passed by one of the speakers, which was powered up, and I wondered if the folks sitting nearby really understood just how much sound would come out of the tower, as it was huge.

Think rock concert.



The local police kept chasing me from each ledge I sat on, for being too close, and I eventually sat on one of the walls within the citadel, along with quite a few others.

When the fireworks began, I practically fell off my ledge, which would have been a bit serious. I thought I was used to the level of explosives in Spain, but these were bigger and better than any I had seen before.

I never did hear any of the music, and covered in the remains of fireworks and soot, I cycled back through the town at 1am, to see the temperature on an outside digital thermometer showing 25c. Perhaps I should have made it an all-nighter, there were still folks heading into the old town, instead I wove through the large traffic jam and headed back. My ears were ringing and I'm really not surprised!

Pintura Plastico

I'd headed out to Spain to get some much needed painting under way. I have to say, that it really didn't seem to be a big task, but as I took a first close look, the size of the job seemed a bit daunting. All I had to do was to paint a garden wall, which was on an incline, laid with membrane and covered with pebbles. The surface was the killer, it was so unstable, and the incline was 15 to 20 degrees, and the temperature was about 30-35 degrees!

Once I'd done some ground clearance, and found some really thick gardening gloves to push the neighbours ornamental palms aside I made a start.

Early starts were the key to success, as it became obvious why Spanish workmen down tools and head for the beach in July/August. I'd opted to try Spanish paint, and as I'd inherited a large can from the last workmen on the premises, I got stuck in, after buying a second can. The application method seems to be to load up the paintbrush and generally spread the paint out on the wall. To describe this paint as thick is quite an understatement. I would have confidently upturned the can over my head and looked up with my eyes open.

The gloves worked quite well, and I received only a few punctures in my hands, however it's really not nice to see a small army of ants marching up the glove heading for my arm, each time I disturb them.

The paint pots rapidly emptied, and I faced the prospect of buying more, (easy) and transporting it by bicycle (more entertaining). I knew I would find that there was a downside to deciding to manage without a car. It is entirely possible to carry 8 litres of external plastic paint on the handlebars of a bicycle in Spanish holiday traffic (and not fall off).

Of course, I had the locals pass judgement on my work.

Beta Tester



Quality Control

Weapon Of Choice

I have a listing on Facebook. I guess, that like a lot of Facebook users, my Friends list is made up of folks I associate with with face to face, folks I've met elsewhere on the internet who have similar interests and affiliations, and genuine long time friends.

Who knows what makes other folks tick, but I'd hoped I knew a bit about my long time friends. As it turns out I didn't know one of them very well at all.

Facebook has a large number of selectable restrictions with which a profile owner can modify who sees their profile, and what those folks can view. These are in addition to the Public Profile choices. I'd never used them as it made me feel a bit uncomfortable, if I didn't want some folks to read what I had written, why write it?

Logging on around the time of my Birthday, I was very surprised when clicking onto a long time friends profile, to see it looking very bare, with a minimal page of Wall information. So I emailed him to ask if he'd had a clear out, and he told me he'd been messing with the settings and the way blog posts appear, and he also said he'd look at it again sometime.

Now as he's a bit of an IT expert, I did wonder how this could have happened, but hey, maybe all of his listed friends were in the same puzzled situation as me, maybe it's Facebook at fault.

So, I contacted a couple of mutual friends at random, from very diverse backgrounds, and to my dismay, was told that they could see the full profile. So I'm starting to think that this was personal, and using the Facebook help section I now understand the fairly slow and painstaking process of blocking Profile access through entering an individual friends name, against different sections of your Profile. It was also a bit shocking to read in the dedicated chat areas that this particular tool is most often used by women to deter sex pests on Facebook.

You really could not do this by accident.

Never mind, I was sure he'd put it right soon, he's a good friend after all.

Except that didn't happen, because by the next day, a click on his profile, produced a 1 line entry only, for his Wall. So, he'd definitely looked at it again, and it would seem, reduced my access further.

Why do that, what's the point?

Enquiring of mutual friends has failed to identify my crime. They are at a loss to offer a reason or justification for his actions.

The next day I used a dummy registration to view his Public Profile and it looked pretty complete, so clicked on "Remove as Friend" to watch his Public Profile fill up, now the restrictions he'd placed against my name no longer held. At least I could read his Blog entries now. I emailed him to ask him to restore my Friend Status and remove the restrictions - no reply. So I sent a "Friend Request" - which he rejected, by clicking the ignore button. He then placed restrictions on his Public Profile, cutting my view of it to the minimum.

So, I waited a month, and then phoned him. It was Voicemail, so I rang off. My phone rings straightaway, and it's him, and he sounds upbeat and cheerful, but then I'm on a new number and once I tell him it's me, his voice tone changes, and despite phoning me, now he can't talk as he's in the car. In fact, that's all he said, over and over. I gave up.

As for me, I'm still pretty upset by this, but I'm determined to get out there and enjoy my life, as this will fade with time. Perhaps he will make the time to contact me one day and explain why he took the actions he did, but I'm not waiting in for his call.

I failed to see this coming, it seems things are never what we expect them to be. It appears that I was friends with him, but he saw me differently, disposable perhaps?

Chufi

I should really start this entry with an apology, because I have no idea why some of my photos are on their sides, or how to fix it! Perhaps a quick fix of Chufi is needed in the system. It's my weak spot, I can't resist chilled Chufi and I was a lost cause when I spotted a large chilled display just full of Chufi in the supermarket.

Of course I need the full-on version, the low calorie one just does not taste right. So there I am swigging enough calories to keep me fed for a week in one glass (or so my waistline tells me).

I did make the effort to get some exercise, and we played tourist one afternoon and climbed the Peniscola castle ramparts, and visited the little exhibition in one dungeon. This was hanging from the ceiling BTW.


This is a view we have never seen before, from the castle roof, over the old town and we were left wondering why the port decided to paint the town name on the roof of the dock!

If you have ever been to Switzerland, you may have memories of a well ordered, polite society. Well, here's an example of how the Swiss park when they are abroad. It's probably a case of "when in Rome, do as the Romans". This is a Swiss registered Subaru Tribeca parked outside a local supermarket in Peniscola.

The weather was a little dull, but we escaped being rained upon, until we were heading for the airport, so that was fine by us. We managed to do a little DIY and gardening and most importantly relax, which is what a holiday is all about.

Wellies and an Umbrella

I headed out to Spain for a week or so. I knew about the weather forecast before I set off, and it is Gota Fria season after all. Most folks understand the need to stay home when the rain comes, though, some of the locals decided to take their chances on local roads as the rainwater makes it's way to the sea. I turned on the local TV station to see some of the results.



This is on a local road, and it's between me and the supermarket, good job I had plenty of food in the fridge. Of course, when the road sign says, "Inundable" chances are that it will flood when the rains come.

The next day the rain stopped and the fire crews arrived in town to pump out homes and restaurants.
Some areas of the town were completely washed out, and I was surprised to see that this car had ended up as a part of a local water feature. Many hotels were flooded and coaches were unable to reach hotels as the roads were too deep in water.

If you have ever wondered what happens to all this rainwater when it reaches the beach, it does this.