Lloret de Mar Carnival.

The last few shots of the Carnival.

Hope you enjoyed looking at the photos we published, its a pity we couldnt have brought you the sound as well!! as every float had their own 'deafening music' which they all danced along to.
There is always something happening in Lloret.

So another subject soon....

Lloret de Mar Carnival

Another selection of photos from Saturdays Carnival.

Lloret de Mar Carnival. 2006

 Heres a great selection of photos from yesterdays carnival parade....

It was a huge success yesterday, both for spectators and participants.
With the sun shining all day long, it was a great family day out, even many of the spectators, young and old were also dressed up!

(Still lots more photos to follow)

Lloret de Mar, The Weather Today.

Today (25th Feb) is the start of the annual carnival in Lloret, held over the weekend.
At this time of year its always doubtful what the weather will be like. Although we have had quite a short and mild winter (so far) it has turned a bit cooler over the last few days.
The local forecast for today though is quite good, but tomorrow is seems could be a different matter!
This morning it is sunny, with a bit of cloud about and a lot of mist out at sea. So hopefully it will all clear by the time the carnival gets going this afternoon. We will then be able to get some good photos to publish during the next few days.

Useful Lloret de Mar Phone Numbers

Useful Lloret de Mar Phone Numbers

Old Peoples Gaff........................972372356

Sports Stadium..........................972367512

Radio Lloret...............................972372393

Indoor Food Market.................972367404

Town Hall Tourism Info...........972364735

Large Rubbish Collection.........972368922

County Hospital.........................972353264

Local Police.................................972361736...in a hurry?...092

Mozzos........................................972368888...in ahurry?....088

Fire Brigade...............................972367777...in a hurry?....085

Emergencies........................................112

Ambulance...........................................061

Useful Lloret de Mar phone numbers

Lloret de Mar, The Angel Monument.

The Angel Monument towers above the tree tops in the woodland at the back of Lloret de Mar.

She points the way up to Sant Pere del Bosc with her right hand.

To say she is over 100yrs old, she is in very good condition and also quite colourful when seen close up.

Lloret de Mar Promenade.

The promenade in front of the Town Hall in Lloret, is just over the road from the beach.

The palm trees on both sides give a little bit of shade from the hot sun in summer.

It's a nice place to sit and either have a full meal or relax with a drink and watch the world go by.

Lloret de Mar Shops.

Yesterday in Lloret centre there was a really good atmosphere.
It is officially the end of the sale time for the local shops, so they are allowed to bring all the last of their sale goods out on to the streets. This in turn brings a lot of people into town.
There was also a couple of bouncy castles for the kids and music could be heard all over town.
It was just as though the holiday season had come early!
Items on sale ranged from ski's, clothing and toiletries to even the butchers selling their meats and cheeses!
So what ever you were looking for, there were bargains for everone.

Lloret de Mar Carnival

Lloret de Mar Carnival

Next weekend is Carnival Weekend. The people of Lloret go to an awful lot of trouble and expense at carnival time, a procession is held on Saturday afternoon and repeated on Sunday morning. Saturday night is party time and the bars and discoteques expect to get a good turn out.
All ages young and old will take part in the procession, in extravagent costumes and floats decked out in fantastic scenes and backgrounds.

Unfortunately the weather always seems to take a turn for the worse at carnival time- and the procession ends up being a rather soggy affair.

The above photos were taken from the Lloret de Mar Carnival in 2003, on one occasion when it did not rain.

Lloret de Mar Carnival

Cheap Flights- Costa Brava

Visitors from the UK can now fly to Girona Airport for less than the cost of a 50 mile train journey in the UK.
Ryanair flies to Girona Airport from Blackpool, Bournemouth, Dublin, East Midlands, Glasgow, Liverpool, London Luton and London Stansted. If you book a few weeks in advance flights can be had for just 1 penny. Airport taxes will put the minimum cost of a round trip up to around 40 euros.
A taxi from Girona airport to Lloret will cost 42 euros one way, although there are private people willing to do it for less. For daytime flights there is a bus from Girona Airport to Lloret de Mar, Blanes, Malgrat de Mar, Santa Susanna, Calella and Tossa de Mar. All buses will wait for delayed inbound passengers to come through arrivals.

With tobacco and cigarettes still being surprisingly cheap the area is becoming increasingly popular with UK visitors who wish to take advantage of the cheap flights and stock up on smoking supplies. It is permitted to take 3200 cigarettes from Spain to the UK.
For more info on cheap flights visit www.ryanair.com

The Monastery of Lloret de Mar (again)

Another photo of Sant Pere del Bosc from Tuesday's walk. Taken through the blossom on the trees, showing how mild the weather is in Lloret for this time of the year.
Also a picture of the pathway, which leads upto the Monastery.

The Monastery of Lloret de Mar.

A view of the monastery along with the wording on the plaque outside the gates telling visitors the history of the building. (Click on the photo to enlarge the print).
If you like to walk this is a very long but pleasant walk through the woods, (approx 4hrs there and back). Part of the monastery is now used as a restaurant.

Taking the road from beside the Caprabo supermarket in Fenals, will eventually bring you to the monastery of Sant Pere del Bosc. On the way passing through the urbanisation of Condado Jarruco (lots of nice expensive villas!)
You will also pass on the way, the back of Waterworld and also the Angel Golf Course.

Lloret de Mar Wildlife!

Today we have had the warmest day so far this year in Lloret (20c in the shade).
So this morning we set off for a walk inland towards the back of Lloret, this is what we came across! A small herd of goats, which belong to a Bar/Restaurant (no, they are not on the menu!)
They are allowed to roam free out in the woodland, but they do have their own fenced in area at the side of the bar.

It's small unexpected things like this which make it so enjoyable living in Spain.

The 'Sites' of Lloret de Mar!

A down side to Lloret de Mar.
The many cranes that cover the skyline of the Fenals area of Lloret, are just building block after block of new apartments. To do this they are having to rip out all the woodland, spoiling what once was a haven for wildlife in Lloret and also many of the hidden paths which lead to the smaller coves along the coast.
To get to these places now, you have to cut through all the building sites.
Not the nice walk it used to be!

Costa Brava Coast.

A photo taken from behind the Guitart Hotel between Lloret de Mar and Fenals.
It shows part of the Costa Brava coast, looking away from Lloret. The white apartment blocks are in Fenals. With Blanes in the far distance, and Boadella and Santa Cristina in between. 

Old and New Lloret.

Another comparison between old and new Lloret.

The black / white photo was taken by my dad on his first visit to Lloret de Mar in August 1967.
He did'nt know what the crowd of people were looking at on the beach, he thought maybe some sort of large fish had been washed up on to the shore
As you can see from the number of people about, it was a very popular place for holidays even in those days, as it still is today. I took the colour one in December 2005, obviously not as many poeple about, but still a beautiful day. 

The Moving Beach of Lloret de Mar

These rocks are not always visible on the beach in Lloret, as they are usually covered by sand. What quite often happens in winter is that when the bad weather comes and the sea gets rough, it pounds up on to the beach and takes all the sand back out with it. Then most of the time believe it or not, dumping it down at the other end of the beach! making that part of the beach much wider and steeper than it normally is.
Hopefully the sea brings it back as the weather and tide changes for the start of the summer season. Sometimes it does, but if not then it has to be levelled out by 'JCB's and tractors, making it more suitable for the holiday makers.

Lloret de Mar Market

 Today was market day in Lloret, and here is a selection of photos taken this morning. There are a few
bargains about at this time of the year, such as warm jumpers, coats
and winter shoes and boots, all ideal
for buying now and saving for next winter.
There is also plenty of underwear stalls, selling 'nickers' in all colours and sizes, from extra extra tiny, to extra extra large! Also on sale, handbags galore, and plenty of fresh fruit and veg. If you fancy a nice tasty spit roasted chicken for dinner, just follow your nose. They smell delicious and taste even better. The usual Spanish souvenirs can also be bought- Viva España CDs, ceramic ornaments and frilly Spanish dresses for the little girls!

Fenals Beach

The above picture of Fenals beach was taken in the summer of 2005.

This picture on the left of Fenals beach was taken in 1950. The only house one can see in the old picture is still there.

These days Fenals beach is quite lively- there are five promenade bars, a number of kiosks selling ice cream and snacks, and a choice of many restaurants in the immediate area.
Fenals beach is just 1 Km from Lloret beach, and can be reached by bus, by walking along the main road, or by a coastal path. At 700 km long it is not quite as long as Lloret beach, yet in many places it is wider and far easier to find a nice spot.
Parasailing, jet skis and water skiing are available, along with showers, sunbed and parasol hire.

Empty Streets of Lloret!

A typical view of a Lloret de Mar street in winter time, with hardly a sole in sight. Most of the shops shut down for a few weeks, because of the lack of tourists. Also quite a few of the hotels and bars close, which gives them chance to either take a holiday or do some renovation work, before the tourist season starts again. Once the weather starts to warm up, the tourist's start to drift back again, and it brings the town back to life!

During the year there are a number of events which take place in the town.
The next one will be the 'Costa Brava Rally' in March. So we will be showing you a few of the photos we take. 

Lloret de Mar. Bar Barretina.

A close-up of the best looking customer in the Bar Barretina! As seen in the photo's below. She has her own seat by the window, and has been there for a number of years now.
She was getting to look rather scruffy, so Fiona kindly gave her a wash and brush up. You can see by the smile on her face she feels much better for it!!!

Things to do in Lloret Night

There is not so much to do at night in Lloret during the winter, however it is not a total loss. One of the cheaper Lloret bars during the winter is the Bar Barretina which is situated in the Calle Areny, in the old part of Lloret.

The Barretina is the second oldest bodega in Lloret. Before being converted to a bar in the early sixties by the wily owner, Maria Maso, it was a stable. Very little has changed in the Barretina since the early days, including the local customers. The Barretina is now run by Fiona, who has been in the bar since 1999.

A bottle of beer is just 1,30 euros, and a glass of fine champagne goes at just 1,10 euros at the time of writing.

The bar boosts a blind fruit machine player, a client who spends hours speaking to himself on his own mobile phone, and lots of long term customers with big lumps- not to mention liquer in the barrels that has been there for the last 40 years! Potent stuff.

Fiona also sells litre drinks- a litre of Tequila Sunrise goes for around just 7 euros.

The Weather in Lloret de Mar.

At last it's stopped raining!

We had four day's of heavy rain down here on the coast, (not for getting the snow inland) but this picture was taken today 1st Feb, as you can see the sun is shining again!
Temperatures are rising again and feeling quite warm in the sun. Just nice for taking a stroll on Lloret promenade, (we even ate breakfast out on the balcony this morning!!)
How long will it last though?
Winter is not over yet until the end of February at least!.