Lloret de Mar Stuff is 5 yrs Old Today!!

Lloret de Mar Stuff was started by Debbie after she came up with the idea and asked me if I would like to join her. (She is no longer involved with the writing of the blog owing to other work)  Since the 1st post READ HERE there have been 410 more posts giving a wide and varied insight to Lloret de Mar and surrounding areas, with 126,047 page visits from readers all over the world, and is still gaining popularity. The highlight of the last 5yrs for me came when I received a message to say that the blog had received an award after been voted one of the top 100 blogs in Spain - read the message  HERE...it was actually in the top 10 and is still  in the top 20 today!

So thanks to all readers and here's to the next 5 yrs and more!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL !

Lloret de Mar Weather at Xmas

We had great weather today in Lloret, clear blue sky for a while as you can see from these photos and feeling quite warm in the sun....not bad for 28th December.

 BUT.....

It was a different story just two days before Christmas when we photographed these scenes from inside the pub..where we had to stay until it stopped!

 

Christmas Day in Buzzby's

What a great time we had in Buzzby's in Lloret yesterday where we all celebrated Christmas day. We had everything - a fantastic dinner, crackers complete with the corny jokes, a free raffle where each of us one a prize....and lots of fun!

Peter's prize!

No, this wasn't Mandy's prize!

Lloret de Mar Buzzbys Xmas

A photo from our 'local pub' in Lloret, all the locals had a great time last night celebrating Christmas. We'll all be meeting again at lunch time where we'll all be having our Xmas Day party and dinner...more photos on the Xmas blog!

A Fire in Lloret de Mar

While out shopping today in Lloret, I saw a car on the roundabout near the bus station with smoke pouring from the engine. The driver had got out, and the fire engines could be heard coming down the road from Fenals only 3-4 mins drive away.

The engine was just a mass of flames which they quickly put out, and when I passed an hour or so later there was no sign of what had happened...the car had been moved and the traffic was back to normal.... Not a very Happy Christmas for the driver, but in one way a lucky one that he got out safely!

Lloret de Mar Weather

The weather here in Lloret today has certainly been the warmest for quite some time now.

There were plenty of people walking along the seafront and even some were taking to the sea and doing a spot of fishing from the rocks.

Lloret de Mar Sky Tonight

These photos were taken early this evening of the wintry Lloret sky, the weather today was quite cold only reaching 9ºC and its now down to 4ºC. (7. 15pm)

If you are well wrapped up through the day its still nice for walking about.

Inland temperatures do tend to be much lower than on the coast, this morning the temperature reading for Girona was -5º, this is usually the place that all online weather temperatures are taken from. Luckily we don't tend to get the minus temps here on the coast.

Lloret de Mar - Whats happening in December

Lots of things were going on in Lloret last Sunday, we had a walk down to take a look at the market in the carousel square, but there wasn't anything different to what we normally see there. This market is held on the 2nd Sunday of the month throughout the year. Then in the church square were the Xino Xano stalls, seen in the previous post. These ladies here were putting on an exhibition of their lace making skills, some of their pieces were on sale...at a small fortune, but when you consider the hours and work that has gone into the lace then I'd say each piece is priceless!

Smoking Ban in Spain

The latest news for all smokers who either live or visit Spain is that the ban on smoking in pubs, bars, restaurants and all other public places will now not be enforced until July  2011. The ban was originally due to start on 2nd Jan.

Lloret de Mar Winter Events

Pumpkins and Aloe Vera plants

All around the church square in Lloret on Sunday there were a few stalls selling homemade produce. This was to raise funds for the local walking group - Xino Xano. There were pumpkins of every size and shape, as you can see in the above photos!

Jams, marmalade and pickles.

Bottles of wine were also on sale.....along with some small tasty looking tapas. 

Lloret Views Dec 2010

Here we have a short film show and a few shots taken yesterday on the sea front in Lloret de Mar.

We had another nice day with great weather, lots of people were out walking making the most of the warm temperatures...I think this woman who we saw taking a dip gets the 'Bravest Woman' in Lloret award!

Lloret de Mar Xmas Lights

All the Christmas lights are now on in Lloret, its never a great illuminated display but the streets do look a little bit more Christmassy!

The Spanish Christmas is quite different from the UK, the family all gather together to eat their Christmas meal on Christmas eve. Seafood  will always be on the menu, along with the meats just as we have at home....turkey is now becoming very popular here. So one thing does happen here the same as at home...the prices for these items go sky high!

Always at this time of year the supermarket shelves are well stocked with turron this is a nougat type sweet and comes filled with lots of different flavours such as nuts, glazed fruit, coconut and even alcohol flavours!

The children may only be given a small gift on Xmas day as the Spanish custom is to give their presents on the day that the three kings arrived in Bethlehem - 6th Jan. To celebrate the 3 Kings arrival in the towns all over Spain there are large processions of floats on the eve of the 5th Jan. Tons and tons of sweets will be thrown to the crowds that line the streets to watch the parades as they pass by.

Latest Cigarette and Tobacco Prices....Dec 2010

The price of cigarettes and tobacco has just risen sharply in Spain, here is a copy of the price list which I got from the tobacconist today. So far the biggest rise is with Golden Virginia which has gone up almost €20 for a pack of 10. Some prices have not yet changed but I was told others will rise shortly, so I'll keep you informed whenever this happens.

Lloret de Mar Bodegas

If you are planning your annual holidays for next year, why not try the Spanish bodegas or tapas bars. The local tapas bars always give great service and value for your well earned holiday cash. Drinks are usually a few cents cheaper than the tourist type bars and small Spanish style snacks (tapas) are normally given with each drink.
Even though you may not speak Spanish they will always serve you with a welcoming smile, you just have to take a seat at one of their tables either inside or out and they will come to take your order.
All the bodegas have their own sangria recipe either made with wine or Champagne,  you should be able to get a litre of good sangria for about €6 - €8. Give it a try, its a great way to spend a couple of hours in the afternoon just watching as the Spanish people go about their laid back way of life! Take a look at some of the local bodegas here in Lloret de Mar on my  BODEGAS PAGE.

Lloret de Mar December Weather

Lloret de Mar Christmas Tree.

Its not a bit like Xmas, its almost as though summer is on the way back!

Temperatures over the last 2 days have been very mild...19ºc very good for the time of year.

These two photos were both taken today, the first one of the Christmas tree in front of the town hall - I still don't like it! I much prefer the traditional green one with the red decorations they used to have. The photo below is taken on Fenals beach, not many people about here but over in Lloret there were a few actually laid on the beach taking in the sun!

Lloret de Mar - Blanes

Views of the coast and chapel taken from near the Sant Joan tower in Blanes.

Looking towards Lloret de Mar

Lloret de Mar - Blanes

High up above the rocky coastline between Lloret de Mar and Blanes is the Sant Joan tower, from here you have some of the best views of the Costa Brava. You can easily see the Pyrenees in the distance on a clear day as it was on Wednesday when we got these shots!

Sant Joan Tower

Views of the Pyrenees in the distance