Living in Lloret de Mar

 One of the benefits of living in Lloret de Mar is that we are never too far away from what I think must be some of the best scenery in Spain - whether it be views of the beaches, the rocky coastline of the Costa Brava or the greenery of the surrounding woodland and countryside. A favourite place of mine is up by the Sant Joan tower between Lloret and Blanes from where you have brilliant views of both towns and also mountains in the distance. Just last Thursday it was a fantastic sunny day with some unusual cloud formations and from the tower we managed to get these shots using a couple of different filters on the camera to give them these unusal effects.

November Sunset over Lloret

 It really does seem as though winter is here now! The temperatures have taken a sharp plunge during the last 3-4 days so it does feel quite cold walking on the shady side of the streets...but still very nice in the sun. This is our sunset tonight...the end of another beautiful day in Lloret de Mar!

Catalonia Villages

While travelling around the Catalan countryside away from the busy coastal roads there are signposts which point the way to some delightful medieval villages where the population is less than 200 - 300 in some cases! For example the other day we came across two of the smallest places we have seen so far - Juia and Sant Marti Vell. Both villages are very similar with just a small maze of narrow streets and not even a local shop, but nevertheless it's always a pleasure to see these totally unspoilt places as you really seem to be stepping back in time as you walk along the cobbled streets and through the old stone archways.

November in Lloret

Now that November is here the town has gone very quiet with some hotels already closed and boarded up for the winter season, We've also had our first heavy rain with thunder, lightening and hailstones, but today is a much better day so off we went with the cameras to see what (if anything) was happening on Lloret seafront. The skies are looking very dramatic today with unusual cloud formations so there is a nice bit of contrast in todays photos!

A day at La Bisbal d'Emporda

 With a population of about 11,000 La Bisbal is one of the larger towns we have visited on our recent days out. The town is so well known for its pottery/ceramic wares that all the goods made in the town and the surrounding area carry the official brand name 'Ceramica de la'Bisbal'

The weekly outdoor market is one of the largest around with an average of 150 stalls which is held in the town centre streets on Fridays. Apart from the market there is a very good shopping centre with a wide range of shops, bars, cafes and restaurants.