Loret de Mar Weather Today

At last it looks as though we may have a few continuous days of sunny weather this week! As you can see from the photos here taken today, there's not a cloud in sight!
The local forecast this morning has predicted that the temperatures will continue to rise as the week goes on with no sign of rain at all.......about time !!

Spanish Airports Closed

 

The volcanic ash cloud which has recently brought havoc to the travel plans of thousands is today causing many airports in Northern Spain to close. Girona airport will be closed from 13.00 until midnight tonight with the possibility of Barcelona closing later today.

A list of airports affected can be found here on the Ryanair website.

Lloret de Mar - Cala Banys

Walking through the woods above the rocks at Cala Banys between Lloret and Fenals you can see all kinds of birds. This photo of a Jay was taken there only last week. We have seen red squirrels up there but they are too quick for us to get a photo....may be one day we'll catch them unawares!

El Buli Loses its Crown

The world famous El Buli restaurant located up the Costa Brava coast in Roses has this year been beaten to the worlds top spot by the Danish restaurant 'Norma'

El Buli has for the last 4 yrs been voted best in the world by the British magazine 'Restaurant'

However Ferran Adrià El Buli's head chef was named as the chef of the decade, so all is not lost!

Three out of five of the restaurants heading the list are Spanish, so this is still a major achievement.

St George's Day

Tomorrow April 23rd is Sant Jordi's Day in all the Catalan speaking regions of Spain. He is also the patron saint of England but not really celebrated as it is here. In Spain there is an ancient tradition to exchange gifts with your loved one on this day, rather like St Valentines in the UK.
Women should give a book and the men should give a rose to their loved one.

Books will be on sale in most town squares.

Latest News from Ryanair.....Wed 21st

Ryanair today (Wed 21^st April) at 12.00hrs confirmed that it continues to operate Southbound flights from Spain, Southern Italy, South of France, Malta and Morocco as scheduled. From tomorrow Thurs 22^nd April, Ryanair expects to resume a full schedule of Northern European flights (except flights between Ireland and the UK). Passengers holding reservations on these flights at these airports, should continue to present themselves at these airports as normal on Thurs 22^nd April.

Ryanair has today (21 Apr) decided to cancel all of its flights between Ireland and the UK until 05.00hrs on Friday 23^rd April in order to use these UK and Irish based aircraft to operate extra flights from the UK to Continental Europe; and from Ireland to Continental Europe on Thurs 22^nd April to clear any backlog of disrupted passengers.

Ryanair is announcing these decisions in order to give intending passengers as much notice as possible of the likely developments in European airspace over the coming two/three days.

Latest News from Ryanair.....

Flight Cancellations Extended to 1300hrs Wed 21 Apr

RYANAIR EXTENDS CURRENT FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS UNTIL AT LEAST 1300HRS WED 21 APRIL

Ryanair, today (Sun 18^th April) confirmed that based on current meteorological forecasts, and the continuing emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere over Iceland, it has decided to cancel all scheduled flights to/from the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Poland and the Baltic States until 1300hrs on Wed 21 April. Ryanair flights from Spain, the Canary and Baleric islands, the south of Italy (including Pisa, Rome, Sardinia and Sicily), Malta and North Africa will continue to operate just domestic and southbound routes. This advice is based on the current stable weather trends which continue to blow potentially dangerous volcanic ash across the British Isles, Scandinavia and Europe.

This decision has been taken by Ryanair in order to allow passengers to apply for a full refund or rebook onto flights later this week, when Ryanair hopes that improved/changed weather conditions may allow normal flight schedules to resume. Ryanair is anxious to give intending passengers as much information as possible, as far in advance as possible, to allow them to make alternative arrangements. Ryanair continues to post regular flight information updates on the flight information page on www.ryanair.com.

Announcing these further cancellations today, Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary said:

“This spreading cloud of volcanic ash is unprecedented in Ryanair’s experience, and we are continuing to work around the clock to minimise its effects on our schedules and passengers. Ryanair’s flights in Spain, Southern Italy and Northern Africa will continue to operate Southbound and domestic routes.

We hope that by cancelling all Ryanair flights over the above affected countries until at least 1300hrs on Wednesday 21^st April next, we can give passengers as much notice as possible to allow them plenty of time to apply for refunds or rebook alternative Ryanair flights.

We apologise sincerely to all Ryanair customers whose travel plans have been disrupted by these cancellations. We have teams of people sending email advisories to all passengers affected by these cancelled flights to give them as much notice as possible to allow them to change their travel plans. We hope that either the prevailing winds will have changed direction or the ash cloud will have dispersed sufficiently to allow flights to operate safely across the British Isles and Northern Europe by Wednesday afternoon next.

Ryanair will continue to monitor the situation closely and will release further flight info and travel advisories to intending passengers on our website at www.ryanair.com.”

Airport disruption owing to volcano ash....

A cloud of volcanic ash has forced the closure of all UK air space and the cancellation of hundreds of flights, leaving passengers to choose between a refund or waiting for airports to reopen.

All airlines have been hit by the massive disruption, with most advising customers not to head to terminals at all because of the volume of disrupted passengers.

Most airlines, including British airways, Bmi and easyJet, are offering customers a choice of a refund or a free transfer onto another flight when air services resume.

According to the Tranding Standards Institute, passengers whose flights have been delayed or cancelled due to the volcanic dust blown over to the UK from Iceland have the some rights under the Regulation 261/2004 Air Passenger Rights.

They are entitled to a refund or re-routing if the flight is cancelled or delayed by more than five hours; if re-routing is offered from an alternative location, the airline must cover the cost of transfers.

Passengers on flights delayed by more than two hours are also entitled to meals and refreshments, hotel accommodation if necessary, transport between airport and accommodation, two free telephone calls, faxes or emails.

In cases of ‘extraordinary circumstances’ like this, which are beyond the airlines’ control, consumers are not entitled to further compensation, the TSI said.

The TSI said consumers should also check their own travel insurance as they may be entitled to more under their individual policies, or they could get further information from the government website Consumer Direct or by phoning 0845 4040506.

The Latest update from RYANAIR.COM
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Update 07:30hrs - 18th April

The Met Office has confirmed that the volcanic ash cloud continues to cause the closure of the majority of European airspace with the exception of the southern continental Europe. Consequently, Ryanair flights to the below listed countries/airports have been cancelled up to 13:00hrs Monday 19th April. Passengers are advised NOT to go to the airport if their flight is cancelled. Further updates regarding flights operating on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning will be issued on Sunday 18th April at 12:00hrs.

More Lloret de Mar Stuff !

I've been working on a brand new website about
Lloret de Mar which is not yet complete but well on the way!
On the new site you'll will find lots more 'STUFF' about your favorite
holiday resort on the
Costa Brava!
This will not interfere with this site which has become a firm favourite of Lloret de Mar holiday makers since 2005, I will still be adding news etc here on a regular basis.

http://www.lloret-de-mar-stuff.com/

If there is anything you would like to see included on the pages please let me know.
So far you can find all the links for my other sites about Lloret holiday accomodation, the holiday guide and not forgetting the popular 'old stuff' site!

Lloret de Mar - Easter

The hotels which were open for the Easter holiday in Lloret have reported been 90% full.

Despite Easter falling early this year and the bad news of power failures in town during previous weeks, trade has been very good for hotels.

What has been noticed though is the tourists are not spending as much money out on the streets these days, so it is only the hotel trade that is benefitting just now.

In fact more is said to be spent in the hotels because many people are prefering to take either half board or full board rather than b&b because they get better value for money.

As for the latest news regarding the power supply, the forecast is now for a permanent supply to be complete by late June. We are still experiencing short breaks in Lloret, but I can't grumble as I did miss the long blackout back in early March!

Lloret de Mar Sports Party

Coach after coach could be seen arriving in Lloret today, bringing hundreds of students in for the Sports Party taking place all this week. Since the early 1990s more than 20,000 students have taken part in this event.
With a full entertainment and sporting package planned for this week they are certain to have a fantastic time.

Go to the Sports Party site to read about this fun filled event!

Easter Week-end in Lloret

The start of the new summer season it seems has not brought the trade which Lloret shops and bars were expecting.
Hotels which have been closed since the New Year have been busily preparing for this Easter week-end opening, they it seems have had good trade.
Tourists are in town, you only have to look at the number of cars lining the streets, there's hardly a parking space to be found. Unfortunately though the local restaurants and bars seem fairly quiet and not getting the customers they badly need.

With the fairly good weather this weekend tourist are spending their time out walking along the promenades and not spending their cash in the shops.
As for the boats, they are now running but their takings will largely depend on the weather staying fine and the sea calm and of course if people are prepared to pay the inflated prices for a trip along the coast!

Llorets Week Long Power Failure.

Owing to the week long blackout caused by the snow and falling of the electricity pylons which serve Lloret de Mar and other Costa Brava towns there now seems to be an understandable outrage by the local businesses and residents. The estimated figures quoted by the hotels for lost trade is said to be €1.5 m for Lloret alone. This takes into account tourists not coming to town and also food which has rotted in the fridges and freezers.

Restaurants and bars are claiming to have lost
€2 m, not taking into account trade lost owing to the premises having to remain closed during the power failure.
Schools have now been open from Monday after being closed for almost a week, it was hoped the schools would have been able to open last Friday but they first had to be
checked to ensure no damage had been caused by the heavy snow fall.
A demonstration is to be held in Lloret tomorrow (Wednesday 17th March) by business owners and residents. This is against the power company 'Endessa' for the distress caused due to the lack of management and service to the infrastructure.

Lloret de Mar Weather

Now that things are back to normal (more or less) in the Costa Brava towns which were left without power for 6 days, a friend has managed to send me these photos for the blog. All of them taken taken in Fenals on the day that the snow brought complete chaos to the Girona region. Nobody could have foreseen at the time these were taken just how much chaos and madness was about to come into their lives for the next few days.

Lets hope the people who's responsibly it is, get their act together and don't EVER let it happen again.

Lloret Weather Latest Update !

Lloret de Mar residents are still without electricity today since the bad weather brought down pylons last Monday, and have been told to be prepared for another night without electric, heating and hot water!
All shops are closed, no cash points are working and all schools are closed. Its been reported schools may be open tomorrow (Friday) with the use of extra generators being brought in, providing there has been no damage caused by the heavy snow fall.
Generators have been brought in to give emergency power to some other buildings in town. Most homes are having to rely on butane gas for their heating, but many homes are totally dependant on electricity.
In the neighbouring town of Blanes all services are running as normal, so the roads between Lloret and Blanes are seeing long tailbacks owing to Lloret residents having to go for shopping and to banks etc. Extra buses have been put on to try to ease the traffic problem.

Some hotels that have their own generators are operating as normal.


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Lloret Weather Latest Update !

After talking to friends in Lloret again this afternoon it seems that the town is almost at a standstill.

Thousands of homes are without power, many cars have had to be abandoned as many roads are impassable owing to the heavy snowfall. Some roads were passable only in 4x4 vehicles.
All schools in the Girona region will closed this afternoon and tomorrow.

A statement on the Ryanair website says that Girona airport is closed until further notice.

Heavy snow has also affected the main streets in the city of Barcelona, snow ploughs are out trying to keep them clear.

Lloret de Mar Weather

As I'm still not back in Lloret until the 20th March I spoke to a couple friends there earlier today....and I just thought you would all like to know the latest weather forecast-----------IT'S SNOWING !!

If you click on the link for the WEBCAM in the righthand column you can see the beach is white over.

To view the Hotel Savoys website and camera in Fenals click here.

Lloret Swimming for Charity

Despite the recent cold temperatures in Lloret there were still 137 brave enough to take to the sea to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis. Temperatures were only 6c but it still didnt stop some of those taking part from spending 30 minutes or more in the sea.
So well done to those brave people for raising money for a very good cause.

(Thanks to Angie for these 2 photos)

Smoking in Spain

For quite a while now the sale of cigarettes and tobacco in Spain has been restricted to official tobacconists and to bars and resraurants with a vending machine.

A new law now permits any shop selling newpapers can now sell cigs, the thing is with new laws coming out which restrict smoking in bars etc, you may have trouble finding a place to smoke them!

Christmas Playground

An activity playground/tent will be open to children up to 12yrs of age in Lloret until 4th Jan. The location is Pere Torrent the cost is €4 with lunch included. This is a very good idea as there are loads of things to keep the kids occupied, last year there were more than 100 kids a day.

The parents could do a bit of shopping while the kids are playing, but there will also be a bar at the side for the adults while waiting for the kids....seems to me like there could be be quite a few visitors!

Smoking ban in Spain

The Health Minister has confirmed that Spain is to introduce an extended smoking ban next year, when, from and as yet to be confirmed date, ‘No Smoking’ signs will be seen in all closed public places. The legislation which has been in place since 2006 currently permits the smaller bars and restaurants to choose whether to allow smoking on the premises or not; if they do allow it, they must provide a separate closed-off area for smokers.

That option will no longer exist once the changes are brought in, but Minister Trinidad Jiménez has confirmed however that the stricter measures will not extend to open air premises, such as restaurant terraces and bull rings, where smoking will still be permitted.

Europa Press reports that the Minister said in a radio interview with Rac1 on Monday that the government’s decision is fundamentally based on protecting health, and said she believes that Spain is ‘culturally prepared’ for stricter measures to be adopted. There was no indication from the Minister on exactly when during 2010 the extended ban will be implemented, although she did comment that negotiations are in their final phase, with a large amount of support for the move amongst politicians.

The planned changes have however been criticised by the hostelry sector, where it’s feared that profits will see a sharp drop and many businesses may be forced to close.

The English Bookshop

Since the close of 'The Book Cupboard' at the end of October in Lloret de Mar, the owner Kevin has been searching for new premises. There is now good news as he has found a suitable place which he is hoping to renovate and open in March and will be named Busco Books.


At the moment you can still buy your books online or at the monthly market in Lloret at Placa Pere Torrent (the carousel square)
The new website BuscoBooks.com will keep you upto date on progress and gives the exact location of the new shop. These premises are more spacious with 3 floors so there will be many more books to choose from.
If anyone out there has any books which you no longer need I'm sure Kevin would appreciate it if you would drop them into the shop either to sell or part exchange...or if you really want them out of the way just give them to him as he will have a lot more shelf space to fill!

The Sky at Night!

The hot summer is now over and Christmas is almost here but the weather is still very good with hardly any rain so far. As the clouds start to roll in during the cooler winter evenings these are the beautiful views we can see almost every night from our balcony. These are completely untouched photos, with no colour enhancing at all, every night is different!

Lloret de Mar Events

An exhibition of classic cars is taking place in Lloret tomorrow. This is not the usual show of cars we see with the monthly market as more cars are entered.
Participants will be showing their cars in the town square, visiting the Pinya Rose gardens in Blanes and also having lunch at the El Trull restaurant, where the prizes for the best will be awarded.
The meeting is due to start in town at 10am, if you don't catch them in Lloret you may see them out and about on the roads.
Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but lets hope its not too bad!

Lloret de Mar Events

This week-end has been medieval time again in Lloret de Mar. The main shopping streets are filled with all kinds of stalls. The floor is scattered with straw to give the town a medieval look, and thousands of people are trying to fight their way around!
The old bike in the photo above drew lots of attention.

This event always takes place over 2 days at this time of year, and is very popular with the tourist's and locals. Many people arrive by the excursion coaches from other places along the coast.

The Best Hotel in Spain.

The award for the best hotel in Spain has believe it or not gone to the Hotel Anabel here in Lloret de Mar! (Visit their website)
Thomas Cook in conjunction with Neckermann have given the award to the Anabel based on surveys filled in by their clients, the majority of which come from Britain, Germany, Holland and Belgium.

The Anabel is a hotel which caters for families and couples ... they do not take bookings from
the groups of students and sports teams which we seem to see too much of in Lloret these days.
The owners claim that because of this the hotel is not always as full as they would like, but they prefer to give full commitment to family tourism and believe this is the correct route to follow in order to benefit both the hotel and its customers.
The Anabel first opened in 1970 and will celebrate its 40th anniversary next May 2010.

Lets hope that other hotels in town who take in all the rowdy groups take note of this, after all what is best for everyone, to be the known as the best hotel in Spain or the worst? As I'm sure that's the way some of the others are going!

Free Tour of Girona !

Girona can now be viewed with Google street view. For new users of this application this means you can go to Google maps and take a virtual tour by using your mouse to guide you in whatever direction has been covered by the cameras.
Once in Google Maps, type in 'Girona Spain' and zoom into the streets, then with your mouse drag the little orange man (see him in the top left of the map) onto your selected street and the map then turns into photo clear images of the street. You then click on the arrows to take your tour!
At the moment its not possible to see the old quarter as the streets are too narrow for the cars which carry the cameras. These will be done at a later date, usually done by cameras mounted on bikes.

Street view started in the U.S in May 2007, then last year the Spanish cities of Madrid, Seville and Barcelona were added.

Lloret de Mar Weather

Now that the clocks have gone back one hour and we are seeing the nights drawing in the weather does seem to be much cooler, especially when the sun goes down. Snow has been falling in Andorra (good news for the skiers!) and we have had some heavy spells of rain in Lloret but not too prolonged.
These photos were taken last Thursday evening, after a fine clear sunny day the clouds started to roll in then we had a thunderstorm, but the next morning we were back to normal with the sun!

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Costa Brava Rally

It looks as though its going to be a fine week - end for the Costa Brava rally. There are a few clouds about this morning and it does feel quite cool in the shade, but I think this will be ideal driving conditions out on the Cost Brava roads.
Here's a few photos of the cars which were preparing for the start near the Olympic Hotel this morning.

Spanish Mobile Phone Switch-Off

All Spanish 'pay as you go' mobile phones which have not been registered by Sunday will be permanently disconnected. The deadline is set at midnight on Sunday, after which the phone number and any unused credit will be lost forever.

The full story along with the reason behind this can be read on the Typically Spanish site.

Costa Brava Rally

Its time for the Costa Brava Rally again !
This will be the 57th rally and its taking place in Lloret during this week-end 6th & 7th November. Three championships are up for grabs, these are the National, Catalan and European.
The base for the rally drivers and cars is near the Olympic Park Hotel and the podium is, as usual on the sea front near the Town Hall.

Lloret de Mar Weather

Clear sky or cloudy on the whole, except in the Pyrenees, especially the north side, where the sky will remain very cloudy until noon and between medium and very cloudy during the afternoon. Temperatures will be 20º and a slightly cooler 18º tomorrow.

Tomorrow during the morning, clouds will increase and the sky will be quite overcast. This forecast is taken from El Punt

Sangria Recipe.

Many variations of sangria have been made and even the most basic recipe is never the same, all bars and restraunts have their own version. Some versions of the drink even being served warm, which would be very similar to the hot mulled punch served at Christmas time in many homes.
Experts agree that Sangria is best when left to infuse for a few hours in the fridge, preferably overnight if possible. Many bars and restraunts tend to use their cheap house wine, but a better quality drink will result from using the best ingredients.
The fruit also plays a large part in the flavour, and if making your own its best to experiment with various fruits. For an unusual twist try using cranberrys, melon, peach, pear or grapefruit and mango. Here is a good fruity recipe for your party, but you can swap the red wine for a white wine (even try sparkling wine) and change the fruits according to your taste.

Ingredients

• 3 1/4 cups (26 fl. oz) dry red wine

• 1/3 cup (3 oz) sugar

• 1/3 cup brandy

• 1/3 cup Cointreau

• 1/3 lemon-flavored vodka

• 1 small lemon, sliced crosswise

• 1 small orange, sliced crosswise

• 1 small lime, sliced crosswise

• 1 medium pear, diced

• 2 medium peach, peeled, pitted and sliced

• 2 cups (8 oz) sliced strawberries

• 1 bottle carbonated lemon-lime soda

Preparation

In a sangria pitcher, combine all ingredients except the strawberries and soda.

Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Immediately before serving, stir the strawberries and lemon-lime soda. Pour into chilled glasses and serve.

More art from Lloret de Mar

Going back to October 5th I published some photo's from the painting competition held here in Lloret. All very good as I'm sure you'll agree!

As you wander around Lloret though, its a shame to see that just about every blank wall is covered in graffiti. Some is just messy scribble which spoils the look of the town. I often wonder what some holiday makers must think when they are walking round and come across this mess!

I must say though that some of the street artist's work is very good and quite colourful. The examples shown here are in the El Reiral district, its almost like taking a walk around an art gallery!

Even then this is just a few shots of the best. Much of this long stretch is still covered in the same mess as the rest of the town. Maybe its time for a massive clean-up?