The Ramblas, Barcelona.

Walking down the Ramblas you will come across stalls selling all kinds of goods, the flower stalls add colour and decoration all the way down.

 

Over to the right there is the Mercado de la Boqueria. (more of which can be read about on our previos post-dated April 8th)

As you arrive at the bottom of the Ramblas you will see the Christopher Columbus column, pointing to where we are going tomorrow....

... the Port of Barcelona !!

The Ramblas, Barcelona

As you leave the Plaza de Catalunya and head towards the Hard Rock Cafe, you are then at the top of the most famous street in Barcelona - The Ramblas....

Pictured here are a few of the human statues that earn their living on the Ramblas.

Its quite easy to walk straight past some of them, as they do blend in with the background and look like real statues.

 

A Short Tour of Barcelona......

The Plaza de Catalunya in the centre of Barcelona is surrounded by restaurants, shops and banks.

Always a good starting point for a tour of the city.

From here you can take an open top tour bus, at a cost of 18euro each. These buses have a very good system. They allow you to get off the bus at any of the sights and spend extra time to either walk around, take photos or maybe grab a snack. You can when get on a later bus to continue your tour.

Or from the square you can take a walk down the Ramblas which runs down to the port.

Over the next few days more photos of the sights of Barcelona will be shown....

Lloret de Mar beach.

A colourful photo of Lloret's main beach taken last Sunday, showing plenty of sunbathers just lazing about in the hot sun.

Some even daring to venture into the sea, which is still quite cool at this time of the year.

Costa Brava Holidays

Here on the Costa Brava, Lloret de Mar is now in full swing.

The weather is very good,with sunshine everyday (all but one rainy day) for the last 3 weeks.

The roads in and out of town are very busy with the coach companys ferrying holiday makers back and forward from other parts of Europe and also the airports.

All shops and bars in town seem to be doing a roaring trade along with the water sports amenities on the beach.

Costa Brava Weather.

The weather here this week has been very good. Temperatures have been in the low-mid 20s, ideal for a day on the beach. Rain was forecast, but up to now we have not had any for quite a few weeks.
There has been a strong but warm breeze, for most days this week, which has made the sea quite rough. This has meant that the resort boats and parasailing have not run everyday as they normally do.

But at least with the brilliant sunshine the holiday makers will be going home with a nice suntan!

Litre Bars in Lloret

Lt Bar in the Avenida Just Marles

If you find you are continually up and down fetching drinks during your stay in Lloret de Mar you may wish to cosider a bar that sells drinks by the litre. These drinks are typically sold in plastic beakers which hold a full litre. You are then free to take the drinks out or drink them inside. You can buy litres of beer, sangria, vodka redbull, rum coke, tequila sunrise- and loads more- it generally works out much much cheaper than the traditional measures.

I know of three bars that sell Litre drinks- the LT bar in the Avenida Just Marles, the Torito Pinchito next to the Londoner and the Bar Barretina in the Calle Arenys.

Lloret de Mar - Santa Cristina

Just 3.5km down the coast from Lloret lies the hermitage of Santa Cristina. The small church dates back to the 18th century, but the hermitage itself dates back even further to the 14th century.

The easiest way to visit is by boat, either from Lloret or Fenals beach, unless you are feeling VERY energetic then you can walk either along the main road or over the cliff tops along the coast. The cost of the return trip by boat is approx 8.50 euro.

The beach is a much finer sand than Lloret, and it's a much gentler slope into the sea, so it may be better for children. There is a bar, if you get thirsty and also toilets. You can also hire a pedalo. 

From behind the church you can see excellent views both up and down the coast. During the busy months of July and August it's usually much quieter than the packed beaches of Lloret.

Lloret Season 2006

No queues at WaterWorld

The season in Lloret is hopefully soon about to start.
For the past four weeks Lloret has been inundated with Portuguese students and football teams from all over Europe. This gives some Lloret business owners a good start to an otherwise very quiet perod.

They are now hoping for a strong start to the Summer Season. As Easter fell quite late this year there will not be such a noticable gap between the Spring and Summer tourism.

St George's Day. 23rd April

The official patron saint of England - St George, is also the patron saint of Catalonia.
The usual custom on this day is for men to give their wife's or girlfriend's a rose (or a bunch of roses if your lucky!) quite similar to our Valentines Day in the UK.

Then in return the ladies will give a book to whoever they receive their rose from.

The shops are now full of books on every subject you can think of, and the price of roses is sure to be more expensive this weekend than any other time of year.

Easter Weekend in Lloret de Mar.

The holiday season is now here once again. After a very quiet winter on the Costa Brava, Lloret is coming to life again. This Easter seems to be busier than ever, the town has really filled up over the last few days...

The beach bars are now back in place after spending the winter in storage. They are taken away at the end of the summer season, then brought back for the new summer season all nicely cleaned up and decorated with lots of flowers and plants - making the beach look very colourful!

Also back in business are the boats taking visitors up and down the coast to other resorts.

Spanish News - Water Shortage.

Last summer was the driest Spain has had for the last 60yrs. With Catalunya being one of the worst hit areas.
It's not just a matter of solving everything with a hose-pipe ban or some other similar action as sometimes imposed in the UK, as some areas in Spain are under serious threat of eventualy becoming desert!

Some inland regions have had to rely on water being delivered by tanker, because many of the wells have actully dried up. Other areas mainly in Valencia, have had running water limited to just 8mins a day, with more of the same to come.
Tourist resorts and city's have had no real change, other than being advised to use less.
Meanwhile the hardest hit places inland have barely had enough water to water crops, which in turn means that farm animals have virtually starved through lack of grazing areas.

The government has promised about 80 million euro to ease the situation, but as yet no definate plans have been made which would provide some sort of solution.
So for now the only available solution is for everyone to be aware of the shortage and in turn do as much as possible to limit their use.

For visitors to Spain its not always apparent how drastically short of water we are, it seems there is water everywhere, swimming pools, fountains, showers every few metres on the beach's and not forgetting large gardens and the golf courses all still have their sprinklers on daily.

Things to do in Lloret de Mar- Day Trip to Barcelona

Continuing the subject of what to do on a day trip to Barcelona, if you are in the area of the Plaza Cataluna or Las Ramblas it is worth paying a visit to the Mercat la Boqueria which is situated halfway down Las Ramblas (No. 85-89) about 6 minutes walk from the Plaza Cataluna.

Situated under some arches in a square surrounded by old Catalan style architecturere, the market is made up of numerous kiosks selling an abundant variety of fruit and vegetables, fish, cheeses and meat- but what really stands out is the richly colourful displays of all manner and variety of fruits- many of them rarely- if indeed ever - seen in high street fruit stores. The brilliance of colour of the displays is an enchantment to the senses and is both a dazzling shopping and sightseeing experience rolled into one.

Things to do while in Lloret de Mar.

While on holiday in Lloret take a trip up the coast to the next resort of Tossa de Mar. Although so near to Lloret, its a completely different resort. Lloret is a very lively place, but with Tossa de Mar its like stepping back in time. The above photo is a small street which can found within the castle walls.

As you make your way up to the castle, you can look back and see how very different to Lloret this small town is. There are no tall buildings to spoil the views.

From high up in the castle grounds, the streets below all do a good value menu of the day. Most of which seem to be various fish dishes, probably fish which has been caught by the local fishermen that same day, so you always know its fresh!

Lloret de Mar Views.

A view of Lloret taken from the pathway below the castle, as you walk along the path you will see just why this coast is called the Costa Brava (rugged coast) each corner you turn brings you to a completely different view.

 

Again this photo is taken from the same pathway a little further on, looking back towards Lloret.

Another view from the same path, but this time taken looking up the coast. 

Things to do in Lloret de Mar - A day trip to Girona.

Most people flying in for holidays on the Costa Brava either land at Barcelona or Girona airport, and that is sometimes as much as they see of the city.
Debbies previous post about a day in Barcelona is a must, but also another must is a day to the other airport city of Girona. As you fly into Girona it just looks a very grey and drab place. Its not until you make the effort to take a walk round the city that you realise what a beautiful place it is - a photographers paradise! It only takes 1hr to reach Girona bus station from the bus station in Lloret, the cost is 8.50 euro return. Buses leave at 9.25 and 12 noon.
The best sights are to be found in the old part of the city, on the far side of the river (River Onyar) Looking across the river is the most unusual housing development ever! (see the above photo). These dwellings date back to the middle ages and backed onto the medieval wall which surrounded the city.

As you cross the river there is the church of Sant Feliu, constructed between the 13th and 17th centuries. Not far from the church is the Santa Maria Cathedral, dating back to between the 11th and 18th centuries. The Cathedral houses the widest Gothic nave in the world, being nearly 23 mts wide.

Leaving the Cathedral walking through the streets, brings you to the Jewish quarter. Where there is a museum dedicated to the Jewish community which lived in this area, again going back as far as the middle ages. If you like museums there are 5 in Girona - Art, History, Jewish, Cinema and the Archeological.
So there is something for everyone in Girona. Even a garden dedicated to John Lennon!

Things to do in Lloret de Mar- Day Trip to Barcelona

Barcelona is easily accesible from Lloret de Mar, the journey takes one hour 15 mins from Lloret to the centre of Barcelona by bus. There is also a train but first one must make their way to Blanes- this makes the whole thing very long winded and takes at least two and a half hours in total. The bus is slightly more expensive but much less hassle.

Directions:


Go to the bus station in Lloret, situated opposite the  Gran Casino Hotel on the main Blanes/Tossa road. If it is high season is it advisable to book your tickets in advance. This can be done by going to the bus terminal or clicking HERE.

Buses leave Lloret at:

8 h
9.30 h
10.30 h
14.00 h
16.30 h
19.15 h


Buses leave the Ronda Sant Pere (Barcelona Centre) at:

8 h
10 h
11.45 h
15.00 h
17.00 h
19.30 h

(Please check these times before leaving as they are subject to change).

The ticket price is 7.85 euros. There is a small discount for large groups.

The bus will first stop at the Estacio del Nord- do not get of there if you wish to do sightseeing, shopping etc.

The second and last stop is the Ronda Sant Pere which is just three minutes walk from the Plaza Cataluña which is a very busy square with a multitude of shops, banks, bars, restaurants and more.

Another option to see more of the city is to catch the sight seeing bus, which will give a you a tour from an open top double decker bus. There is a stop is just outside El Corte Ingles which you cannot miss- it is a huge department store selling just about every under the sun.

The Plaza Cataluña meets with the top of Las Ramblas- one of Barcalona's most famous streets and a must see for visitors.

The Jules Verne is an English Pub situated at the top end of Las Ramblas just off the Plaza Cataluña.

Decorated in dark wood, english pub style, it is a popular hangout for tourists and residents alike, and a great place to have a sit down and enjoy a pint of Guinness or Fosters.

The Jules Verne does not sell half pints and does not stock Spanish Beers.

At the time of writing a pint of beer or lager is 5 euros.


The Plaza Cataluña has it's fair share of pidgeons.
Tourists like to pose with them and if one stands with outstreched arms, they will happily come and use you as a perch.

To walk from the Plaza Cataluña to the end of the Ramblas would in theory take you about 20 minutes- however it is more likely to take an hour or two as there are many attractions to stop and look at- maybe the most famous of these being the 'human statues'.


The human statues are people dressed as statues who stay as still as stone for many hours on end with a bucket in front of them for people to put coins.
These two guys pictured have it a bit easier- everytime someone throws a coin they pedal furiously for about thirty seconds then become completely stationary again until the next coin is thrown, which is fairly frequently from what I could see.

Nice work if you are not too active.

Lloret de Mar - Dona Marinera.

The bronze statue of Dona Marinera (said to be a sailors wife) is situated on the rocks above Lloret beach at the opposite end to the castle.

While all her body is green with age, her feet are quite shiny. The reason being, it is said that if you touch her feet while looking out to sea and make a wish, your wish will come true!

Lloret Beaches.

LLORET BEACH 24th March 2006

 FENALS BEACH 24th March 2006

Two views of the beaches of Lloret taken yesterday, the temperature reached 24 deg.
Quite a few tourists are now arriving in town for their spring holidays - and daring to strip down to their cossies on the beach!

Lloret de Mar - Wildlife!

Something for the cat lovers....

Here in Lloret there are a lot of stray cats. This group live just off the beach in Fenals.

As you can see they dont look like the usual stray, some are even quite fat! and not as wild as you might think. Although some are a bit timid, others will come to you if they think you are going to feed them. Which one old lady does every day, she goes round Fenals and feeds each group. Also other people including myself, take any leftovers for them. So they are quite well looked after