Fira Medieval - Lloret

Handmade glass ware.

There was a great atmosphere in Lloret centre last night, the Medieval festival has certainly brought a lot of people into town.....at times it was hard to get through the crowded streets. I'm glad to say the weather has stayed fine for this years event, it was a beautiful evening yesterday as we were taking these photos. The usual stalls were there, most of which were demonstrating just how they make the items which they were selling. Today is the final day and again it looks as though its going to be a nice day for those who are in town this weekend. Just now there are a few light clouds about but I'm sure the sun will be breaking through shortly!   

(more photos tomorrow)

Hungry ??

Pottery

 A colourful stall selling hand made wooden toys!

 I wonder what the dog is seeing here....dinner perhaps?

Watching the parade go by!

Lloret de Mar Market

 After the annual second-hand market event was postponed due to the bad weather it finally went ahead last Sunday. It gave the locals who wanted to take part a chance to clear out their unwanted items and earn a few Euros for their efforts. There were also many stalls selling new stuff, probably discontinued stock from some of the local businesses. For anyone wanting a stall here (the cost this year was €25) you must first of all register at one of the designated shops in the El Reiral district. Everything you could possibly think of was on sale at this years market...even the local sex shop had a stall! 

 Great shoes and boots but not suitable for walking along the bumpy streets of Lloret!!

 One stall that did catch my eye was the one selling celebration cakes and cup cakes, I have a few more photos of this stall which I will be showing later and also details of how you can contact the stall holder if you need a cake for your celebration !

Lloret de Mar Restaurants

 Just 2-3 km out of town from Lloret is 'El Senglar' an old farmhouse style restaurant in a gorgeous setting in the countryside with views to the mountains and sea. Their day time menu is only €6 per person...for this price you can choose from 2 to 3 different choices for each of the three courses. Bread, wine and water are also included in the price....try their red wine its the best around!

 Find El Senglar on Google maps here ....

 LLORET DE MAR RESTAURANTS

El Senglar - mountain views

Children will love to see the restaurants animal farm.....goats, horses, chickens, rabbits and an emu!

Outdoor BBQ and bodega

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Tourist Tax in Catalonia

Landing at Barcelona

A new tax linked to tourism in the Catalan region of Spain has just come into force as from 1st November. This is the first region to impose this tax but the Canary Isles and Andalucia are said to be also considering a similar tax. Payments will be charged per person depending on the the type of accommodation.
For example -
Tourists staying at 5* hotels or on board cruise ships will pay €2.50 per night.
Those staying at 4* hotels will pay €1,25 in Barcelona, or €1 in the rest of Catalonia.
Other accommodation including hotels with fewer stars, self-catering apartments, hostels and campings, those guests will pay 75cents in Barcelona, or 50cents elsewhere.

Read the latest news in more detail here .... Tourist tax

Lloret de Mar Events - Medieval Fair

Its that time of year again when we see the centre of Lloret taken back in time to the Medieval era!

Starting next week end 10-11th November the streets will be full of stalls selling various kinds of hand made crafts and foods. Street entertainers will keeping the crowds amused at various times throughout the 2 day event...some of them looking quite scary!

Barcelona Fountains Video

From our day in Barcelona here is another fantastic video of the Magical Fountains...

A day in Barcelona

One of the most popular excursions from Lloret de Mar is a day in Barcelona, and its easily accessible by either road or rail. Buses run direct to the city from Lloret de Mar bus station, or if you prefer to take the train then you can also buy your tickets at the bus station where you first get the bus to Blanes train station...your ticket covers both the bus and train fare. 

You can also book an excursion at the Laietana office just by the bus station, here you can choose which type of trip you would like. If you are a football fan then your excursion could include a visit the famous Nou Camp football stadium which would also give you free time in Barcelona for shopping etc.

 For those wishing to see the magical fountains then this is an afternoon/evening trip, with this excursion you will see fantastic panoramic views of Barcelona from Park Guell along with a visit to Sagrada Familia chuch....again with some free time to stroll down the Ramblas or enjoy a walk through the Gothic quarter.

For how to book and details of other excursions follow this link....Laietana Tours

Lloret de Mar - November

After two days of rain in Lloret we are now back to the brilliant blue skies and sunny weather and to top it all the temperature today reached a nice 20º on the seafront in Lloret.... not bad for the beginning of November!

Holiday makers enjoying todays good weather

Its even warm enough for the beach!

Taking a stroll

Todays blue sky!

Second Hand Market in Lloret

This Sunday 28th October a second hand market is to be held  in the Reiral district of Lloret. After the market was such a success last year it seems its now going to become an annual event. Those who are wishing to have a stall must first fill in a registration form and pay a €25 fee, some of the stores where you can register are - Co Working Lloret,  Papereria Fatima, and Ferreteria el Reiral.

Please Note....

This event has been postponed until next Sunday 4th Nov owing to the predicted bad weather....Good! that means I can go now!

October in Lloret de Mar

 We are now almost at the end of October but as these photos from yesterday show we are still having great weather....although the town is very quiet just now. Those who are here on holiday for a 'winter break' can still spend a little time on the beach as the temperatures are very good. As usual at this time of year as the summer season comes to a close some of the businesses in town close for their winter break, the Leman restaurant, El Relicario, Rob Roy Tavern, Alexis Hotel and Oasis Park Hotel are just a few which have already closed.

Celtic to Barcelona via Route 66!

Lloret has turned Green & White during the last few days! 

Many of the Celtic fans that have travelled over for tonight's game at Barcelona have booked into hotels in Lloret. Andy Milroy who owns the Route 66 restaurant /diner in Lloret is a well known Celtic fan and arranged a bus to the stadium for a lucky few.  Here they are before setting off for the journey at 2pm today.

 Spot the rebel in the gang!

 Jackie, Carla (the rebel!) and Andy

Views of Lloret

 Today and for the next day or so the weather forecast for Lloret is not too good, with rain forecast for the coming weekend,although it is still very warm (todays temp is 22ºc) making it feel very humid with the low cloud we have just now. 

Today's photos showing the narrow pathway around the castle were taken at the end of September.

Lloret de Mar to Andorra

  Just 4-5 hours drive from Lloret de Mar is the principality of Andorra in a delightful setting almost 3,000 mts above sea level in the Pyrenees mountains separating Spain and France.

 As well as being a favourite destination for the winters sports fans it is also a year round shoppers paradise for duty free goods with top designer names found in many of the stores, also cost of cigarettes, tobacco and bottles of spirits are much cheaper than Spain or France but be warned as the amount that you are allowed to import into Spain is limited. 

 In the centre of Andorra you can visit the Ferrari store which has a replica F1 car in the window!

For those who like to get out and about away from the shops the scenery in the mountains is beautiful. There are numerous little villages with hostels, hotels and spas with prices to suit every pocket, we stayed at the Hotel Montane in Arinsal. This lovely hotel is run by Fiona who made us very welcome, and I'm not surprised it gets great reviews on all travel accommodation sites.

Arinsal

You will find every type of sport you could ever wish to to take part in, with skiing of course being the most popular as well as horse riding, mountain biking, archery, mountain climbing, go karts, fishing, golf, hiking, bungee jumping and the list goes on and on! It is possible to take a day trip to Andorra from Lloret de Mar with Laietana Tours, at the moment the cost is €52.50 leaving Lloret at approx 7.30am every Wednesday.