When you first see Marines as you drive north from Llíria to Olocau it looks like a white painted housing estate, but in fact it is a genuine little Spanish village and fully recognised as such by the regional government. Strictly speaking, it is called Marines Nuevo to differentiate it from Marines Viejo a few [...]
It’s not easy to get away from the Borgias in Gandia. On the way into the old town I passed the Ducal driving school and several bars del Duc. The ducal emblem even appears on some lampposts. There is, of course, the Ducal Palace (Palau Ducal dels Borja) which most people come to see. This [...]
By Rob Innis Visit Rob Innis Blog for more information Mention Extremadura and the usual reaction is – Where? To which the correct response is Madrid, turn left, stop before you arrive in Portugal or, more geographically, south west Spain. It seldom claims a place in the headlines. The crazy building boom, immigrant influx, publicity [...]
Our coach left the warm sunny blue skies of the Costa Blanca and headed North West up the A31 Alicante – Madrid road. Destination Almansa and Alcala Del Jucar in the province of Albacete. I always research an expedition, especially one going north, so given the latest weather forecast and numerous years experience of Spain, [...]
The owner of the ceramic shop at the bottom of the steep incline up to Sagunto Castle probably wonders why he sees so many white-kneed Brits giggling and taking photos of his shop sign, much in the way they snigger behind their hand when they order fartons, the sponge biscuit that accompanies the delicious Valenciano [...]
Having commented on a number of occasions about the fact that it is almost impossible to get into a church in the Valencian Community because they are almost always closed, thus being unable to view the, usually, incredibly ornate decoration that has been so wondrously restored with hefty chunks a EU money, i.e. you and [...]
Back in the Medieval times Ontinyent was one of the ten most important population centres in Spain. This status led to it being offered the title of ‘city’ in 1660 by Felip IV but the town refused the offer and It was not until 1904 that Alfonso XIII gave the town the title by royal [...]
For many years esparto – atochal – traders gained access to Madrid through a gate which became known as the Puerta de Atocha. Elda is a city with very few natural resources, a situation that has forced it to depend upon industry to improve its quality of life. With the crisis experienced in the esparto [...]
Getting lost driving to Quatretondeta, due to an over complicated route planner, was hardly an ideal start to a relaxing week. Fortunately a friendly local jumped into his car and led me back to the right road. Quatretondeta is a small village that lies amongst the mountains and valleys of the Marina Alta in the [...]
Now that spring is on the way, what better than a romantic break or a good day out in the Jalon valley? If you are quick, you can still catch the almond blossom, which covers much of the valley in a sea of white and pink. Stretches worth seeing are between Jalon and Alcalali and [...]