Fishing boats on the seafront at Blanes
Blanes, and the Castanyada Festival, Lloret de Mar, Catalunya - 1st November 2024
It's the last few days of our Lloret de Mar holiday and we decide to head in the other direction from our previous outing of Tossa de Mar, in this case down to Blanes. It's not quite in the same league as Tossa, as it doesn't have the whole mediaeval castle thing, but it's still worth the visit with its food markets, wide promenade and fancy marina. There's also a bonus of a Catalan band roaming around the Paseo de Dintre as it plays traditional music on instruments including the Catalan bagpipes, or Sac de Gemecs - the "bag of moans". Later on, we leave the boys in the apartment and wander down to Plaça de l'Esgélsia to see the Castanyada, or Chestnut Festival, that's going on at the church of Sant Román. It's a bit mad as it involves a couple of large barrel fires with chestnuts cooking on them, lots of thrashing of what looks like branches of rosemary, and sometimes all-enveloping smoke. Then on the next day, it's the trip back.
next album: Remembrance Sunday with the GSB, Brome and Botesdale, Suffolk - 10th November 2024
previous album: Halloween and Flamenco Guitar, Lloret de Mar, Catalunya, Spain - 31st October 2024
A lampost on a hill with a lot of stickers
Fred and Harry look at the sea
Isobel does a selfie with the boys
We head down from the big rock
Another view of the boats at Blanes
A boat in front of the rock we'd just climbed
Some ashtray holder has turned into a can holder
We pass a food stall with giant churros
Isobel and Fred roam around the food stalls
Bread dough is cut up and shaped
Baked loaves are tipped off a wooden peel
The PdePá café has a very fancy entrance
There's a traditional Catalan music group
A Catalan music group with bagpipes and recorders
A small girl watches the music
The band on the Paseo de Dintre
A dude cycles up to an old church
Boats in the marina
The seagulls have taken a dislike to this boat
A long car park under the promenade
The boys hide under a tree in the hotel car park
Fred and Harry mill around near the hotel
The boys are playing air hockey in the games room
Colourful boats on Platja Sa Caleta
A cliché view of the Castell Lloret
Isobel was distubed about the extreme cliff garden
We play an endless game of Uno on the balcony
Traditional wine bottles are laid out
Paper cones are ready for chestnuts
There's a large stash of branches to thrash with
People hang around by the bonfires
Crowds by the church
Sparks fly
The barrel fires are wildly burning
There are more activites outside in the square
We get some nice tapas at Café Maxim
The service counter at Maxim
Berndt das Brot is on TV again in the apartment
The hotel canteen has a good Halloween thing on
It's deserted on Calle de Venecia
Fred buys some Oreos in a Supermercat
More deserted alleys
Harry walks along the low sea wall
We're back in the hotel car park
We've made it back to Terminal 2 at El Prat
Bright lights in El Prat
We watch planes land for a bit
An Emirates 777 touches down
An Air Baltic Airbus A319 taxis by
Isobel and the boys come back from a food mission
We set off for the gate
More sitting around near the departure gate
Isobel does some crochet on the plane
We taxi past an Emirates A380 super-heavy
Fred watches the sunset out of the window
The whole of Europe is covered by flat clouds
Oxygen cycliners and the galley at the rear
We're back at a cold and damp Stansted
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Fishing boats on the seafront at Blanes
Fishing boats on the seafront at Blanes
A lampost on a hill with a lot of stickers
Fred and Harry look at the sea
Isobel does a selfie with the boys
We head down from the big rock
Another view of the boats at Blanes
A boat in front of the rock we'd just climbed
Some ashtray holder has turned into a can holder
We pass a food stall with giant churros
Isobel and Fred roam around the food stalls
Bread dough is cut up and shaped
Baked loaves are tipped off a wooden peel
The PdePá café has a very fancy entrance
There's a traditional Catalan music group
A Catalan music group with bagpipes and recorders
A small girl watches the music
The band on the Paseo de Dintre
A dude cycles up to an old church
Boats in the marina
The seagulls have taken a dislike to this boat
A long car park under the promenade
The boys hide under a tree in the hotel car park
Fred and Harry mill around near the hotel
The boys are playing air hockey in the games room
Colourful boats on Platja Sa Caleta
A cliché view of the Castell Lloret
Isobel was distubed about the extreme cliff garden
We play an endless game of Uno on the balcony
Traditional wine bottles are laid out
Paper cones are ready for chestnuts
There's a large stash of branches to thrash with
People hang around by the bonfires
Crowds by the church
Sparks fly
The barrel fires are wildly burning
There are more activites outside in the square
We get some nice tapas at Café Maxim
The service counter at Maxim
Berndt das Brot is on TV again in the apartment
The hotel canteen has a good Halloween thing on
It's deserted on Calle de Venecia
Fred buys some Oreos in a Supermercat
More deserted alleys
Harry walks along the low sea wall
We're back in the hotel car park
We've made it back to Terminal 2 at El Prat
Bright lights in El Prat
We watch planes land for a bit
An Emirates 777 touches down
An Air Baltic Airbus A319 taxis by
Isobel and the boys come back from a food mission
We set off for the gate
More sitting around near the departure gate
Isobel does some crochet on the plane
We taxi past an Emirates A380 super-heavy
Fred watches the sunset out of the window
The whole of Europe is covered by flat clouds
Oxygen cycliners and the galley at the rear
We're back at a cold and damp Stansted