Going out with a bang!

Well we’ve been home for a week already. Why is it that when you have a holiday there’s so much to do afterwards, you need another to recover. There’s been visits to the vet for more worming tablets (can’t wait for those!), a spa trip to the dog groomer, pay the water bill after a half hour drive to their office, cleaning and of course shopping. So today is the first day I’ve had to write anything!

Our last week in Peniscola, that seems so long ago now, was a nice quiet one. Most of the tourists had left and many of the shops, cafés and restaurants had closed for a break before the Christmas rush. It was nice yet a bit sad at the same time. Pretty much the place was deserted everywhere we went but it did give me lots of space to run around.

The area around Peniscola, especially in the hills, is a famous olive oil producing area. Some of the olive trees are over a thousand years old (like the ones we visited we earlier in our trip) and people even say that some of them were planted by the Romans! And they still produce olives!

About a 20 minute drive from our apartment is a little town called Triaguera. It’s been here since Roman times and many of the buildings are also mediaeval. It’s perched up on the side of the hill and the old, narrow streets are ideal for me to explore. There is a Roman festival here in the summer when everyone dresses up in Roman clothes. However the main claim to fame is the olives, that stretch away for miles below the village.

The main street stretches between two churches and on the way we pass small shops that sell delicious olive oil direct from pressing between ancient stones. Of course we have to stop to buy some. There is a telephone number on the door that you have to call then someone from the factory comes to open the shop. How antiquated, I think, but this is a town where time has stood still. We have coffee and cake while we wait. Well you have to!

At one o’clock the church clock starts to chime – not with a bell but a recording of the local choir singing. The tune is “Valencia”, just to remind us where we are! I think it’s lovely but Dad said that he thinks after a couple of hours of repeats, he might start to go mad!

After we collect our oil from the shop – four bottles – one with oregano, one with basil, one with mushroom and one just freshly pressed, we start our journey back to Peniscola. I’m pleased we visited Triaguera. I like olive oil and one or two teaspoons in my dinner gives me a lovely shiny coat.

On the way back I notice that the sky is getting darker. Dad says he thinks there might be a storm. Oh no! I think, I hate those and I fall asleep on the back seat of the car until we get home. Dad was right. Just a couple of hours after we got back the storm arrived. It’s the biggest, brightest, loudest and most scary storm I have ever seen! And it lasts for hours. From our balcony the lightening surrounds us closely followed by explosive thunder. I hide in the bedroom but I can still hear the rain beating down, even through the closed blinds. The next day, thankfully, the Storm had gone but it was certainly a grand finale to our trip and we definitely went out with a bang!

So after six weeks and just over 3,700km driving we’re finally home all safe and sound. It’s been a great trip. I’ve seen and experienced so many different things and enjoyed spending quality time with my Dads. My favourite places were the big beach at the Ebro river delta and our visit to Morella. Windmill tails for those. My least favourite place was the dog beach at Vinaros. No wag at all there. And would I recommend Peniscola for a holiday? One big definite bark there! With only a very few exceptions, totally dog friendly and a great place for a holiday. My top tip would be to go out of season – May or October because I think it will be very crowded in the summer and I don’t like so many people. Goodbye Peniscola – I’m going to miss you!

Now it’s time for a well earned rest. I’ve walked my little legs off and I think it’s time for another snooze. I wonder where our next adventure will be? Buenas noches amigos.