Peñíscola – A Dog's Travel Adventures in Spain (and other places too!)

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!

Time for a tune!

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!

Storm of my nightmares!

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.

Random ramblings and dodging the rain!

The last few days have been a bit of a mixed bag, but then it is the middle of October so what do you expect? Hot and sunny with lots of people still on the beach but then thunder and rain. Lots of rain! So we’ve been having a bit of a lazy time of things.

Saturday started well enough with lots of sun again but soon the storm clouds were gathering. Instead of the beach we decided to have a look in the countryside (or campo as us multilingual canines like to call it). The journey took us up towards the mountains and we found a big group of old olive trees. Old really isn’t the right word to describe them – ancient, antique, vintage – might be better as they are supposed to be over 1000 years old and are planted right next to a Roman road. Dad said they were out of bounds for a pee so I was a bit disappointed! How many dogs have peed up them over the years? That’s something to think about!

On Monday we decided to visit the old town again. Nothing special planned just a little walk and a coffee. Although it’s cobbly and a bit tough on my paws I like watching the fish jumping in the pools below the castle and seeing the tourists struggling up the hill from my viewpoint under a nice cafe table. What we didn’t know was it was market day and with the weather cooler than before the whole world decided to see what was on offer. The result was nowhere, and I do mean nowhere to park! Maybe next week will be quieter and we’ll get a chance to see what tat is on offer.

So instead of a relaxing morning, we decided to take a drive along the old coast road. The trip into the Sierra de la Irta was more than a bit bumpy and although I say drive it was more like a rollercoaster over the dirt tracks and rocks. We finally reached the car park overlooking the old town in the distance with rocks going down to the sea. It was a great chance to explore some of the rock pools that the storms had left and, even though my stomach wasn’t so keen, I really enjoyed poking around to see what I could find.

Today is hot and sunny again and is a national holiday here in Spain. It is the National Day of Spain and celebrates the history of the Kingdom of Spain and the colonies, especially in Latin America. It’s also one of the last national holidays of the year and we have already noticed lots of people closing up their holiday apartments for the winter. The seafront is very busy today and so many people scare me. It doesn’t help that Dad found a huge dragon next to the sea! I’m not that keen. Maybe next week will be quieter.

Beach Life

With Spain being a peninsula, most of it is surrounded by the sea. Now I’m not a water dog – I’ve only got short legs so even a little wave scares me and I’m not to keen on the salt because it gets in my fur and is really sticky – but I do like the beach. It’s full of interesting smells and things to snuffle around in so when Dad says beachtime, I’m happy.

Like I said there are miles of coast to explore and in fact the Mediterranean side has 1670km on it’s own – so I’m more than happy! It runs all the way from the French boarder in the north to Portugal in the south so hundreds of beaches to explore! Right? No wrong!

The problem with Spanish beaches is that me and my furry friends are not allowed on many of them. Some allow us in the winter but who wants to go swimming then? All summer when it’s hot and sunny, we are not allowed anywhere near.

The problem is that beaches are considered a bit of a cash cow by local towns. If you have a nice sandy beach then tourists will come. If you let dogs visit too, who wants to sit in a pile of do do? Now I can undertand that but it’s not our fault if a lazy human can’t clean up what we all do naturally and that’s given us a bad name. Let me says there are lots of humans who do the right thing and it’s the few that give everyone a bad name – ain’t that always the case!

However it’s not all bad news because finally local towns are realising that we have poochie pounds to spend too and if we are happy, then so are our humans and that means more money! Some places are more dog friendly than others and that just depends on the district. Luckily, here near Peniscola, there are lots of beaches especially for us where we can spend a fun day with our humans and meet other doggy friends. We have already discovered a great beach in the next town, Benicarlo, just a few minutes away. It has a lovely sandy beach and water to drink and showers to get rid of that nasty salt. I loved it there and even though it is October, there are still lots of people sunbathing with their furry friends.

The next town, a bit further away, Vinaros has three dog beaches! How lucky are they!

However, watch out for Alcanar! What a disappointment that was! A lovely promenade with big sandy beaches but doggy friends are not allowed! Anywhere! Too fancy for their own good if you ask me! And they had better watch out because dog friendly tourism is the next big thing. Why should we be left at home when everyone else is having fun!

Between the sea and sky

It’s been a busy few days and I’ve been walking my paws off! I’m only short so I’ve needed a rest before writing something new for my doggie followers. Today it’s raining – and I do mean RAINING so we’ve decided to spend the day relaxing in the flat with just a little doggie excursion for – let’s just say the necessities of life!

So today I thought I’d tell you a bit about where we are staying. We have a lovely holiday apartment overlooking the sea where we will be for the next six weeks. There’s plenty to do and I love going for walks along the long promenade. There are plenty of dog friendly parks and beaches to visit too but more of that later.

Peniscola has been a holiday destination for a long time and unlike where we live back in Sevilla province, there are mainly French and German visitors because it is much closer to the French boarder. In the Costa del Sol, back home, it’s mainly British.

Visitors have been a big part of this area way back to the Arabs in the 12th century. Peniscola was originally a little village on a rocky outcrop protecting this part of Spain from invaders. The first castle was built by the knights templar around 1300 and you can still visit it today.

The whole of the old town is surrounded by thick fortified walls and you go into the maze of little white-washed streets through the main gate, down by the port. It’s very narrow and full of cobbles. I don’t like the streets much because the stones hurt my feet but I do like exploring!

We walk up the steep hill towards the castle at the top and pass so many gift shops, cafes and restaurants that it makes me dizzy! We reach the town museum and the cannon which stands guard over the battlements scares me. It’s freaking me out and I’m pleased we don’t stop long to look at the view.

Onwards and upwards until we finally reach the old town square with its gardens and the entrance to the castle. This was the home to Papa Luna in 1411. Yes it was the home to the real Pope – better known as Pope Benedict XIII. Dad says there was a lot of religious trouble back then (ain’t there always!) and Pope Benedict was poisoned twice while he was in Rome. That’s why he move back to Peniscola and manage to lead a quiet(er) life until he died here in 1423. You can still see various relics and other religious stuff in the castle but I’m not that bothered so we go and find a nice cafe for a drink and a cake!

The other thing that Peniscola is famous for is it’s starring role in the 1961 film, El Cid. In the big battle scene you can see the castle in the background. Just think I take my daily walk on the very beach that Charlton Heston also stood on! How good is that! No photos please! Signed autographs by arrangement!

No Photos!

The Long Road Travelled

It’s 6.45am and the alarm is already ringing! What’s happening? There’s only one 6.45 in the day and this isn’t it! We need to set off early from the hotel in Murcia because we need to be in Peniscola for lunchtime.

None of us slept well – the food in the restaurant gave us indigestion, the group of teenaage football players were having a party in the corridor outside the room until 3am and another dog in the room opposite was barking at the slightest noise. Overall not a good stay and we are all feeling exhausted before we even start.

The road is long and boring – not like the day before. Another 400km to go and it passes through a valley the entire way sandwiched between mountains on the coast and mountains on the countryside. There’s not much to see – a few run down service areas that remind me of Mexico that you see in the films and the odd castle perched high on mountains. I think I’ll have a sleep … again!

Finally we reach the town. Peniscola is a lovely seaside resort on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea on the Costa del Azahar about half way between Valencia and Barcelona. There has been a settlement here for hundreds of years and the old town sits on top of a rocky peninsula that towers above the sea, fortified by centuries old walls. We’re planning a visit soon so I can tell youmore about it then.

Our apartment for the next six weeks is right on the beach. It’s large and bright with a nice terrace from where you can see the sea. There are sand dunes, boardwalks and long flat promenades all immediately outside the flat. I’m going to like it here!

But for now it’s time for a big rest. The journey was long and we all need to detox after the trip, COVID and everything else that’s happened in the last few years! Time for a snooze …..again!