travelwithdogs – Page 2 – A Dog's Travel Adventures in Spain (and other places too!)

In the footsteps of El cid

After a few days of R and R, Dad said we could go and find El Cid’s castle today. That sounds exciting especially since it involves a trip in the car! Dad said the castle is in a town called Morella, about an hour from here,up in the mountains. Castles I like but who is this El Cid guy? Must be a big cheese to have a castle!

So it turns out that El Cid is actually a guy called Diego Rodriguez and is a pretty bug deal here in Spain. He was a famous medieval knight back in around 1050. Apparently he fought for both the Christians and the Moors and was known as El Cid – meaning the Lord in Spanish – because he was so fierce. He was born in Burgos which is a town in the North of Spain and Morella is on the ancient road linking it with the coast at Vinaros. The road was twisty and dangerous and would have taken weeks to travel. Luckily we are soon whizzing up the new expressway over the mountain passes and then down into the valleys. Soon the town comes into view!

Dad says there has been people living here since prehistoric times and there was a castle high up on the hill from the 8th century. El Cid rebuilt it and you can still see it standing grandly towering over the town below. From the main road I can see the old medieval houses hiding behind the huge fortifications with the castle above. Soon we pull into the car park – no donkeys for us unlike El Cid and we walk towards the gatehouse that protects the old town. It has two huge stone towers that housed the gate and as I look up they seem to go up forever!

We pass through and come into a pretty little square. Hooray! The first thing I see is a shop selling my favourite food – cheese! All traditionally made and my nose goes into overdrive with the yummy smell. Dad says I can’t go in! Morella is famous for it’s traditional cheese industry as well as handmade blankets and honey. The old streets are lined with shops selling all of them.

We walk down the main street which is now car free – luckily for me! It’s cobbled and the stones hurt my feet. We are looking for cafe for some lunch. I’m not that impressed. I want to have a rest but most of the places are full! We find one that has tables but doesn’t want me to sit there so we go elsewhere – the cheek of it! Another waitress is more interested in her phone but we do finally find a place for a yummy waffle and a coffee. Dad shares a bit of his waffle with me. How lucky am I!

After lunch, we follow the winding streets. No need for a map and no worries if we get lost. The road passes up into the old square in front of the church. I can see the castle hiding behind. The church has been here since the 13th century and I can see the statues have been worn away with the bad weather over the years. In summer it can be up to 40C here but in the winter the hilltop setting goes as low as -10C! I sit with Dad and wonder how many dogs have also sat in that square over the years.

The sun is starting to disappear now – well it is the middle of October, so we start our walk back to the car. There are hundreds of steps – going up and down – and the road seems to go on forever! I’ve only got little legs so I have to walk double the distance. I wonder how El Cid would have managed getting up and down to his castle in all that armour.

As we set off back down the road towards the coast, the car rocks me to sleep. I start to dream about all the battles El Cid had. Good knight!

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!

Let’s Get Ready to Roll!

Wow! What a couple of years that’s been! Births, deaths, marriages (well postponed due to COVID!), COVID, assorted illnesses, moving house (several times!), moving countries… need I go on?

I think it’s time to have a rest, see something new, have an adventure … and in just 6 days time we’re going to be off on one.

But before we get started, let me tell you something about myself. My name is PG, I’m 6 years old and I don’t need a governess! (I heard that once in a film and always wanted to say it!)

Originally I’m from Hungary and I have lived with my two Dads – Neil and Ken – since I was 8 weeks old. I had 9 brothers and sisters – my brother Frankie and sister Zsofi still live in the village where we grew up.

My Dads ran an English tearoom and I’m called PG because they said my colour is like a cup of English tea. When I get told off they still call me by my full name – PG tips! I used to help them in the tearoom by greeting the guests and sometimes when they made our special dog treats, I was the official taster! How lucky was I!

Unfortunately things changed in Hungary and the new goverment hated everyone who was different. Dad said it wasn’t safe for us all to live there anymore and we had to move away. I was very sad because I had to leave my brother and sister and our lovely tearoom. We had a great adventure travelling all the way to Spain for our new life. Things have been tough here but it’s safer for us all and people don’t make judgements about who you are. I like that because no-one is perfect and it’s who you are on the inside that matters.

We now live in a little whitewashed village about an hour from the seaside. It is surrounded by olive groves and I go for walks in them everyday. It’s very peaceful here. I have made some new friends. Lily lives just a few houses away. She is only 5 months old and although Ilike to see her, she wants to play all the time when I want to sleep! Annoying much! I also have friends in the farm and I enjoy seeing them too. We like to walk in the olives together but there are a couple of farm dogs that are a bit grouchy and I try to avoid them.

Our big adventure starts on Friday. We’re going to a place that’s called the Costa del Azahar between Valencia and Tarragona. I don’t know where it is but it sounds exciting. It’s a long way because it will take two days to get there. I love going in the car so I am so excited. I’ve already done my packing – food bowl : check, water bowl : check, food : check, snacks : check, super comfy blanket : check, chewy toy : check, squeaky toy : Dad says no! Now I just need to make sure everyone else is ready in time!

While we are away I’ll be telling you about some of the exciting places we are going to visit and what we do. I’ll be giving you my honest opinion and grading each place with tail wags between 1 and 5 – 1 will be the least waggy score and 5 will be windmill tail so if you ever visit you will know what to expect for your furry friend too. I’m not writing everyday because the keyboard hurts my paws but keep an eye on what we are doing by following our adventures.

Remember only 6 days to go! As we say in Spain “Hasta Friday!”

Licks from me – PG