Due to the off-season rates, we were able to stay in this wonderful hotel near the beach for the European Member Care Conference 2010. We stayed in the Papa Luna Hotel in Peniscola, Spain (2 hours from Barcelona) from Tuesday afternoon through Saturday morning, really, really early. The attendees were from many different countries throughout Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, Canada and the U.S.. The conference was held in English but as you walked among the tables in the restaurant, you could hear many different languages being spoken.
The last day had a 3 1/2 hour block of time that was free for lunch, resting and running down to the beach for a leisurely walk in the sand. It was the only day that was sunny and warm! God saved the best for last! Anyway, going across the street from the hotel to the beach, if you look to the left, this was the view.
And to the right is an old castle or fortress up on a hill that juts out into the ocean.
As we walked toward the castle, we could see the small city that has built up around it.
So we wandered through the small city that surrounded the castle, always taking the road that would take us higher and higher....until we arrived at the top. The view was phenomenal!
Even looking straight out was a perfectly framed view of a tower.
One side of the top of the castle dropped straight down into the water, making one just a little nervous leaning over the edge to view the descent.
From the top we could see the onto the flat roofs of the nearby apartment buildings. I thought it interesting to see how folks took advantage of the flat roofs to give themselves more living space. Laundry "rooms" seem to be the most popular usage, but we also saw some beautiful gardens and outdoor eating tables for those hot summer nights.
Every direction held a breathtaking sight! One side held a view of the beach, one was nothing but clear blue-green ocean, and the other side ...
a bay area with a large port.
We climbed DOWN the opposite side from whence we went UP, and snaked our way to the port to watch the boats unload their catch of the day.
We found out why seafood in the local restaurants wasn't a cheap meal. The haul for the day was quite small on some of those boats!
Didn't really care for the tubs of eels. Ech!
But did drool over the huge shrimp!
After watching several boats unload, we meandered through the small, quaint town and then headed back to our hotel in time for the next session.
Most of the buildings were painted white which was quite pretty and gave a crisp, clean look to the town.
I was tickled to find Senegalese men and women with their blankets spread out on the sidewalk selling things we bought when we lived in Africa! I'm sure our kids will recognize the balaphone and the tam-tam that are just like the ones we have! I asked one of the women where she was from and she replied, "Dakar". I mentioned our daughter had lived in Minam and Sindou, and she didn't even raise an eyebrow or recognize the names of the villages right outside Dakar. I wonder how old she was when she left Senegal???
Found this scraggly tree and thought it made a cool picture! Kind of reminds me of the Boabob trees in Senegal too!
It felt so good to be out in the sun, soaking up the warm rays. This was truly our first day of beautiful weather and we kinda hated to leave it to come back to cloudy Budapest.
We got back to Budapest on Saturday at 1:00 pm. We spent the day doing laundry, paying bills, answering emails and calling family before heading for Germany on Sunday morning. We will be in Germany for a week, and then wind our way home through Czech Republic, visiting with some of our families along the way. By time we get home again, I will be soooo happy to see my own bed. My goodness! I sound like my grandfather!
4 comments:
So did you find a Taco Bell?? There is one in Madrid! We will be frequent visitors once there!!
That shrimp looks great!!
Maybe we'll see you Prague??
What a beautiful town. I wonder if the white paint is required or if they all just follow suit?
That looks like quite a walk, you must have moved non-stop for your 3 hours!!!
At first I read Pensicola, like in Florida, I had to re-read it to get it right. What an amazing town from new to ruins.
I hope you get some naps and lots of sunshine during these busy weeks.
Glad you had a sunny day to relax. I think you guys have more energy than we do! Hope your time in Germany and the Czech Republic is great.
Miss and love you,
Kate
These pictures are beautiful - and so sunny! I love it.
To be honest, I'm not too surprised that the vendors didn't recognize Sindou or Miname. Both are pretty tiny on the map. Next time you can try St Louis (where III lived) or say Bargny-Miname. (Bargny is where we drove that woman in labor.)
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