We have spent many a beautiful day wandering along the seafront at Benicassim, the beach is beautiful and changes with the weather. I loved taking these pictures, hope you enjoy them too.
Author: Juliet Stratton (Page 22 of 39)
So, this year, 2019, was a big one for a certain person……although I keep telling him “he’s in Africa…….in denial (in De Nile)”. He didn’t want any fuss, (unlike his 50th in Barcelona when he was so smashed he couldn’t remember much of the weekend) so no guests, no visitors, no surprise party, just me and him. And so it was!
We actually had some fun on our own, we booked a short notice hotel as the site we were on was only 50 minutes away but the coach journey from the site entrance to the Centre of Barcelona was a bargain price of €5.25 each!! The Hotel was just off the Rambla, right near a Metro station so we really got down and dirty with the locals and took the bus and Metro before checking into our hotel. Lunch was on the hoof as we walked up to the top of the Rambla and off to the right to find the Sagrada Familia Gaudi Cathedral, a long walk punctuated by stops at cafes, shops and tabacs to do bits of shopping, buy coffees and keep warm, on this grey day. Although the temperature was about 15c, we had a cold wind blowing and grey clouds overhead threatening a rainshower. Thankfully this didn’t happen.
We booked tickets at the Gaudi Cathedral for 3.00pm entrance, and came out at 5pm! If ever you want somewhere spectacular to go, I can highly recommend this building, it’s such an unusual cathedral, like nothing we have ever seen before. Despite being full of tourists, the Cathedral had an ethereal feel, quiet and so warm, full of sunlight and a multitude of colours from all the windows in the ceiling. We got a lift to the top of one of the towers, and walked back down the narrow spiral staircase, stopping off to admire the city views at various points where bridges connect to other towers, but it was the interior that fascinated me, the whole building told a tale at different sides and points, a story of birth and death, love, resurrection, betrayal and afterlife.
After tapas and a drink, and then a short recuperation (snooze), we headed out to a local restaurant just off the Rambla that had caught David’s eye earlier, a steak and burger place that stored some of their meat in a dry storage unit to mature it; when we ordered he did order the 45 day dry aged steak and I ordered just a normal one. Mine, despite being well cooked, was much more juicy than David’s medium cooked steak, although both were extremely tasty. David was serenaded by a group of visiting musical minstrels while we were eating, whih was funny. We enjoyed a great bottle of Rioja and some fun with the staff who spoke very little English but understood that it was David’s birthday so offered him a free glass, just the glass (it was stamped with the name of the vineyard), but I forgot to pick it up!
So we headed a few door along where we spotted a bar, opened only 9 months ago, and run by a Portuguese lady called Vieja (vee-eka). The bar had been in operation since 1910, and everything inside was original, and she was an expert in cocktails!
We slunk out of the bar and managed to stagger the two doors along to our hotel, some time much later. I recall trying several different cocktails off the menu but towards the end she asked what spirits we liked and made them up for us…..I think!!! Some, in honour of David’s birthday, were spectacular, sparklers and lights were involved, as was much tequila, vodka, passion fruits, rum, bourbons and the odd plate of crisps and nuts!! Just to say that at about 5am, David stuggled to find the ensuite bathroom, so we had a great night with Vieja!!!
The next day we strolled down to the Marina area after a full Irish breakfast (Irish sausages, bacon, black pudding, mushrooms, eggs, beans….the works!!!) before walking the whole of the Rambla, admiring the street artists, Japanese tourists with their cameras and face masks, and the old buildings along the way. Before we caught the coach back, we stopped at a coffee shop, had coffee and orange juice and suddenly felt human again! A very odd sensation!!!
So this is dinner….. 
Contemplating in Plaza Reale
Photos of Familia Sagrada Basilica (Cathedral) – which will hopefully be completed in 2027 with the erection a total of 18 towers, 12 are currently built, the rest are in progress.
Some examples of the stunning colourful bright interior…..
And now, for the evening…….
Inside the London Bar! 
Juliet & Vieja.
Clearing our heads the next day, admiring the scenery.
At the end of January each year, and has been the tradition for the past 26 years, Benicassim is invaded by locals from the town itself and from Castellon, to celebrate the end of the San Antonio Abad and Santa Agueda festival, which lasts just over a week. The paellas as primarily “Valencian”, consisting of pork, chicken, rabbit and vegetables but some restaurants offer the seafood paellas, which have to be pre-booked and ordered.
The festival of San Antonio Abad is held in January and has become a major local event and Benicassim continues this Valencian tradition where domestic and farm animals are the main stars. During the day, a parade of different species of animals is held then the animal’s owners ask for holy protection, which is awarded by the giving of blessed cakes or sweets. Floats are dressed in traditional “old fashioned” clothing and markets are held showcasing traditional crafts such as jam making, lace work, wrought iron work, woodwork etc.
Each day over a week, bulls from local farmers are brought into the town, allowed to run 50 metres from their captive vehicle to a small temporary bull ring, where the owner and matadors show off their bull fighting skills. Thankfully the animals are not injured or killed, just tired out! The children are encouraged to partake in mock bull runs, and the Matadors are just youngsters practising their skills.
Fire crackers are let off regularly during the festival, to mark the start of processions to the monastery on the hill, or the start of the bull run at 2.00pm, or the start of a show.
Music and dance are also in abundance every night, free concerts and sports activities are organised by the Council and are well supported.
Paella Day
Friday 22nd started at 7am with a 30 minute herald of fireworks, followed by the lighting of large bonfires in a square at the top of town, outside the Police Station!! For the princely sum of €1, you were given a plate with 3 raw sausages, a chunk of bread, a sachet of garlic mayonnaise and a plastic cup, which was for either beer or wine, refillable as long as the supplies lasted. Everyone either took long metal skewers or grill trays to cook their sausages over the fires, and people stood around talking, eating and drinking.
At 11am, a bar on the high street opens and with each beer or wine purchased people are given a party hat. We were in the opening queue along with a group of others from the campsite, keen to get a decent party hat.
Overnight the Council deposited small piles of sand in the streets a metre or two apart, larger piles of sand were placed outside the restaurants and at midday, people can go to set points and collect a sack of wood and a 3 pronged metal stand for their paella dishes.
The council also provide a supply of tables and chairs, but some people bring their own, or just plonk their goods on the pavements and park their bums on the floor.
The fires are lit after midday and the streets filled with smoke, but the smells were amazing. Firstly oil is heated, onion and garlic are added, then meat, then stock by the litres, then rice. The smells after an hour or so made your mouth water, and the smoke made your eyes water!
Bonterra Park had organised a street table, 200 people from the camp site, all seated by 2pm! It was brilliantly orchestrated and such good fun. We sat down to a bowl of salad each, then a helping of traditional Valencian paella with fresh crusty bread, as much water and wine as you would want, then fresh Valencian oranges for dessert. The sun shone, people talked across the table and strangers became acquaintences, a great afternoon overall.
Afterwards, we left the table and wandered up the high street through the town, the number of people either having eaten, still eating, still cooking or starting to cook was unbelieveable! Some estimate over 1000 paella fires were on the go with 35,000 people in attendance, with entertainment at most street corners, in the form of a singing drag queen, or bands, or music blasting from restaurants. It wasn’t noisy, it was simply a wonderful form of organised oral chaos!
Later, the music filled the streets, the smoke filled your nose and clothes, and everyone was chilled and relaxed. It was such an interesting event, it had to be experienced to be believed.
The festival ended on Sunday evening with a group of 20 men dressed as devils, parading through the streets with catherine wheels on their forks and firecrackers going off everywhere. The men finally stopped at the bottom part of the high street and danced under a shower of fireworks. Thankfully they all had protective clothing on!
The light, smells and smoke were once again amazing but the finale, was a 20 minute firework display in a car park just outside town.
Earlier on in the summer, we had secretly plotted with my sister-in-law Camilla to meet them on their arrival at Malaga airport to help my brother Neil celebrate his 50th birthday at the end of November!! We rented an apartment in the same block as them, which was just a five minute walk from the city centre.
It was a lovely weekend, lots of walking, sight seeing, drinking and eating, reminiscing and chatting. Malaga is a beautiful city with olde worlde cobbled narrow streets, a Jewish quarter full of Arabic and Moorish type bars and cafes, topped with an old fort and castle, and yet peppered with modern vibrant restaurants and a full music scene beside a modern marina. We had not been to Malaga before, just skirted around it, so another city ticked off our list!
To fly from Benicassim to Malaga was either an 8 hour (via Madrid) or 12 hour journey (via Paris!), so we drove down, stopping overnight at a golf complex on the way down after travelling along the coast road.
On the way back, we took the route inland and drove above the Sierra Navada range of mountains, driving north of Grenada; we had sun on one side of the road, and glistening snow capped mountains on the other. We stopped overnight at a small village called Totana, our room was in a small hotel that was once an old monastery, the ornately decorated church is still in use (it is in the middle of the hotel buildings) and the gardens are still maintained as they would have been by the monks. There was a walk above the monastery to a hilltop statue, the climb up was brisk as it was cold and windy that day but the views from the top were worth it.
We also visited a small hilltop town nearby called Aledo, it has a beautiful church with foundations full of fossils which confirms that centuries ago, the area was underwater.
Visit to Madrid for Arthur’s 65th Birthday
A week later we flew to Madrid to join David’s brother Arthur and our sister-in-law Tess for a few days in Madrid, another city we had yet to visit.
Our apartment block was right opposite the Royal Palace and its gardens, with amazing views over the fountains and ornamental structured shrubs. We watched the changing of the Guards whilst we were there, a fabulous hour long procession of smart horses, dressed military riders and other military paraphernalia. We saw the Christmas decorations in full glory, and again, explored what we thought was a large part of the city, until one evening a taxi driver took us on a very interesting detour along the city’s ring road and we realised we had only seen a rather small area!
We were based right in the centre of the city and explored all the cultural places that tourists do as well as visiting lots of bars and restaurants! One day and evening was purely filled with eating and drinking, to help Arthur celebrate his 65th birthday and his retirement from work. I’m certain it’s a night he doesn’t remember!!!
One night we attended an intimate flamenco show, no more than 30 people in the underground cellar, it was an exhilarating 1.5 hours of music, dance and foot stomping.
Choosing lunch in the food market.
Madrid’s Cathedral was huge and very colourful.
A few weeks later Arthur and Tess visited us at Benicassim, stayed overnight whilst we showed them the sights of the Torre along the seafront and a few local bars.
November was a busy month for us with travel. We drove from Lake Garda in Italy back to the South of France and through to Benicassim, just above Valencia for the middle of the month, to take up our winter pitch. We stopped a few days in Cannes and Narbonne in France and a week in Vilanova in Spain en route, but pushed on through and got set up on a sunny corner pitch for the next few months.
December was supposed to be a slower and quieter month, but it wasn’t!
“Coming Home” to Bonterra Park
It was like “coming home” on our arrival at Bonterra Park, we were pitched on the same road as the year before, with familiar faces greeting us, instant inclusion into the social scene, and even regular weekly committments, in the form of a Quiz night, Choir practise and Jam sessions with the musicians on site.
On our first visit here, we met a couple called Hans and Helene from Switzerland. They were passing through, to warmer climes, to help Hans recover from an operation and illness; Helene was careful not to let Hans dance too much as he had had a hip replacement just a few weeks before!! We were thrilled to see them again after only a few days here, again they were passing through but we had a few more dances with them before they left!!
Each morning, I head down to the beach for half an hour of tai chi, starts the day off well, with some quiet contemplation and exercise in front of the waves…..
We have played several games of Mulkky, Finnish skittles, with David winning a trophy!!
We immersed ourselves in local life, one December evening I assisted in a nationwide Spanish event, collecting dry and non perishable goods at the local supermarkets for distribution by a charity to the less fortunate in the town. There are very few “down and outs” here thankfully, but it was nice to see the goodwill from old and young people towards those less fortunate.
One weekend we helped Mary and Chris to celebrate their 47th anniversary with a meal at a local restaurant.. Starters were barbequed leeks, complete with plastic gloves and a bib! Mains were a huge plate of BBQ meat, all washed down by local Spanish red wine.
David and Mike went out one weekend, on their scooters, only as far as Castellon, before David’s bike broke down!
Mike also performed as a DJ one night, some serious dancing went on….
I also became part of a choir, I didn’t realise I could actually sing but I can, and I’m up there with the sopranos! We practise every Monday morning, in December it was christmas carols mainly in English but several in German, Dutch and a few more in Spanish. We performed a few concerts, the first to the local old people’s home which was so lovely, the elderly ladies came up afterwards and told us we had “angelic voices”; there was a concert at the big department store in Castellon 10 miles away, we sung one Sunday evening in the town at the end of a local festival, another night in the site’s restaurant one evening and finally, on the afternoon before Christmas Eve, we wandered around the site, stopping and singing in the roads, aided by cakes, chocolates and warming drinks!!
I have become a “domestic goddess”, making homemade mincemeat, mince pies and sausage rolls for Christmas!
Mid December, we were hit by the “Bonterra Bug”, a flu type germ that spreads like wildfire and hangs around for weeks. Christmas Day was spent with 2 sets of friends, Keith and Jean and Chris and Mary. We all pitched in to make a lovely traditional roast dinner; Mary provided starters and desserts; David cooked several chicken breasts, pigs in blankets, stuffing and gravy and provided drinks, whilst Keith and Jean steamed all the veg and provided drinks plus the use of their awning in the sun. In the evening, we were joined by a few other couples and music, drinks, fun and games were had by all.
Then on Boxing Day the Bonterra Bug hit big time, and we spent the next week to 10 days nursing ourselves with homemade hot toddys, paracetamol and eventually, penicillin. We celebrated New Years Eve with a new box of menthol tissues, a warm duvet and hot water bottle, a medicinal brandy and some English TV! Very different for us!!! I even missed the end of year fireworks at midnight (for the Spanish) and at 1am (for the English!!).
New Years Day we were invited to a street lunch, organised by neighbours, chilli con carne or lasagne; David supplied Tequila Sunrises to keep the festivities going until the sun went down, then it was back to bed to recover some more!!
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