Fishing in Blanca

John has always loved a spot of fishing, even better if we got to eat the catch. There are not many kinds of fishing he has not tried, from commercial off the Cornish coast, fly fishing in Scotland, fishing the little streams, the ocean and the longest river in Australia  not to mention catching supper from a canoe off the beach in Guardamar, hes tried them all. It was a forgone conclusion then that he would want to fish here with the river Segura right on our doorstep not to mention a lake just up the road.
We have been a little busy to say the least since we moved but once he got a spare moment first thing to do was to get a licence sorted. Whilst I sat and had a little chat with Jan in the Real Homes in Spain office John set about the task with determination. We were somewhat amused to see John pass the office on several occasions, he seemed to be going for a real ground-hog day!

So a little run down on what was happening:
Visit to Town hall to get licencia de pesca
Trip to bank to pay fee of 6.61  for licencia
Return to Town hall with proof of payment
Informed of need for insurance
Off to insurance company to get compulsory policy*
Back to Town hall with proof policy
Licence is issued
Trip to bar for well earned drink

*The Insurance company used was Mapfre in the Gran Via Blanca.  The cost for 6 months was 16.80 euro, which is automatically renewed by direct debit until you choose to cancel.

My Home Town

Very spring like today so Johns been working outside. The outside oven has a newly painted shiny black door, the barbecue has been spruced up, so too the metal work around the door into the laundry, outside shower room and workshop/tool-shed. We have decided to paint the door to all of the afore mentioned a nice green, the same colour we used when we renovated the pagoda in front of them.
There is also an awful lot of metalwork crying out for a fresh coat of black. Although we do go along to the large multi stores near Murcia for some things, mostly ones we cannot find near by, we will get our paint down in Blanca. There are one or two good little ferreteria and as the saying goes "if you don't us it you loose it".
Years back when we lived in Cornwall we saw shop after shop in the middle of the town of Penzance close down, it really took the heart out of the place as business shifted to edge of town multi national chain stores. In fact I do recall it happened even before that in my home town Wigston Magna with the advent of the "supermarket". Sadly yes I am old enough to remember the shopping experience which involved the shopkeeper weighing out and wrapping also most everything from butter to biscuit as well as sugar tea flour, well just anything you could mention .
Here in Blanca you can get just about everything you need in the small shops, the indoor and street market. The world may be a global village but if you dont support your own home village it will soon become a ghost town.

5 Different Things to See and Do in the Murcia Region

The sun doused region of Murcia is one of Spain’s largely undiscovered gems. Compared to the rest of the Costa Calida, it remains relatively untouched by mass tourism meaning it retains much Spanish charm. The region also boasts fantastic weather, beautiful countryside and sandy beaches all waiting to be enjoyed.
There are plenty to of things to keep you entertained here, but the expats and tourists who do venture here on holiday will find themselves too overwhelmed by guides offering the same attractions to visit with seemingly nothing different on offer. That’s where we step in; we’ve done some research and suggested 5 alternative things to see and do in the Murcia region that you may not have known about.
Wine Route
Whilst Murcia is known for some local specialities, it isn’t particularly well known for its production of wine. Wine lovers and tourists may well be pleased to learn therefore that there is an excellent 87km long circular wine route which takes you past a high concentration of vineyards growing the distinct Monastrell grape. Beginning in Jumilla, around 1 hour north of Murcia, the route then heads to Yecla and onto Pinoso.
In Jumilla, you can soak up the wondrous views of the vineyards which flank the mountainous terrain from the top of the castle here. The Case de la Ermita vineyard on the outskirts of the town is a real gem as is Bodegas Pedro Luis Martínez and Bodegas Silvano García which are more in the town centre.
Bodegas Castaño vineyard should be your first stop in Yecla – take the MU404 road across the vineyards to reach it. Each winery offers tours, walks amongst the vineyards and of course wine tasting! Anyone who likes wine should consider this “do it yourself” tour.
The Veronicas Market
Visiting a local market is always a good experience, you can really get a feel for the culture and there’s always a noisy, busy atmosphere bubbling away all around you. The Veronicas Market in Murcia is of course no different and well worth a visit for residents and visitors alike. Soak up the sights and smells and be sure to purchase some authentic Saffron – a wonderful souvenir and considerably cheaper than you’ll find it elsewhere.
If the car park opposite the market is full, just head down to the underground car park right next door. To get in, just turn around using the mini roundabout and traffic light system just opposite the gardens of Malecon a little further up.
The Mining Park at La Union
This is a great place to come to escape the searing afternoon heat and is also an individual and interesting attraction. As a visitor you will travel 80 metres underground into a 4,000 square meter old mine. You will also spy an underground lake which appears to glow orange!
Learn the fascinating history whilst clambering through underground passageways (don’t worry, they’re well lit) and be amazed. When you’re done with the tour underground, there’s plenty to see above ground, all found within 50,000 square metres of land.
Rincon del Hornillo, Aguilas
If you happen to be in Aguilas, this is the best place you can go for a refreshing drink quite simply for the building itself. Words won’t do it justice but it is simply the epitome of artistic inspiration. The small bar is hidden away in an urbanised area just behind the El Hornillo beacg in Aguilas.
One retired man is to thank for this work of art; steps, the building itself, the garden- basically everything in the surrounding area is completely decorated with small mosaic patterned tiles bringing life and colour to the area the whole year round. Whilst the bar is only open during July and August, be sure to head there at any time just to see it and get some snaps. Not to be missed!
Navidad Fort
You may have heard of the Fuerte de Navidad in Cartagena which is well worth visiting, but you may not know there is a lot more to it than just the fort. If you travel to it by car using car hire Murcia Airport, there is plenty more in store! Once you have arrived at the fort, instead of going across the bridge, why not carry straight on and be a little bit more adventurous. You’ll reach a track but don’t be deterred, keep going and you’ll be rewarded with civilisation in the form of a tiny time warped village. Whilst it isn’t glamorous it’s a wonderful small exemplary Spanish village that’s simply a real treat to see.
Have a little walk around and enjoy this small sheltered bay and then continue on the road through the village until you begin to climb into the headland. Park up at the car park and then drink in the views from the old military lookout with a small cove at the bottom. This place is a well-kept secret that you’ll be able to enjoy, most probably, completely by yourself.
Whilst the phrase hidden gem is certainly somewhat overused these days, Murcia is home to several genuine gems and with a little research, you can discover some wonderful places that may otherwise slip under your radar!
Guest post by Kerri Ware-Economy Car Hire

Lorca Earthquake

Around 17:00 on May 11th there was a small shallow earthquake at Lorca Murcia, 2 hours later a stronger one of 5.2 magnitude which has caused substantial damage to the town and latest reports of 9 fatalities and 327 injuries, 3 of them serious, 420 military personnel are helping the local emergency services with Search and Rescue and any other help needed, around 40% of the buildings have been damaged in the town,
A team of 150 technicians have performed inspection tasks in Lorca and have been responsible for cataloging the damaged properties 17% from those inspected received a red circle. A red circle means access is dangerous and refused. 44% had a green circle marking (safe to enter) and the remaining 39% received a yellow circle, allowing only access to collect furniture and other belonging.
3500 beds have been made available for victims of the earthquake.
Emma and family passed through Lorca at around 16:30 on a return trip from Cordoba, and nearly stopped for a meal but luckily decided against it.
We were in Blanca (around 100kms from Lorca) at the time and did not now anything about the event until around 22:00 as we did not have the radio or TV on. We felt no ground tremors at all.

On the Move

All is looking good now for our house purchase in Blanca, Murcia, With completion scheduled for next week, we will not be be moving in untill the end of the month as Emma, Warwick and the grandchildren are here, there are several jobs to do and we have to make sure the internet is connected and working efficiently.
We will still be visiting the Formentera area as we have good friends there, who we want to see on a regular basis.
The Blog will continue as usual but of course the topics will be more related to around Blanca and Murcia than Formentera and Guardamar.
Last week we had our picture in The Round Town News as Mary was the winner second prize in a writing competition, the prize was a weekend in Madrid for two, which are looking forward to taking later in the year.

A Round Trip

Guadix Cathedral
We have just had a round trip through Almeria, Andalucia and Murcia, staying at Mojacar the first night,on the way we called in at Mazarron, but were not very impressed, everywhere seemed uncared for and a bit down at heel, we took the mountainous coast road to Aguilas, with some fantastic views over the sea. Aguilas is a pleasant town with some nice buildings and a nice square with cafes for coffee, tapas or meals , then on on to Mojacar. Stayed at a very busy hotel with lots of Inmerso clients - government sponsored holidays for people over 60. Mojacar playa seems to be very Brit dominated,lots of brit owned cafes and sports bars. The next day into Almeria city, this is a ferry port to Melilla in North Africa and there was also a large cruise ship in the harbour. We had a look at the Cathedral and shopping area and then set off to Guadix, the other side of the Sierra Nevada. Guadix has some interesting architecture and historical buildings and is a busy city, but seems to have a shortage of bars and restaurants to get a meal. The weather turned cold, wet and very windy and from our hotel we had views of the Sierra Nevada mountain range with a capping of snow. Next morning after driving through rolling hills of Olive groves the City of Jaen was our next stopping point,it has an magnificent cathedral, we took a guided tour with a personal handset,which gave us information on all the points of interest and artifacts in the cathedral. After, we decided to go to the ancient Arab baths, We drove through Jaens narrow cobbled streets, mingling with Jaens maniac drivers for about an hour, because the sat nav was taking us round in circles, then parked the car Jaen style and walked, luckily the heavy rain had eased a little. Although the Palacio Villardompado was hard to find it was worth the visit, as there is an amazing art exhibition of mainly modern primitive works, The extensive 11th century Arab baths and also a folk museum. We had an overnight stop at Baeza, and on to Ubeda the next morning, Ubeda centre is a world heritage site with many buildings of renaissance architecture, considered to be Spains best example and it was like walking round an open air museum. Time for a change so a longish drive to Caravaca del la Cruz passing through Olive terraces, forests, and mountain gorges and continually changing scenery. We arrived at Caravaca in time to walk up to the castle and church which overlook the town and then wander through the narrow streets. The old part has some beautifull old buildings, lots of tourist orientated shops with lots of souvenir crosses, jewellery and trinkets, but there are modern shopping streets with clothes and shoe shops selling the latest fashions. After staying the night we headed back towards Guardamar and the warmer climate, It had not occurred to me how much colder it is in inland Spain this time of year, watching the television weather forecast there appears to be a 8-10 degree difference.

Meet that Flight.

These days whenever you fly, you never know if there are flight delays owing to security measures and other problems. I have heard of aircraft being diverted to Alicante from Murcia, because planes are not allowed to land at Murcia after a certain time in Murcia, the passengers were then transported by coach to Murcia. If you are about to meet someone of a flight you can check its status with Flightstats, the statistics are available for any airport.

Track Flight Status & more at www.flightstats.com

San Javier parking Charges

Here we are back in the U.K for a few days, first day could not believe the weather it was hot,hot hot, 28 C , but yesterday these wet drops started falling out the sky and the sky was grey, but its nice to see every one, and catch up with all the gossip.

We flew out of Murcia- San Javier airport so i checked on the parking charges, to put the record straight, because when i phoned them they said it was 8 euros a day, NOT. the charges are 40 cents half an hour, 80cents 1 hour, 7.50 a day for 4 days, and after the 4th day 6.00 euros, complicated and pricey! The Airport security from Spain was not very strict they did not even check our passports, between the checkin desk and the boarding gate, but we heard they were even making you take your shoes off at East Midlands Airport, we will find out on the way back.

Pot goes Murcia

Apparently 63% of all Marijuana grown in Spain is produced in the Murcia region, this is put down to the perfect climate and the large areas of agricultural land. In the last year 588 kilos were seized by Murcia police.

Murcia, San Javier Airport - Parking?

Murcia-San Javier airport is located on the north shore of the Mar Menor. It used to have free parking with 900 spaces, but in the last couple of months, the barriers have been put into action with a parking charge of 8 Euros a day.

If you are going back to the U.K. for 10 days it becomes quite costly.After research, there does not appear to be any other medium or long term parking facilities in the area.

A taxi from Torrevieja is around 25 euros each way, and 30 euros from Cartagena.

Bus fare to the airport from Murcia is 7 Euros.

The airport has a good selection of budget airlines to and from a variety of U.K. airports, so now it is quite possible you could be paying more for your parking than your airfare.