Mayday in July

What seems to be an ongoing drama took a twist this week when Ryan Air received a denuncia following problems earlier this year. The controversial company have had an ongoing  battle with regards the landing procedure at the new Alicante terminal.  The latest incident pertains to one day in July this year.

The budget airline has had a number of mentions in the media here since July 26 when three of the planes were diverted from Madrid to Valencia because of storms over the capital.
it is alleged that  lack of fuel was the issue also that  the three pilots issued ‘Mayday’ calls,  All the pilots managed to land safely on Runway 12 at Manises Airport in Valencia. Ryan Air said that it had activated the alert when there was enough fuel left for 30 minutes. The  planes had to wait in a queue before they could land. The company claims that the three planes were flying in the stack over Valencia for 50, 68 and 69 minutes. Should the Airline be found culpable they could be be banned from landing in Spain for up to three years.
We await the outcome with interest.

Photo: The Plane, The Plane.

 

A Visit to Valencia and Madrid

THE ROYAL PALACE

PLAZA DE AYUNTAMIENTO, VALENCIA
We recently made a flying visit to Valencia and Madrid, Mary won 2 train tickets and two nights in a hotel in Madrid in a newspaper competition, the tickets were for the High speed train which runs from Valencia so we decided to drive up and explore the city at the same time. We have never been to Valencia before so we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the grand architecture and historic buildings. We parked the car at Victoria Car Parking for 4 days as driving and parking in Valencia is no fun at all, and got the very efficient metro to central Valencia where we stayed for the night before getting the AVE train around Midday. The speed the train goes is amazing, hitting 300 kilometres an hour at times and provides a comfortable and fast journey taking just 1 hour 35 minutes. Our Hotel in Madrid was on the Gran Via which is likened to Broadway and life never seems to stop, loads of people around all the time and the shops never seem to close. In our two days in Madrid, we visited the Royal Palace,the Prado Museum and the botanical gardens among other places. We did find nice Tapas bar with a terrace where with every drink was included a large tapas and found an evening meal was never needed after that. The time soon went and before long we were speeding back to Valencia to drive back to Blanca the following day.

Watermelon festival

Still talking about Valencia, this last week has been the watermelon festival, held in the City of Arts and Sciences, featuring the benefits of eating and also its decorative possibilities, The watermelon festival is expected to become an annual event.
Recently experts have claimed that the red-fleshed fruit contains an ingredient that affects the body's blood vessels in the same way as when a man takes the sex drug viagra. Researchers believe that the juicy fruit could be used to help men who suffer from erectile dysfunction.
Watermelon could also improve heart health, the immune system and even help people who suffer from obesity and type 2 diabetes
Almost 92 percent of watermelon is water, but the remaining 8 percent is loaded with lycopene, an anti-oxidant that protects the human heart, prostate and skin health.

Valencia Day

Today everywhere is closed, The Valencia Region celebrates its fiesta, in commemoration of the entrance of King Jaime I into the city of Valencia, which took place in the year 1238, The celebrations started last night with a massive firework display, part of the international firework festival, today the Valencia flag is lowered from the balcony of the Valencia town hall and the civic procession starts, heading through the streets to the cathedral. Later returning to the town hall and another round of explosions. It is also the fiesta of Sant Dionís, This saint is traditionally considered as the patron saint of lovers and there is the custom of giving the gift of a Mocaorà, a silken scarf containing marzipan pastries handcrafted by Valencia’s confectioners.

The Valencia Water Judges

We see the orange groves being waterlogged and the farmers diverting the water in the irrigation channels, this is all controlled by the Water Judges.Every Thursday at midday The Tribunal de Aqua (Water Tribunal) meet in Valencia. This was set up by Jaime I to regulate the distribution of the River Turia's water for irrigation. The irrigation system itself was designed and built by the Moors. The judges are eight ordinary workers who each represent a different irrigation network. It's their job to sort out the inevitable problems and conflicts between users. They are elected for two year terms of office, wear traditional smocks and hand down their sentences orally in the Valencian language. There is no right of appeal. The speed of this particular justice system and its longevity have made it world-famous.