Day trip To Cartagena

Yesterday on the spur of the moment we decided to go down to Cartagena on the Costa Calida. Its one of those places we have been meaning to visit ever since we moved to the area. It’s about 60 KM from here and a nice little run either by the motorway or the 332.
Cartagena has been a major sea port for centuries and has a fascinating history. It is a walled town and has a fine harbour defended by forts. In the time of Philip II of Spain, it was a major naval seaport of Spain. It is still an important naval seaport, the main military haven of Spain, and there is a big naval shipyard. Cartagena had a population of 211,286 in 2007, making it the second largest city in the Region, the 6th among the non-province capitals of Spain, and the 24th overall.
For all that it has a charming old quarter and many free to enter museums. So much to see in fact we are already planning another day there.
We were quite astonished by the style of the buildings and the fact that there seems to be a concerted effort to save the facades where the building is beyond repair. There is also an abundance of cafes and restaurants with menus at very reasonable prices. We had a lovely meal, real home style cooking and regional dishes and only 8 euros for 3 courses salad and a drink.
On the way back we called in at Mar Menor, another place we have always meant to visit. Mar Menor is a salty lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a sand bar 22km in length and with a variable width from 100 to 1200m. It belongs to four municipalities including Cartagena. In 1994 it was included on the list of the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. It is also a one of the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) by the United Nations.
If you take a drive down do look out for the remains of the windmills, they are all over the place with a very few still intact. Can you imagine what it must have looked like in past times, very Don Quixote. Before the arrival of modern technology the turning sails of the windmills could be seen at almost every place where a small hill rose in the flat plain. With the arrival of electricity and new machinery, the old windmills were allowed to decay and many now are not much more than circular heaps of stones. However, the picture is not completely black and there plenty of enthusiasts who love the windmills and are working to restore them. Interest in the history of the windmills is very high amongst local people.

Lets hope it starts trend

Airline approaches to Spanish airports will change in 2010 when airlines will have to adopt the ‘green landing’ system at Spanish airports.

What does this mean well for one thing an end to those twists and turns and rapid changes in altitude ahead of landing. Also a longer and gentler approach to the runway will be taken. Planes will in effect glide down to land and start the approach from as far as 180 kilometres away.
Those on board will probably only notice that it seems to be taking a long time to land. The good news is that between 300 and 480 kilos of carbon emissions along with 100 to 160 kilos of aviation fuel will be saved on every flight. These changes will mean the plane is in the air for a full two minutes more than before.

Those who live below the flight paths may notice a 4-6 decibel reduction in noise if they live more than 18 kilometres from the runway.

France and Sweden are testing similar systems, but José Blanco and his Development Ministry in Spain are to be congratulated for making the move now and re-arranging the flight paths as needed. In some cases airspace previously reserved for the military will have to be used.
On a practical note aside from greener flights I wonder if those of us that suffer ear pain at landing will find it different, I do hope so.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

We had a lovely morning in Torrevieja last Sunday along with quite a lot of other people. It was such a nice sunny, warm day we decided to have a walk along the front, out on the harbor wall and a look around the marina. Although there are signs of the economic crisis hitting business it was still very lively, especially for the time of year. Would be nicer if the local council and police got to grips with the graffiti issue though so many buildings are defaced in the town.
As we drove out of the town along the 332 we had a real surprise sighting, we are quite keen bird watches so were alerted at once to some thing a bit unusual in the skies. In fact it was a Griffin Vulture, birds of prey are classified as an endangered species here in Spain but we do not normally see them in this area.
The Griffon Vulture is 93–110 cm (37–43 in) long with a 230–269 cm (91–106 in) wingspan, and it weighs between 6 and 13 kg (13.2 and 29 lb). Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a white bald head, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. Believe me if you see one you cannot mistake it.
Five griffon vultures have been rescued in Orihuela Costa over the weekend. They are most likely to come from a feeding station in Alcoy, where there is a colony of 70 to 100 of the birds. We just hope the one we saw was one of them.

Driving your other Half up the Wall

As you can see its Johns who’s making his way towards the ceiling. I will be following him with a bit of luck and a lot more effort and practise. Ok Ok what the heck am I talking about, in word Yoga. We are trying to ward of old age and have started to get to grips with this ancient practise. Novices still we will get better meanwhile as you might have guessed Johns further up the wall than me

Stop Press.................

The Government has granted a six month grace period in Spain's mobile phone switch off. It gives users of pre-paid lines the chance to recover their number if they register after the phone has been deactivated.
Ah so thats why its was so manic in the phone shop!