Valencia, Spain - Peniscola Part 3, Castle gardens.

 

A short walk through the town took us down to the gardens 

in the fortifications below the castle.

It was a lovely spot but very few of the castle visitors had taken the extra effort to find it

so it was very quiet and peaceful.

This cat was

trying out for

a modelling job

while this one got down to the serious job of hunting.

It was a gorgeous, sunny day

with a light breeze.

Quite cool inside the castle rooms

but the sunny garden was warm.

Photo by Dave

Photo by Rick.

Photo by Fiona

which Nicola later played with. AI is amazing for this purpose.

I was surprised to see, what looked like, an oil rig off shore.

The oil rig often visible from the coast near Peniscola, Spain, is part of the

Castor Underground Gas Storage (UGS) project. 

• Location: The facility is located offshore in the Mediterranean Sea, specifically near Vinaròs and Peniscola in the province of Castellón, Spain.
• Purpose: It was designed as an underground natural gas storage facility, utilizing a depleted oil reservoir (the Amposta field) 5 kilometers long and 2.5 kilometers wide.
• Status: Following its closure due to seismic activity in 2013, the facility has been in a state of hibernation, with maintenance performed by Enagás. Plans for dismantling have been in place, with discussions about sealing and removing the infrastructure, including the offshore platform from AI summary.

There was still more history

 

to be seen in buildings in the gardens

but we were getting hungry

and headed out

in search of a restaurant.

Valencia, Spain - Peniscola Part 2, Castle

We continued to walk up through the old town with it's narrow streets,

 

great views,

tourist shops

and

the house covered in

shells.

Finally up to the castle entrance

but before going in we checked out the lighthouse and

the statue of "Papa Luna"

Peñíscola Castle, a 13th-century Templar fortress in Spain, served as the papal residence and "golden prison" of Antipope Benedict XIII (Papa Luna) from 1411 to 1423. During the Western Schism, he turned the castle into a pontifical seat and library, residing there in exile until his death, leaving a lasting, stubborn legacy. 

Key Facts About Pope Luna at Peñíscola:

• Who was he? Pedro Martínez de Luna y Pérez de Gotor, known as Papa Luna, was an Aragonese pope supported during the Western Schism.
• The "Pope" in Exile: After being declared an antipope by Rome, he took refuge in the castle from 1411 until his death in 1423.
• "Keep on his thirteen": His stubborn refusal to resign despite losing support led to the Spanish expression «sigue en sus trece» (he keeps on his thirteen), referring to his persistence.

The Castle Structure: Built by the Knights Templar between 1294 and 1307, the castle is located on a 64m-high rock in the sea. From AI Summary

 

It was difficult to get a photo of him without someone leaning on him or sitting on his knee for a photo, no wonder he looks grumpy.

 

Church at the base of the castle walls.

  

In through the huge doors. Photo by Nicola.

and we were into a maze of rooms

displays

about the history

and the various occupants.

The pope had a study with a view.

Aside from the multiple rooms and halls

there were courtyards and

battlements to explore

views to see.

Down towards the gardens (more on that later)

Down towards the beach (more on that later too)

When we had finally exhausted the castle, and it had exhausted us, we headed down to the gardens (also included in our admission ticket.)

On the topic of admission tickets we have found admission to be very reasonable. The Sagunto Castle was free, most everything else has been 1 or 2 Euro (the cheaper of these prices for us as we are over 60). The only expensive admission was the Aquarium (totally understandable)