Valencia, Spain - Peniscola Part 4, lunch

 When I left off the last post we were hungry and had been on the go for about 4 hours.

We passed a couple of restaurants with great views but they were pricey and in a cool wind. We spotted this one, tucked below the walls with a table for 6 in the sun!

 

We opted for the Menu del Dia and then the challenge was making our choices from the numerous options.

Bebidas first of course. Cervesas, agua con gas, Sangria, Vino tinto and we were all feeling better already.

Wasn't a bad view

while we were waiting.

We all tried each others. I forgot to take a picture of my Gambas, these are Fiona's Sardines. Crunchy, salty and your don't even notice the tiny bones as they are so delicate.

Dave's Melon y Jamon. when I ate meat this was one of my favorite appetizers.

Rick's ensalada. He realized that's all he really needed so I had to help him out.

Then there was the second course. Rick and I both had the grilled salmon. It came with fries and grilled vegetables. We asked for aoli (for me) and ketchup (for Rick) and Fi took the extra packages as I told her they were good to trade in the hostels.

Dave had a lasagna type thing. He approved.

Fi and Nic shared this fish stew

Zarzuela de Mariscos (or Zarzuela de Pescado) is a traditional, rich Spanish seafood stew from Catalonia, often called a "medley" or "small symphony" of fish and shellfish. It features a tomato-based broth with paprika, saffron, white wine, and a signature thickening ingredient called picada (ground almonds, garlic, and parsley). from AI summary.

Of course there were also olives and bread (which I dipped into that stew, so good)

Then, because it was a Menu del Dia there was postre. Tiramisu for some

 

Creme Catalan and

Chocolate Mousse for others.

Such a good meal!

We had to 

walk

it off.

So after

walking back down through the old town

we took a walk around

the fishing harbour.

Then it was back to the car and the drive home.

On the way out of town, I pulled over so Fi and Nic could take pictures at

the beach. I was glad of my glass of wine once the car was parked ready for the car hire to pick it up!

The next day Fiona left to spend a couple of days in a hostel in Valencia and

I had a stay at home day. Painted this and Nic suggested it would be improved

with some colour on the buildings and, as usual, she was right.

Fi sent pictures of her shared hostel room and

balcony looking over the silk exchange.

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.