Valencia, Spain - first grey day, faro.

The only thing on my agenda today (here for 10 weeks so exploring can happen at a leisurely pace) was to find the lighthouse that I had read about. I knew approximately where it was and deliberately walked on streets I hadn't been on before.

 

Banana palm with fruit and flower. I did some research (ie googled) and found that as each petal drops it reveals a "hand" of bananas. When you cut off the blossom then the energy of the plant goes into growing and ripening the bananas.

The lighthouse is surrounded by a park.

Large trees, a playground, benches and a Petanca area (bocce).

There was a lot of bird noise from the pine trees and looking up I could see a huge nest. 

Hard to get a shot of them as they would just fly straight into the next.

Yes, Valencia, Spain, has established populations of feral parrots, primarily the noisy and prolific Monk Parakeet (also called Quaker Parrot) and the Ring-necked Parakeet, originating from escaped pets and now common in urban areas like the Jardín del Turia and city allotments, competing with native birds but also providing unique urban wildlife viewing. 

 Key Parrot Species in Valencia:

• Monk Parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus): The most common, known for its green plumage, noisy chatter, and large, communal stick nests built high in trees, sometimes causing issues for infrastructure like the Torres de Quart.
• Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri): Another well-established invasive species, often seen alongside Monk Parakeets.
• Red-masked Parakeet (Aratinga erythrogenys): A smaller population of this species has also been present in Valencia since the 1990s from AI summary

I think these are probably Monk Parakeets. They are considered an invasive species and Madrid has gone so far as to cull them!

It is surrounded by a large stone wall and is not open to the public

 This lighthouse was first built in 1904. It is 30 metres high, has a scope of 25 miles and stands 360 metres from the sea. It stands in the spot that was previously occupied by an old 16th century watchtower, which served to warn coastal populations of incoming pirate ships. It was built this far inland in order to find a solid foundation for it's base. According to some reviews I read it is still lit up at night.

I sat on a convenient bench and did a quick sketch that will probably become a painting, though I will probably take another picture on a sunny day so I can get the shadows right and give it some depth.

 

I walked to the dry river bed that makes up the south border of the community and followed it to the sea.

This boat, with a large orange boom in the water, was at the entrance to the marina.

It didn't appear to be moving and I wondered if it was dredging (something that needs to happen at the marina in Port Dover as boats were getting stuck at the end of last year)

This is were the Palancia river enters the sea. Totally dry, no sign of water at all.

But plenty of rushes that gave the community it's name.

The sea side path continue towards the next town, Sagunta.

Looking out to sea, this may be a fish farm.

 

View of the Faro as I started back along the passieg.

 

As you can see from the photos, my first grey day here. Also the first day that there was a chance of rain in the forecast though it never materialized. The forecast is for grey the next couple of days and a chance, though low, of rain. Still a very comfortable 14 degrees though.