A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject

 What I like about today is that we almost see a microcosm of Spain.  We will go through the grid of urban sprawl. The houses will vary from the new and refurbished to the old and tired, desperate to find parking space from a world where this was not an issue.  We will go down one those newish broadened thoroughfares with chain shops and big announcements - quickly cross a road bereft of accompaniment and then head past a wide new road with an accompanying boulevard and ultra-modern industrial units. 




The town website https://www.vila-real.es/ has much going for it. For example it informs us that heavy snowfall in 1946 and 1956 helped to do for crops and fruit trees, which pushed them towards industrialisation in the 1960s.    You may also learn the cost of marrying within the bounds of the city:

  • City Museum Casa de Polo -gardens- (fee: €150)

  • Casa dels Mundina (fee: €150)

  • Grand Casino Noble Hall (tax-free)

  • Horse stables (fee: €100)




We really need a bit of a sit and Cafeteria Chic Duendes may be open.  It;s a Tuesday, we are in luck. It opens 8am - 1pm in weekends and 7am to 1 pm all other days but Wednesday,   Ramon reckons Sole the owner is a charm, the breakfasts are delicious as she serves them and the quality of the product is top and the atmosphere is very pleasant and familiar. My 10.  Pipa adds ‘The best place to have lunch after the gym...it feels like home🤌🫡 …’  I wonder if Google have got it right as 1pm feels early to close if lunch is mentioned.  They certainly advertise lunches.  We need to go there in person to find out,


We are going out on the N-340. It looks as if the Porcelanosa Mother ship has landed.   The company was founded in 1973.  Wiki warned - in November 2015 ‘A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject’  and  ‘This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.’



The company started with tiles and then moved to kitchen and bathroom furniture in the 1980s. Basically, the wiki page is  list of what they do.  That’s the English page.  The Spanish one has no such warning. You decide if it should….

‘Strong demand and the entrepreneurial spirit of its founders led to the creation of seven other companies related to interior design and architecture, shaping the current landscape of this business group. In addition to offering ceramic products, it also specializes in the production of floor and wall tiles using natural materials, such as wood and stone, as well as kitchen furniture and complete bathroom fixtures, and even advanced construction systems for modern architecture.’



We end the day well out of town.









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