The Road from Santiago

  We are going down…. From the highpoint on which stood the 18th century Castell de Sant Ferran  https://www.castelldesantferran.cat/en/ . Zoltan experienced what many do when trying to engage with Spanish History. ‘Totally dissapointing! We (and seen a few other tourists as well) went up on a Wednesday, on which it's supposed to be open according to the sign on the gate, yet it was shut with no further explanation what's so ever (nor a note on the bigger sign to say don't bother)... It was rather windy that day, so maybe they kept it open because of that, but still, that's no excuse for not providing any information…’ Down we go, through the suburbs and down some steps and by the railway terminal.  I suspect people rarely get full ‘Brief Encounter’ on stations unless they are on heritage lines. I, for one, never felt the need to give Rugby station a full five for being the place where, on Fridays, I awaited my beloved.  Maxi Minimalist sums it up in a three star fu...

Serious minded history today.  Not a disappointed plastic contrivance in view.  With half a million people ahead of us and our hopes and our dreams, let us begin the day with some October weather. The average temperature is about 20oC, with average highs of 25oC and lows around 15.   It doesn’t freeze - you need December to March for that.  We are in the wettest month.  On average, 4.2 days have at least 1mm of rain. Flooding can be a bit of a problem.  Lack of urban planning and regulation meant Alicante was not well prepared for the autumnal and spring rains. On 19th October 1982, 220 mm fell in the city, a new record for rainfall in less than 24 hours. The Rambla de las Ovejas reached a watershed of 400 m³/s, its highest level ever, and wreaked havoc in the San Gabriel neighbourhood, resulting in two deaths.  On 30th September, 1997, a record rainfall of 270 mm was broken again, and the city suffered the worst flooding in its history , resulting in...