The annual Clon Festival starts tonight in Lloret de Mar, this is the 6th one of its kind. Taking part this year is the Kiss tribute band - 'Dressed to Kill' They are a British band, you can read more about them on their website HERE.

The next nights entertainment will be 25th July with the Beatles tribute, Abbey Road. Hopefully they will be able to finish their show this year. Quite a few of us went to watch them last year but they had to abandon the show owing to a raging storm. We all had to walk back over the hill to Fenals and got absolutely soaked to the skin, so good luck to them for this year! Here is a link to last years piece about 'Abbey Road'

The 3rd and final act to take part in the Clon Festival is Galetes Franklin, a tribute to Aretha Franlin. I cant find any info about her so I have no idea where she is from.

All acts will be on stage from 10.30pm onwards at the usual place down near the beach in Lloret

Lloret de Mar - Tour de France

Here we have another set of photos from today's Tour de France in Lloret.
After seeing the highlights on TV tonight it looks as though Lloret de Mar was the driest part of the race, they had to cycle in very bad and sometimes dangerous conditions owing to the rain for most of the way between Girona and Barcelona...weren't we lucky the lucky one's!

Lloret de Mar - Tour de France

Lloret de Mar had a huge honour today as being one of the towns to host part of the Tour de France race for the first time. The bikes had set off from Girona to Lloret which was a 64km stretch of the race and they were then making their way down the coast to Barcelona.
The roads were closed from 12 noon and the crowds started gathering well before in order to find the best viewing point. The hotel balconies on route were full of spectators, and everyone started cheering and waving as the riders came through....a very good atmosphere!
The first bike to come through was David Millar one of the British racers, this pleased all the local Brits and the many British visitors here for a short stay in Lloret especially to watch them go through the town. Some of which include Peter, Liam and Alex from Barnsley, as seen above!

Lloret de Mar News

Just three snippets of news from Lloret de Mar today.
The beach bars are to be given a complete facelift and renovation as they are said to be in poor condition after they have been used for the past few years. No date has been given just yet, but work such as this is normally done at the end of the summer season.
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A documentary is to be made by the Lloret council about the early years of tourism as seen from the viewpoint of women. They are looking for women over the age of 75 to take part, any volunteers! ?

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Finally, a reminder about the Tour de France. The Tossa to Blanes road will be closed from 12 noon until 4pm on Thurs 9th July, it will be virtually impossible to come into Lloret or leave the town until the road is reopened. Some airport transfers have told their clients that they will have to be at the airport well before this time no matter what time their flight departs - so it sounds like a chaotic day at Girona airport!

Lloret de Mar - Tour de France

Another new event for Lloret de Mar is the Tour de France which is to pass through the town on Thursday 9th July. The bikes will follow the route as above, coming from Girona and heading towards Sant Feliu on the coast. From there it follows the coast down towards Tossa de Mar and is said to be passing through Lloret on the main road towards Blanes at approx 12.45pm. More details can be found on the Tour de France site.

To any one who has no interest in the Tour de France will probably find this a huge inconvenience as the roads on the route will be closed, how this will affect people travelling either to or from the airport I have no idea. The Tossa to Lloret road will be closed from 12 noon onwards.

Tips For Staying Safe on Holiday.

A nice relaxing holiday not always turns out the way you intended. Pick pockets can easily pick out a tourist and know that they will always be carrying a nice sum of cash and one or two credit cards. Unfortunately too many holiday makers let down their guard too much and forget to keep an eye on their personal belongings. As a consequence this can sometimes lead to being the target of a pickpocket while out and about.

Your hotel should have safety deposit boxes for you to hire, these may seem expensive but you do get the majority of the cost back when you return the key at the end of your break. Well worth the cost for peace of mind and it can save you hundreds of pounds and a lot of hassle in the long run.

Obviously you have to carry cash around but try to keep this to a minimum, by leaving your passports, bank cards and cash in your safe. If you need to carry a large amount of cash then try to split it into different pockets, preferably inside pockets so your cash is not all in the same place.

For the ladies who carry a hand-bag, don't carry a flashy designer one that just makes you stand out in a crowd...this gets you noticed but not for the reason you want! Its best to carry a small bag which will just hold essentials you need, and make sure its always fastened. Don't hang it on the back of a chair if you are out in a restaurant or bar, never let your bag out of your sight.
If its a shoulder bag try to wear it across your body. Always carry your bag on the side of you which is farthest away from the road, or if you are walking along side your husband or partner then carry your bag in between you. This makes it more difficult for the bag snatchers.

While waiting for public transport always be aware of the people around you. If you have travelled abroad before you'll know that not everyone forms a queue as we do! As the bus approaches the bus stop, everyone crowds around, this is when the pick pocket strikes with everyone pushing to get on, their hands could be in your pocket or bag and before you know it you are on the bus minus your cash and the thief is still back at the bus stop waiting for their next victim!

Tobacco Price Rise in Spain.

This week in Spain cigarette and tobacco prices have all increased in price, the price rise is the largest increase for years. We usually see an increase with most things such as household bills, drinks and cigs in January which may add 5-10 cents or so to packet of cigarettes, but one for instance is a pack of Golden Virginia tobacco that used to cost €3.50 is now €4.85!
So just so you all know what your next batch of tobacco will cost I have got the latest price list along with what your allowance is to take back to the UK.
(Click on the list to increase the print size)

Primark Comes to Barcelona!

At last Primark has found its way to the Catalan capital Barcelona!

The new store which opens today 9th June will be a massive success I'm sure. Primark has 187 stores in Europe including Ireland, Holland and many cities in the UK. This is the 11th store in Spain but the 1st in Catalunya.
You can find the new store in the Diagonal Mar shopping centre.

Click here for How to get there.

Happy Shopping!

Lloret - HarleyButts

Here's the last of the HarleyButts photos. The bikes came from France, UK, Germany, Portugal and even Russia. Its estimated that about 1,500 took part in the event.

More From HarleyButts.

More photos today from the HarleyButts Rally. Today is the final of the events, hopefully it wont be the final rally. They certainly added a bit of colour and life to Lloret de Mar while they were here!

Below are some of the bikers probably setting off on one of the arranged trips on the Costa Brava roads.