Papa Luna’s castle, Peñíscola, Spain

By Laura Climent
Barcelona, Spain

The good weather during the past days has led many people, including myself, to spend some days at the beach. Peñíscola is in the province of Castellón, Spain, and it enjoys a magnificient climate that attracts many foreign visitors. Many hotels have rooms with good views of this castle. There are dance and night festivities outdoors with a great atmosphere surrounded by splendid flowers and native and tropical plants. There are fountains with jets of water, swimming pools and great light. At night the castle is reflected in the water, people walk in the promenade after dinner, buying ornaments from the street vendors or sit at the terraces to have a beer. Others, like me, enjoy the view from the hotel balcony and sketch. This castle dates from 1307 and was the residence of Papa Luna, an Spaniard from Aragon known for his role in the Roman Catholic Church Western Schism. Everything now bears his name here, from the souvenirs to the hotel where I stayed. Our bags to go back home were already packed when an eastern wind brought a typical Mediterrean storm that darkened the skies and flooded the streets. It was time to take the road back to Barcelona.

This drawing and story were submitted by USk member Laura Climent, a watercolorist from Barcelona. See more of her work at her blog. We feature drawings from our flickr pool on a regular basis. You may also send contributions by email to urbansketchers at gmail dot com. See previous flickr faves.