17th –
19th January 2016
Relaxing in the
warmth !
Early on Sunday
morning we drove the last bit down the coast to La Nucia, past Culpe and its
rock, through the tunnels carved through the mountains, and eventually turning
up away from the beach to La Nucia, just 5 minutes up into the hills. Garmin guided us straight to our friend
Jill’s house and we spent a while catching up and getting our bearings in the
area from the wonderful view of her balcony.
Later in the
afternoon, we drove down into Altea and went for a walk along the local
beach. Interesting lifeguard’s tower
that is apparently little used – But looks more like a diving board – straight Into
the sand !! It might have been warmer
than the last couple of days, but the wind was still cool and we needed to wear
jackets. We then drove back up to Jill’s
house as the sun went down over the hills.
It is very
mountainous round here – They rise up almost immediately behind the beach, and
form a picturesque backdrop wherever you look.
And if you want to drive any where, you drive on winding roads around
the hillsides.
The next morning
we went off in Jill’s car to explore the region, and first headed north to
Calpe. We drove along Altea beachfront
where already there were a lot of “retirees” out walking or just sitting around
in the sunshine. At this time of year,
the place is full or N Europeans (mostly Germans, Dutch and Norwegians)
escaping from their cold for a few weeks, and not many of them are under
60. The camp sites are so full of
motorhomes that there is hardly room to move in them……..
Calpe was
originally a little fishing port, but now in decline due to overfishing of the
Mediterranean. Nevertheless there are a
few fishing boats and nets in evidence, and the seafood restaurants still adorn
the waterfront, although they are not so busy at this time of year. After a short walk around, we got back in the
car and headed south to Benidorm, partly so we could see the place, and also to
have some local lunch in one of the restaurants.
On the way we passed a log-cabin style
Russian Orthodox Church that was very impressive – Except for a roofless and
run down accommodation section behind the church. It turns out that after the church itself had
been built and consecrated, the local council changed and just before they got
the roof on the accommodation building, the new council decided the work could
no longer proceed. As a result, the
building remains an ugly unfinished mess – presumably waiting for the council,
and the building permit laws, to change again so they can finish it ! Ridiculous !
Eventually we
drove into Benidorm and parked – Um, er, it all looks a bit like the worst side
of Surfers Paradise with night clubs, fish and chip shops, and bars
everywhere. There are more foreign
number plates on the road, and 60 or 70 year old men with big (white) beer
bellies walking around shirtless. Oh
dear, oh dear,
However, we went
up some little streets right down at the southern end of the beach, and got
away from the tourist crowds, and found a great little restaurant where, apart
from one other couple, we were the only non Spaniards in there, and had an
excellent lunch of Paella, pasta, and a few beers that more than made up for
everything else. After lunch we walked
back along the beach to the car, and drove home. After that lunch, not much supper was required,
and after a TV movie and some blogging, it was off to bed.
Tuesday was our
final day in La Nucia, and in the morning we headed back down into Altea to the
Tuesday markets. These are held every
Tuesday, year round, and it is possible to buy almost anything there. Tourists and locals alike come in by bus, and
although it wasn’t too busy today, apparently in the summer it does get very
busy. We had a pleasant couple of hours
wandering around the extensive area of stalls, some of the things interesting,
others selling very similar stuff to market stalls in Bali, Surfers Paradise,
or Bangkok !
We had arranged
to meet some Norwegian friends from Stavanger who are on holiday down here for 3 or 4 weeks to escape their winter. Rolf and I used to work for the same company,
and when Janet and I were in Norway in August, we stayed with Rolf and Torunn
in their holiday house in Larvik. We met them in Altea and drove just a little
way up into the hills to Casco Antiguo Altea where we found a great little
tapas bar with tables out in the warm sunshine, and enjoyed a very pleasant
couple of hours together. 
Having eaten
well, we walked a short distance through the old town to the church square,
overlooking the whole of Altea Bay and looking south towards Beniidorm. The stroll in the afternoon sunshine was just
right after our lunch, and we then dropped back down to the coast where we said
farewell to Rolf and Torunn. Jill then
took us on a quick drive into the mountains to Guadelest.
Guadelest is an
amazing old town that is hidden up on and inside a rock, presumably for
defensive purposes in the old days. Today it is also the sight of the local
water reservoir for this area – Unfortunately very very low at the moment due
to the lack of rain, and if they don’t get some before the summer they are
going to have some severe shortages. A
fascinating little town on a mountain top, and some great views down out of the
hills back to the ocean.
Once we had come
off the mountain, we did a quick shop in the local supermarket for supplies as
we are heading back onto the road tomorrow – South towards Morocco. Then it was a quiet last evening at Jill’s
before we take off in the morning.
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