We wanted to go to Alicante last winter when we were here, but we only had a month here last winter so never got round to going. Before we left the UK I made a list of things we wanted to do this winter while we were here for three months this time. One of those things was to go to Alicante on the tram and go up the castle. It’s taken us nine weeks but we have done it. We caught the tram at the station we normally go from if we are going to Benidorm but this time we were on the other track going the other way, south instead of north. And this time the tram arrived and on time. It takes about an hour to get to Alicante stopping at various places. The mostly single track winds it’s way along the coast so you can always see the sea and the loverly houses which have a view to die for.

Alicante is the second largest València city. It’s a city port. The castle which we wanted to visit castell De La Barbara is situated on mount Benacantil overlooking the city and the port. The tower La Toreta is 166 metres above sea level. When we got off the tram we had to find the way into the castle. The Spanish are not very good with there sign posts. I had looked on google earth and could see various paths but none of them actually led to the right place, they just seemed to fizzle out in the middle of nowhere. We found the road that leads up to the top but did not want to take that. I knew there was a elevator around the other side so we walked around and found that. Can you believe it, hundreds of years ago they built a castle to protect there city and even put a elevator in so you get up to the castle from sea level. At the top is the oldest part of the castle. Some of the lowest zones and walls were constructed later in the 18th century. On the slopes of the mound/ castle they have found archaeological remains of the Bronze Age, Iberian and Roman. But the origin of the fortress is in the late ninth centuary with the Muslim rule. The views from up the top are fantastic and when you stand up there looking down and imagine them bringing all the stone up there to build it etc. And not in the elevator. And then standing there with there guns and the canons ready to fire at anyone who dares to come up there. We had lunch in the cafe up the castle, overlooking the sea before going onto our next stop.

Another thing we wanted to see was the promenade down by the marina. The marina does have some very nice boats, starting at one end with the smaller ones and as you go further along they get bigger and bigger and the price tag rises also. The promenade is lines with palm trees and the marble floor is made up of 6.5 million marble floor tiles. Took me ages to count them for my research. When you look at it it looks like it’s in 3D almost, very impressive.

The last place we wanted to see was a wacky street we had been told about. It’s just a street with some weird and wonderful shops in but all along the street are these big mushrooms with bugs on top. Not your average street.

Been a busy few days going here and there. Our friends Rob and Jean who we know from Devon. They stay on the site where we work in there caravan. They have been renting a apartment in Benidorm from a friend this winter. So we arranged to go and see them. We went to catch the 11.40 tram they were going to meet us at the station in Benidorm. We sat there on the station, no tram arrived, well not on our side of the track anyway. Where we catch the tram from is just a small station. An announcement came over the tannoy in Spanish so we never understood that. We could not see any leaves on the track and it had not been snowing. The next tram was due at 12.10 and that one arrived. Talking to some peaple later it turns out the tram had hit a car on the road crossing further down the track. Some of the crossings have barriers some have lights. The one we cross going down to the shops has lights and we have seen trams slow down there because cars are still going, and we have seen more than one car jump the lights and motorbikes.

We got to Benidorm and met Rob and jean and headed for the seafront for a rest, a nice little bar/ cafe overlooking the sea. And a good chat and catch up. Next a wander through the streets of Benidorm towards Tapas square which is a area, well a square actually full of bars and restaurants, every one knows it. We have heard of it but never been. The food and drink deals are crazy. €5 for five tapas and a beer. We sat there having lunch watching the world go by and did more catching up. It was all a bit much for me to be honest, to many peaple and to noisy. But we survived. Next stop was to walk to there apartment which was about twenty minutes away through more streets and bars packed with peaple and trying to dodge the mobility scooters.

Their apartment is on floor eight so has a wonderful view of the surroundings. Which is more apartments and a sea glimpse between them and the mountains in the distance. It has a nice little balcony which catches the sun which is where we sat and had a drink and more catching up. By about 5.30 we were all getting hungry again and they suggested a Chinese just down the road. They had been there before once or twice and said it was very nice, so we strolled off to the Chinese restaurant. They recommended the €5 three course menu, so you get a starter, a main meal and a sweet and a beer or half a bottle of wine for €5 that’s about £4.50 I must admit I was thinking I am going to be hungry when we leave here, but no, the food was fantastic and the portions very generous, enough to fill me up even.

By now it was dark and Benidorm looks totally different at night, the music volume goes up a notch, the bars are even fuller than they were in the day, the karaoke is on, the grannies are all out dressed up like teenagers reliving there youth. The apartment blocks and skyscraper hotels are all lite up in different colours etc.

We walked up through the park called Parque de L’Lguera which is a loverly green area. It’s marble floor and palm tree walkway with lights and fountains each side. There is a huge big auditorium in the middle where they have concerts. They were working in that bit so we could not go through there. At the top is a bullring.

Some other friends on the site we are on now, Tony and Lynne the ones we went to the restaurant with the ribs I told you about asked us if we would like to go out with them again about an hours drive away up the coast to Moraira a nice unspoilt small town by the sea, stopping on the way at a very good fish and chip restaurant. A day out, by the sea, food, beer, great company. Never took us long to make our minds up. The fish and chips was so nice, almost like they had sprayed the batter on and the fish just crumbled in your mouth. Are you getting hungry now. Moraira is a loverly little town and has a loverly marina at one end. We strolled around the boats. Tony used to have a nice boat so he was telling me all about them. We had a loverly ice cream sat overlooking the marina to finish the day off.

Our next trip out is to Alicante on the tram, something we wanted to do last time we were here but never seemed to find the time. We have only been here for nine weeks now so should really do it. And I must tell you Nikki got very upset the other day when we went shopping. Her favourite red wine she drinks that cost 99 cents had gone up to €1.20 A twenty percent increase. Life will never be the same. I had to take her home and sit her down and give her a drink……….of here favourite red wine.

Well I can’t believe we have been on this site now for two months. The time just flys away. I am sure the time in Spain runs different to back in the Uk. When I am at work it never goes this quick. Nikki’s foot is a lot better but still not right. She can walk down to the beach and back as long as she takes her time and has a coffee stop. The E bike that we have ear marked for her when we get back has good reviews etc and luckily we saw one on site so we’re able to have a good look at it and ask the owner all about it and what she thought of it. She highly recommended it, so that’s The one we will get for her when we get back. My bike will be serviced as it’s not working right at all. I also have an E bike earmarked for me but that can wait.

We have lots of friends on site here and one couple Tony and Lynne were telling us about different places in the area etc. They have been doing this for years. They said about a restaurant up by the dam which I have passed on my bike.They told us about the sticky ribs etc. They offered to take us up there one lunch time, so a time and day were set straight away as I was licking my lips and dribbling at the thought of these ribs. The guy that works in there was a real carecter and made us laugh so much. Nikki ordered scampi and I ordered a salad. The salad was to go with her scampi. LOL I ordered the sticky ribs and a beer and some wet wipes. Well what can I say apart from those ribs were some of the best I have ever had the fortune of eating. Did I eat them with my fingers, did I get the sauce all over my hands, did I get the sauce in my beard. Yes. I even let Nikki try one. She caught me on a good day. She enjoyed her scampi also.

Yesterday we went for a walk down to the sea, then said our goodbyes as I wanted to go for a coastal walk which would be to far for Nikki. She was ok to walk back. I had looked on google maps at the coast line and could see a couple of ruins so wanted to check them out. I love old buildings wether they are still intact or they have been left to just fall away. If I can get inside it’s even more exciting. The coast here is beautiful and as I climbed up and down the many paths on the barren land I could see my goal. This old house was on the way. Not much of it left now.

Villa Giacomina was built around 1910 so not very old really. Built by Dr Alfonso Esquerdo I suspect in between seeing his patients. He married Giacomina Bellami and they lived in the house untill 1922 when Alfonso died. Properly coud’ent find a doctor because they were all building houses. It’s historicist architecture I states Medevil, Arabic and gothic style. At the end of the civil war Dr Bastos who was the head of traumatology at the Swedish hospital of Alcohol lived there. After the war it was occupied by the Italian Littorio division. Currently the city council develops a research and recovery programme of the building. But it looks more like the graffiti artists and vandals are doing more work on it. Real shame.

The second building I wanted to see was a small tower not far from the house. Standing on the highest point of the land overlooking the sea from both directions. This was built by the famous psychiatrist and head of the Republican Party Jose Maria Esquerdo who was Alfonso’s uncle. It was built as a private study. No computers or lap tops here but what a great location to sit and work from. Again the graffiti artists and vandals have moved in.

Happy new year to all.

Seems like it’s been ages since we caught up. It’s that time of year with Xmas and new year where for everyone the thing to do is run around the shops buying presents that no one really wants and buy enough shopping for three months because the shops are closed for two whole days. Then the big day arrives you put on your best Xmas jumper and wait for the relatives to arrive then open your present from them to reveal yet another pair of socks and put on that false smile as you say thank you,they are just what I wanted. Lucky for us Xmas is just another day. We sat outside and had a big breakfast. Bah humbug.

I have been out on my bike, and on only the second time out managed my target to get around the whole of the dam and back. It’s just over ten miles round trip with some real serious climbs. I must admit I did walk up one of those but only because I can’t get all my gears on my bike. Which has 24 gears and I can get 16 of them, and the eight I can’t get are the ones I need to keep peddling up the hills. I am still pleased I bought it though and we are going to get Nikki a E bike for next year. My E bike will have to wait a bit longer so I hope she waits for me on the hills.

A few days ago now we went out for a walk, our aim to go down the seafront have a drink, non alcoholic and walk back. We went a different way to normal and Nikki took a tumble. We were walking down hill on uneven ground and she stumbled, tried to grab hold of me and fell. Don’t panic, she is ok. A bit shook up she limped to the cafe and we had our drink. Then when we started to walk back she realised she was not going to make it as her foot had swelled up and was very painful. So we got a taxi back. Another five pounds out of her pocket money. It’s loads better now but still not 100%.

Our friends Stu and Nettie from Somerset arrived for two weeks. It’s always nice to see them. They have a car and were going to Carafour to get some shopping and would we like to go with them. We needed a couple of things so off we went. Carafour is a huge big supermarket that sells everything, a bit like Halfords, B & Q, and marks and spencer all rolled into one. As you may no I love shopping….. NOT. So as we roam around I doodle past the huge tv’s watching the surfing and extreme sports, I even got to look round the bike section for ten minutes before Nikki found the pillow section. We need new pillows she says and starts to show me various pillows, some hard some soft, some feather some not feather. These are the ones I want, memory foam, they are on offer look 70% off. My eyes are by now starting to glaze over and I am thinking I really need one of those pillows to put my head on and drift off. When I wake up I will be in a bar on the beach. In the trolly they go and off we go to pay. The lady on the till rings everything through and Nikki asks if the bill is right as it seems a bit high, the till lady says it’s ok, Nikki asks about the pillows. Till lady explains that you buy one and the next one is 70% off. Nikki turns to me and asks me what shall we do. In my mind I think if we don’t buy them I am going to have to go through all this again. That will be so painful. So I smile and say just buy them, it’s what you wanted. They took a couple of nights to get used to but they are nice so we will be keeping them. And hopefully they will last a long time.

A bit of excitement on site the other night where two German family’s were playing loud music late at night and then letting of fireworks. The night security were straight on to them and then some dutch peaple joined in. So you had germans, spainish and Dutch all shouting at each other, none of them understanding each other. The end result was the Germans were kicked off site the next day. There has been a bad bug going round and putting peaple in bed for a few days, hope they got nice pillows. And one of the ladies even got taken to hospital and had to stay in overnight after she collapsed in the shower on site. She is back now and on the mend. It all happens here you know.

Now I know you all want to know about the weather. Well we are now into our 54th day without any rain. There has only been one day when it just spotted with rain on and off for a couple of minutes, not even enough to keep the dust down. Yesterday we had lunch by the pool with our friends as they are leaving today. It was about 26 degrees so we sat under the umberellas so the beer stayed cool a bit longer. I know back in the Uk you are having some really nasty weather. Hope you are all safe.