So an average day here consists of getting up at 8, espresso and read the news till 10, Simon wakes up, breakfast/sunscreen/lying in the morning sun. Inside for siesta till about 3-4, pick up a kg of prawns at the supermacardo, dine in the sun. First beer/tinto at 5, pub/beach/cafe/restaurant. More sun and drinks til dinner time, bbq/bar till dark, rinse and repeat.
The days were rolling into one until we took a trip to Cartagena last week, amazing beach just outside the fortifications for the port, with gentle surf, a bar and restaurant, super chill.
The drive back however was a little intense as we wanted a scenic route but the coastline road turned into the biggest industrial installation I've ever seen, reservoirs and stacks as far as you could see. Made it to the airport and picked up Michelle who came down for the weekend, headed back home to plan a route for the trip.
Headed up to Alicante on the Sunday, found the beach and dug in for the day.Michelle suffered the dreaded English lobster tan that's so hot right now so we we kept rolling to Valencia. Past some great coast and some half decent looking girls hooking on the motorway on the way there, arriving at Valencia around 7-8. While in the endless search for parking, some local police tried the old "I'll run this red cause I'm the Police" trick which back fired as a motorbike on the outside lane plowed into them at quite a speed. Dude was not hurt, but when he was over the shock he was laying into the police in a tirade of intense Spanish and threatening arm gestures, it was awesome.
Oh don't turn up in a city without your passport, couldn't get a place to stay once we got there until we got recommended to a doggier place, found parking and headed out. great city, center is pretty small and totally walkable with bars, cafes and restaurants everywhere. Also with it being Saturday in May there were a shitload of weddings, brides and grooms with camera crews were littered around the old churches, had a good perv at some nice gear, great dinner before night photo mission. Turned to custard however due to death of batteries and I returned empty-handed.
Had lunch at the birthplace of Paella, drove back down the coast to Calp (Calpe) which we had seen on the way up with a weird hill called the "Peñón de Ifach" and I wanted to climb it so we got there and started climbing. The limestone outcropping happens to be a giant seagull nesting area and on our approach to the top we were divebombed several times in rather tricky areas, we were almost at the top when one bird took exception to us even though we had moved past their nest and after about 10 swoops I picked up a rock to scare it off, and accidentally nailed it and it dropped down the cliff face. I felt terrible, not only had I killed a bird in it's own nesting ground, but the chicks were pretty much screwed too. But to my defense the path has been there for a long long time and they were super aggressive even though we tried to keep as far from the chicks as possible, dag nabit.
Michelle's camera was on duty but I still wish I could have had mine.