Girls And The City

Every year, even though we are scattered over the globe, several friends of mine meet up and we have a lovely meal out and a catch up. The four of us have known each other since school, more than 30 years!

Last year, we realised that it would be my last in the UK, so we all agreed to meet up in Spain. The original idea, was a weekend in Barcelona, but, nearer the time, we decided on Valencia. Even though it is only ¾ hour away, Ed and I have not really been there, with the exception of trips to the airport. Tina (from Swindon) was already staying with me, and Tracey (from Hong Kong) was staying in La Zenia, near Torrevieja, so she drove up on the Friday, and then the 3 of us went to meet Alison (from Stafford) at Valencia airport, for our adventure.

I drove around the mad Spanish streets, with Alison shouting directions! We had the sat-nav on, but it was so manic, the it wasn’t always easy to figure out which turn I was meant to take. At one point, there were 8 lanes of traffic going one way, then all splitting off, just like when the Red Arrows do a display! We finally found the street, with the hotel in, but couldn’t figure out how to get in to their underground car-park, as we had approached from the wrong direction. However, Lady Luck was on our side, and I spotted a parking spot, right outside the hotel. (The Westin, Valencia)

We soon booked in, and decided to chill out, with a lovely drink in their private courtyard / garden. The waiter brought the 3 g&t’s and a light sangria (tinto de verano) and left the drinks menu on the table. Alison picked it up, and went white! 14€ each. No more drinks in the hotel then!

We strolled into the old part of town, and viewed the beautiful old buildings. We stopped for a coffee outside the main cathedral, which was a much more civilised price! Then, we spotted an open top bus, doing tours. It was only 14€ each, so we jumped on. I have always thought that this is the best introduction to any city. Although only an overview, it gives you a good insight of the layout of everything, and then you know where you want to go back to. The tour lasted about 2 hours, and as well as the old town, it went down to the new developments including the Art Centre and the Oceanagraphic building. We all had headphones, so we could listen to the commentary as we went along. I did think it was rather funny… here we all were… having travelled so far to be with each other, sitting on separate seats in a bus, with headphones on, ignoring each other!

After the bus trip, we got off where we had started, by the cathedral and discovered that a wedding was about to take place. We watched all of the people and commented on their dresses. Most of the ladies were in full evening dress, which is normal, as the celebrations go on right through the night. Some were absolutely stunning, and one lady, with a figure to die for had a fish-tailed gown on. (One lady looked a fright, with a strange blue and pink chiffon creation, that looked like a Walt Disney dress-up costume.) When the bride arrived, we spotted all the little bridesmaids and pageboys. So sweet. The bride had a fabulous dress on, and hers hadn’t creased in the car, unlike Princess Diana’s!!

We found a tiny bar, and had a drink and a selection of tapas. (Small plates of different dishes, common in bars instead of a fixed meal ~ tasters) This turned out to be a good move, because we got lost on the walk back to the hotel! We bumbled along for a while, but all wanted a drink and a sit down. Finally we found a corner shop and got some cold drinks. Poor Alison bought a pair of flip flops, as her feet were so sore, from walking around in high heels! We finally found the hotel, and did a quick change, but it was now really late.

We went back in to town and had terrible trouble finding somewhere to eat. Everywhere was full. We finally found a lovely bar down a side street, that was happy to serve us, at 11:30 in the evening. The food was great, and they didn’t hurry us up, even though we were the last to leave. (They had even put away the outside tables around us!) We strolled back to the hotel at about 2 am, in need of a good night’s sleep.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/index.html

The Boys find a Bug

Ed spotted a huge stag beetle, climbing out of a hole in the ground this morning. We called Paddy over, to have a look at it, and he soon started digging! However, by the time he had finished digging it out, he had split it in half. He just stood and looked at it. It didn't work any more! Normally, he runs around them, and barks at them. They are that big, I'm sure he expects them to bark back!

The new Tenants

The swallows have been flitting back and forth feeding their babies for several days now. It doesn’t take long for them to fledge, so we thought it was time to get a picture (since we didn’t get the baby blue tits). Ed had to climb on to a platform, as they hid themselves each time we went into the poolhouse. In the picture, you can clearly see how big they are, it’s a wonder they don’t fall out of the nest. Ed thinks there may be 5 of them. Hopefully, this time, we will actually see them trying out their wings, before they disappear.

Javea

Ah, a day at the seaside. We haven’t actually been for ages! We took Jess and Tim to Javea, where we had a lovely paella lunch and then a lounge on the beach. Unfortunately, Ed chose the bit of beach that was large and small pebbles, not the sandy beach ½ mile further on! It was fine to walk on with sandals, but terrible with bare feet. Jess Tim and I went for a swim, but it was agony getting in and out of the sea!

There was a pontoon near the harbour, which Jess and Tim swam to. It had a slide and a diving board and was evidently the hang out for the youngsters. The water was so clear, that from the pontoon, they could see the bottom ~ a little disconcerting, when planning to dive off the board! The sea wasn’t really cold, and the weather was so hot, that we all soon dried off again.

Friendly BBQ

On Tuesday evening, we were invited to a friend’s bbq. For once, there were ‘young’ people there, so Jess and Tim had people to talk to. They had a pool too, and by the end of the evening, there were 9 people in it. (I can’t wait to get ours finished, but it will be a while yet!)

Xativa Castle

At last, we have taken the opportunity to go and visit Xativa castle. It’s only 10 kms from here, but the only time I’ve been before, was with (brother) John, and it was closed (every Monday)! We wound our way through the tiny back streets, and found the way to the top of the mountain! To my surprise, there were only about 5 cars there. Entrance fee was only 2€10 each, unlike the normal UK prices. We had a lovely time wandering all around. There were beautiful gardens as well as the normal ancient buildings, and we had also been given an English leaflet, so we knew what we were looking at, as well as its history. Needless to say, the views from the top of the castle were outstanding.

To my surprise, there were even public toilets there (very rare in Spain) and a lovely restaurant. We had a quick cold drink before exploring the rest of the castle, but managed to resist the usual gift shop. (How many key rings does one really need?)

Chilling Out

Jessica and her boyfriend Tim have come to stay with us for a few days. Wonderful to see them again, and thankfully the weather has finally got hot, in time for their visit. Sadly only a few days, so we’ve crammed some trips in, and also given them time to chill.

Some neighbours of ours were good enough to give us exclusive use of their pool for a day. We only stayed for about 3 hours, but it was lovely to chill out and play in the pool.