When I picked up the Roaring Boy from Alicante, the weather was showery.Ignoring the coastal motorway, we headed inland into the hills.
The higher you go, the colder it gets, naturally.
This album contains a mix of my and Michaels snaps. You can tell whose is whose by clicking "More Info" on the right. I'm using an A620 and Michael is using an S3.
Yup. The name of the restaurante is "Stop" . Very clever. It works too.
Michael likes to start a meal with something to 'settle his stomach' . In this case, a large brandy and a rollie.
With the food, a bottle of white wine. I'm driving, so limited to one glass.
Stupidly (Stop, as the sign outside says, speciallises in fresh fish dishes) I ordered the lamb chops. Mistake. Michaels Pescaito Frito was a better choice.
The mediæval fortified hill village/castle of Guadalest, a well known tourist trap. As it was out of season, cold, windy and raining - not many about. The enormous empty car parks on the way in testify to the summer joys of mass tourism.
The reservoir is fuller than I've ever seen it before. Good thing too.
The modern and very weathy village of Guadelest spreads out below the original. Here be turron, Lladro, ceramica, and straw hats, ad nauseam.
One of me for a change, from Michael's camera. Squinting, and a bit windswept but a reasonably honest likeness. 'At the age of fifty, every man has the face he deserves'. George Orwell. The camera seems to think I deserve an odd blotch next to my mouth, which doesn't actually exist. ( the blotch, that is)
Michael arrived wearing his 'Stasi officer on a stakeout' outfit. Very wise. I had warned him that the weather was crap.
Guadalest - Castillo del Rey. The best way to enjoy Guadalest is from the outside, or from the top, looking out at the scenery. On the inside it's effectively an extension of Benidorm.
Me looking a bit shagged after a long days driving up and down mountains, and in need of a stiffener. Spanish style G&T's all round.
A shower, some nibbles and a leisurely exploration of the bottle collection. We stayed in on Saturday evening.
The telecom addict's pre-bedtime session.
After a leisurely full English breakfast, we arrived in Denia just in time for Sunday lunch with my parents.
The front at Denia port, as also seen by the webcam on the old fishmarket roof. The rows of palm trees reminded Michael of Alexandria, hence this and the following pictures.
A few minutes to kill, so work to up an appetite a short walk along the fishing port breakwater. Weather still dismal.
Les Drassanes. A swanky fish restaurant in Denia port. A favourite with the better off Spanish families for Sunday Lunch. Just to keep us on our toes, my mother booked a table under the name of 'Henrique' which has no relevance to any of our names. Fortunately she arrived just in time to clear things up and prevent our ejection. Competition for tables is hot.
My parents crit Michael's photographic efforts.
My mother patiently explaining the advantages of using a custom white balance and how to control depth of field using neutral density filters.
The old main drag, Denia, in sunshine!
Mi coche es tu coche. Hmm. Well, up to a point.
Javea old town. Plaça de L'Esglesia. (It's going to take me while to get this two languages schtick down pat) Opposite the main Church door is a bar called "Temptacions" The square is not normally full of cars, but the extensive old town obras which have gone horribly over schedule and budget have screwed things up mightlily in Javea. A scandalum magnum which is in the papers every week.
Ask Michael if you want to know what this is about. Hmm.
Michael goes wide screen.
Michael's sort of panorama of Los Lagos
3 mollies near JP by Michael. Nice.
Midnight, Michaels final snap of Los Lagos.
... and 12 hours earlier (my snaps now) a trip to the Arenal beach. Michael wanted to buy trinkets for his homies.
Jolly useful after you've had a bit of a session. The inclination is to dispose of the Chelsea tractors similarly. They are a pain in the arras on the old town roads.
Nothing like an expresso with a large Ricard chaser to set you up for the morning...
Hmm... Sports section of The Grauniad and a fag next, methinks.
..and back to Javea old town for a bit of a wander and lunch.
Yup. Michael is a mobile addict, and this call's costing him a fortune.
Street Life
The front door opens directly into the front room and out onto the road. Dad was inside watching the footie on TV rather than watching the baby.
I love this stuff. I think I'm going to do a project just on Spanish electrical work.
Michael models a present for his daughter. A T-shirt sporting the famous Osbourne bull as seen on huge billboards all over Spain.
Sundowners at Vista Hermosa
The final blowout. La Boheme at Playa Arenal. Good, but somewhat overpriced.
My baked vanilla cheesecake with fresh raspberry coulis was excellent. I suspect the cheesecake is bought in from the Cafe Wein Backerei round the corner, as it tastes suspiciously Austrian. Michael opts for an uneccessarily decorated chocolate mousse.
