Back to just us

We took Eva's parents to the airport this morning.  It has been a wonderful 5 day visit with them.  As time allows, I will upload pictures to this blog and post about what we did the last 5 days.  It was nice having visitors - first Andrew and then Tomas and Berit.   It will be quiet around here for a while and maybe, just maybe Cousin Heidi will be visiting us at the end of November.  It is still very warm around here - beautiful sunny days, thank goodness, but it will unlikely be that way when (and if)  Heidi arrives.

Happy Birthday to Rebeca!!!

Calpe

Today we got up relatively early, drove into El Campello, parked our car and then waited for the tram.  We were looking forward to having a nice leisurely ride up the coastline to Calpe!  The weather was perfect - nice sunny weather and not too hot or cold.  The trip to Calpe was a lot easier than when we had done it a few years ago, perhaps because we read the train schedule better or because the set-up between the buses and the tram is so well coordinated now.  So, as soon as the tram got to Calpe, there was a bus waiting there to take people in to town.

We got off at the stop we had gotten off before and walked down to the beach to have a little drink in one of the cafes.  Then we walked down by the harbor and along the wall by where the fish are brought in.

Afterwards we walked towards the other end of the beach where we found a nice place to have lunch.

Andrew had melon covered with ham

Guillermo had grilled vegetables.

And I had avocado and shrimp

Then we sat along the wall to wait for the bus to take us back to the tram station.

Back in El Campello, we walked on the beach to some jetties and walked along the jetties for a bit.  Then we went to have dinner at an Indian restaurant and that was our day!

Sax Castle

October 14th
What a very nice day we had today.  We wanted Andrew to see a little of the interior of Spain, so we we had in mind to drive to Sax.  We picked Sax because we had passed by that little town several times before in previous years and were always so impressed with the castle and how it was situated.  We always passed by saying, "One day, we should stop in to that town and see if we can visit that castle!"  And today we did just that!
Here is how the castle looked as we approached it from the highway:

The best view would have been while we were driving right in front of it, but we were too busy at that point trying to exit the highway.

Using our trusty GPS, we drove into the center of Sax and using a review we had seen on Trip Advisor about where to eat in Sax, we tried to find a restaurant called Casa Mami.  In our little bit of driving around before parking, we didn't see it anywhere so we walked a little thinking we'd see it as we walked.  We didn't so we stopped in a store and the ladies there we nice enough to give us very good directions to the restaurant, which fortunately was close to where we had parked.  So, we followed their directions, found the restaurant and were pleasantly surprised to see this nice restaurant.  We had the most incredible meal in this restaurant!  Everything we ordered was excellent, our waiter was so nice and attentive (it probably helped that we were the only customers at that time) and the atmosphere inside the restaurant was so nice and cozy.  It rained while we ate and that was nice to see also.

After our meal, we chatted with the waiter (Miguel) a while, he and Andrew discussed wines, and he was very enthusiastic that we should go visit the castle.  He told us that to see the castle, we would first have to go the police station (only a few blocks away), ask for the key to the castle and then we'd be able to go inside it.  He drew us directions to the police station and to the castle, although we used our GPS to help us get to the police station.  I couldn't believe it!  We could get keys to the castle of this town and we would be the only ones looking around in it!!

At the police station, they wanted ID, so Guillermo showed them his expired residency card from  when we were here for several months back in 2012 and they said that was fine and handed him the keys to the castle.  We drove to the castle, parked across the street from it and started the long climb upwards.  I could.not.believe, that we were actually visiting this castle!!!  Whenever we drove past it on the highway, I was always FASCINATED by the rock it sat on and how in the WORLD could they have built it up there back so long ago?!?!?!
Here are some pictures of the castle:  This first picture is how we saw the castle from where we parked the car.

When we parked and were heading across the street to start the climb up the castle, we heard this noise coming from an area close to where we parked.  We couldn't see what it was, but it was loud and grating, like a bulldozer scraping along the road or something.  We get to the other side of the street and the sound was getting louder, so we just had to stop to see what was going to emerge from behind the trees on the other side of the street.  When it finally appears, we see that it is a motorcycle pulling an object (that looked kind of like a microwave oven) with a rope along the ground.  We laughed and figured that he was bringing it to the curb for recycling.  My goodness we couldn't stop laughing hysterically when we saw the motorcycle then turn right onto the street and start driving down the road with the microwave oven scraping along behind him making the most incredible racket.  We are just sorry we didn't think to get video of that.

ANYway, here is Andrew unlocking the door to the castle

Inside one of the towers of the castle was this ladder-type thing made of just narrow metal rods.  It was placed in a corner, one on top of the other so that the climb was straight up.  We all made it up those rods to the outside of the tower.  Coming down was a challenge because to reach the first rod was a stretch but we all made it.  Really.  There are many things in this castle and in the one in Alicante that would never be allowed in the states.  That ladder in this castle would probably have been roped off and once at the top of BOTH  castles, there is nothing along the edge of the towers to prevent a fall.  In the two pictures above, there is a VERY narrow walkway from where we're standing to the remains of the tower in the background.  That, too, would have been roped off and it WAS a little tricky maneuvering that narrow ledge.

This castle was built on the most narrow rock hill!  It was truly amazing!!!

After we returned the keys to the police station we decided to take a different route back to El Campello.  We are so glad we did because what a beautiful route that was!  Our favorite town along that road was Biar,  What a beautiful town in the pines.  Then when we got on the road to Jijona, it was all downhill and curvy but it had a lot of amazing views.

October 15th

Today we were so excited because Wednesdays are Mercadillo days.  Mercadillo is the most amazing fruit and vegetable market here in El Campello.  So, we have breakfast at the house and head over to El Campello where we find several streets closed and by the time we get to the area where Mercadillo is usually held, we see that it isn't there.  What a big disappointment.  So, since today is still part of the festivities here for the Christan and Moor celebration, we figured that's why Mercadillo wasn't there and why most everything was closed.  We decide to have lunch at an Indian restaurant but even though they were open, they didn't start serving until 1pm.  So, we head over to Muchavista Beach and find one open restaurant along the beach and that's where we had lunch.  Which turned out to be nice out there in the beautiful weather with the sea in our view.

The last two days

So, on Sunday, October 12th, we had a nice relaxed day.  In the morning, we walked down to the cliffs that lead down to the water.  It was kind of hot walking out there in the full sun, but the sea was very nice and we enjoyed the walk.

On Monday, October 13, we drove into El Campello, parked our car in an "iffy" spot and as we walked to the tram station we saw this bank and marveled at the name of it.  The x is pronounced like a "ch", so the name of this bank is pronounced Kutcha bank.  What a different spin on our family name Kutscha!

We rode the tram into Alicante and then found a nice little cafe along the harbor where we had breakfast.

After this most enjoyable breakfast in the nice weather, we walked to the elevator which took us up the Santa Barbara Castle.  It was a beautiful day to be visiting the castle.

The view from up on top is amazing.

Then we walked down from the castle, through the old town section of Alicante and had lunch at a tapas restaurant.

We've got a visitor!

We picked up Andrew early from the airport this morning!  Then we had a nice enjoyable day doing lots of relaxing things.  First thing we did after picking him up from the airport was take him to have breakfast on the beach!

Then we walked along the beach for a little while then drove to the house.  After a short nap, we had lunch and then we drove into Alicante to the mall so Andrew could find some Spanish cookware he's been looking for and to find a pair of jeans.  No luck at the mall, so we drove into downtown Alicante, found a parking spot and then visited the big department store of El Corte Ingles.  He found a pair of jeans there but no cookware.  Then we saw a cozy area under some trees where we could sit for a while and have a little drink.   We all three had a glass of fresh orange juice and it was delicious.  It was so nice sitting out there and just watching the bee-hive of activity in the streets.

Then we drove back home and had dinner and that was our day!

Here is Andrew with the new shoes he bought when we were on the beach this morning!

Arrived in Spain yesterday

So, the post for October 1st.
Well, that hotel in Zaventem wasn't the greatest - was the worst of all the hotels we stayed in on this trip.  And the breakfast fit in the same category.  Oh well, we had a good night's sleep there and had at least a LITTLE to eat before taking off for the airport.  The Brussels airport was a little confusing - but we got it done and then headed to our gate to wait.  Checking the monitor a while later we noticed that they had changed our gate so we walked several gates down to our new gate.  Flight was good from Brussels to Alicante.  We had emailed someone in Cala D'or to pick us up from the airport at 2pm, (our plane was to land at 1:20).  The plane was a little late so we had to rush to get our luggage and get outside.  Lee was out there, waiting for us.

Once dropped off at Miguel's house, Guillermo went next door to the neighbor where Miguel had left his house keys.  That neighbor wasn't home but fortunately came home about 5 minutes later.

We spent the rest of the day unpacking our luggage, putting stuff in the closets, and we got a little bite to eat at a nearby restaurant which was new to us.  It wasn't there when we were here last time and it was actually pretty good!   In the early evening, we went grocery shopping because the house had practically NOTHING in it!!!!




and the post for October 2nd.