Calpe
View from the campsite (almost...!)
It has been at least two months since we put an entry on the Blog so time for an update.
We quite like Calpe and our chosen campsite for the winter. This part of Europe is the warmest place to be in the winter. Don’t get me wrong we are not talking Bahamas here and it can be decidedly chilly at times. But most of the time we have been quite happy in T’s and thin trousers. We have been told it has not been a normal year and it is usually warmer. I am sceptical about this as we hear this time and time again as it was exactly the same last year. Personally, I think people have selective memories and only remember the nice days. Anyway we are certainly not complaining as the weather has been good and warm and for the most dry. What rain we have had has been in the evenings and night time and has been quite violent at times. When the wind blows up here it’s enough to rock the boat and blow the satellite dish clean of the roofs.
The campsite is about 20 min walk from the town centre and is situated equally between the two beaches and slap in line with the rock called The Ifach. As you will recall we have climbed to the top of the Ifach. Something we have not managed to repeat on the account of being too busy doing less important things. It does however make a very nice backdrop for our sitting out at times when it is warm enough.
The town itself is quite big and has a good shopping centre. The main shops are situated on a hill which rises from the beach at a rather alarming rate and has been nicknamed ‘Cardiac Hill’ on the account of…..well you guessed it. All of the main shops have remained open during the winter which is great for us. Quite a lot of the restaurants and bars have closed however, which is understandable under the circumstances as most of the tourists have long since gone home. A classic example of this can be seen from our campsite. At night looking towards the Ifach there is a row of hotels and blocks of apartments. At night all the lights come on at the hotels and every balcony is ablaze with light. It remained me if a cruise liner to see them in all their glory. Despite this I think it is a fact that they are to all intense and purposes probably empty. On the other hand the blocks of apartments are in near total darkness and only one of two lights can be seen exhibiting life within. I cannot imagine the loneliness of being the only one resident in an entire block like that.
We are quite safe in our little Bertie tucked in next to a delightful couple from the Netherlands called Coosh and Corra. Corra has an infectious laugh and is a barrel of fun. Coosh sits quietly whittling on bits of wood. He made us a lovely pair of napkin rings out of olive wood that he rescued from the fire bucket. At new year Corra came round with a plate of Oliebol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliebol) which are a deep fried dough ball with apple and cinnamon and spices. A tradition she has been doing for 40 years. We were very touched to be included. On the other side of us is a German lady called Heidi, she has a small van a bit bigger than Campy but nevertheless quite cramped owing to all the stuff she has stuffed in it. Sadly, she lost her husband last year and then also her dog whilst here at the campsite. She does not speak a word of English so we communicate with pointing and each of us talking nonstop in our respective languages hoping we communicate with a mutual understanding. Surprisingly and invariably we do….
The site is predominated with Germans. They outnumber the rest of us by at least 2-1 we also have vans from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the odd Brit. Every evening the German men get together and slowly amble around the site chatting, laughing and generally have a jolly time. Petra thinks they have been kicked out by the wives so they can get on with making the dinner. Anyway, they have a good old laugh together so good for them. One of the stop offs is dear Heidi’s van. She has a drinks dispenser in the shape of a petrol pump that administers Ouzo into small glasses shaped as boots. Its really fun to hear them all having a good time, and good for Heidi too.
Tucked in the corner two vans away from us is Keith and Gez who are British and come from the Coventry\Kenilworth area. They like us are full timers and we have had a good laugh with them and been out for meals.
Our time here has really gone so quickly, and it is difficult to see where all the time has gone. Most of my time has been taken up with the renovation of Bertie which has been exhaustive and thorough and has really paid dividends. He looks like a new pin and nearly all is functioning as it should. We just have a few little bits and pieces to do when we get back the the UK and it will be finished. I have to say that I have really enjoyed the work but I am looking forward to taking a break from it all safe in the knowledge that the van is as good as I can get it. Petra has been looking after me keeping me going doing all her womanly duties and of course her tapestry’s which are amazing. For my part I am known on the site as the nutter English man who can’t stop cleaning. Oh well…..
The highlight of our time here of course was our time with Josie over Christmas. We were delighted that she could come out for the festive time and we were so looking forward to seeing her. The day we picked her up from the airport we hired a car for the duration of her stay and set off in the evening to fetch her. It was to say the least a bit of an adventure. I had to drive along the mountain roads from Calpe to Alicante in the dark in an unfamiliar car to an airport we have never been to before. We got there in plenty of time only to find the plane had been delayed and we had to wait an extra hour before Jo’s beaming face appeared from the arrivals door. It was great to see her, she was wearing almost her entire wardrobe as she didn’t want to pay for stowage in the hold for her bag. I think she had about 6 layers including her coat.
Over the next two weeks we had a great time with Jo, we went out in the car on short days out and included Guadalest a beautiful mountain village not that far away. I remembered this village initially from visiting when I was a kid and with my mum and dad. And, latterly with Petra’s dad in the 80’s My parents had taken a holiday in the new, small, quaint and emerging holiday destination known as Benidorm. This holiday is ingrained in my memory for two reasons, Guadalest and also the ‘Lemon Express’ which was a train journey from Benidorm to Calpe. I remember the journey as when we got to Calpe there really was nothing to interest me whatsoever other than a Spanish Guitar Shop and the return journey where the Cava flowed a little too freely and we all got very, very drunk.
Back to Guadalest, when we went there all that time ago the coach parked quite a way from the village as it was only accessible from a small and very steep rough path to the single entrance to the village. At the entrance there is a gate only large enough to get a donkey through. Soon we found ourselves on the back of donkey and our ‘donkey man’ led us up the hill to the gate. They were so particular about the donkey’s the poor creatures had to wear nappies incase they embarrassed themselves. I can remember the old ladies sitting outside their houses making lace and as you make your way up the steep hill through the town it peaks at the cemetery. A collection of stacked square boxes with pictures of the dearly departed on them. On the way down the ‘donkey man’ produced a leather Bota Bag and squirted sangria down our throats in order to increase the size of the tip. At the bottom we were treated to a tortilla and more Sangria. It was funny to watch as most people only succeeded in nearly drowning on the stuff, the remainder went home with red stains over their new white T’shirts.
When we went with Jo it had all changed. gone were the old men and the donkeys and the old women and the lace making. The car park had been moved up the hill and you could easily walk to the gate. Situated at the car park are all the souvenir shops selling all things leather, olive wood, Ladro and Spanish. Some of the character may have gone but one thing you can never take away are the spectacular views and the delight of walking around the village. You can only walk in two directions, that’s Up or Down….We slowly made our way up the hill and stopped at every opportunity to take in the views. It really is worth going to and the views and memories all came flooding back. As we walked around it was obvious that we had come at the right time as the place was very quite and it’s just how we like it. We paid the extra bit to look around the Castle which again was well worth the effort.
Another trip out we did was to Alcalali. Alcalali is a small village opposite the Coll de Rates mountain range and is where Petra’s Dad and step mum lived for several years in the early 80’s. We wanted to go back to visit and see if we could find the house from all that time ago.
It was a lovely drive to the town and we weaved our way along the roads until we came upon the town. I instantly remembered where we were and within minutes we were parked up outside No4. The Village. It had of course all aged but in a nice way. It brought back quite a few nice memories of times with Alan and June when they were younger and more able than they are now. We were about to go for a walk when a neighbour came out and we chatted for a while explaining the connection and she said ‘I have the key to the house would you like to look around’. Yes we did, it was so kind of her to allow us in. I took plenty of photos for Alan and June whom I am sure will be very interested to see the changes. One thing I do remember is the garden and the fruit trees, one of which Petra and I bought Alan and June when we visited them one time, it had really grown.
Before heading back to Calpe we stopped in Alcalali for some lunch and we had a coffee in the local bar. There really is not a lot to see in the town and it is very small but quaint and rustic. I liked it.
On the way back to Calpe we took the car around the valley and up the Coll de Rates to the very top and we looked down on Alcalali from up on high. In the spring the whole of the valley floor is carpeted with orange blossom and is a truly amazing sight to see.
This picture shows a map table showing all the landmarks across the valley. Believe me it is as difficult to get to as it looks.
Christmas Day
Bertie, decked out in all his Christmassy trimmings including the nutcracker from Germany and the blue oscillating lights from China looked resplendent. We really don’t have a lot of room for decorations. Not only to put them up but to store them so we have a box about the size of a small shoe box which has to do. It was quite nice not to have a huge tree to worry about and we had only a hand full of cards which again suits us fine in our cramped but opulent lifestyle. On Christmas eve Josie was given her customary pre-Christmas treat (usually PJ’s but not this time) a very colourful scarf, and all the gifts were placed on the dashboard ready for the big day. In the evening we watched (another tradition) ‘A Christmas Carol’ and had fun playing games and Petra produced a super buffet.
Christmas morning was spent enjoying each others company and opening the presents. We had Bucks Fizz and ate a lot. Unfortunately, the weather was not kind to us and it rained on and off all day. We were not too bothered as we were happy playing with our new toys and eating, drinking and doing what all families everywhere do on Christmas day. We spent quite a lot of time on the phone and Skyping family and friends. We had all decided that we didn't want to go out for Christmas lunch as we were happy to stay in the van. On the menu were two of the largest steaks I have ever cooked and a pile of lamb chops. So without further ado it was out with the BBQ and the umbrella to get cracking. I discovered its really difficult to do a BBQ one handed.
We had a very different Christmas, unlike any other we have had before. It was great, and with all the fluff and tinsel stripped away it made us focused on making Christmas in our own way which was without pressure, expectation and massive unnecessary expense.
The rest of our time with Josie went too fast, we went on some lovely walks in Calpe together and spent valued time in bars chatting laughing and catching up on all the things going on each others lives. In the quiet times Josie got on with her dissertation and was very pleased with her progress. We took her back to the airport on 27 December, a sad day for us all but happy for the time we had had together.
So now we are on the wind down for our return to the UK. We are due to leave the campsite here in Calpe on 1st March and will arrive in the UK on the 10 March. We are really looking forward to seeing all our family and friends.
One of the Three Kings, a festival just for the kids. millions of sweets are showered over the kids as the procession proceeds along the way.
Oh and crisps...no junk food here
