La Mata - Beach & Boats

Another winter day down on the beach - this time at La Mata with the upturned boats.

If you want a good walk then try Guardamar to La Mata along the beach - takes about one and a half  hours each way . In summer take a drink because it can become quite hot...

.

Spanish Proverb

 

Casa sin madre, rio sin cauce ...

A house without a mother , a river without a course

Literally - The woman is the key of a house ...

.

Guardamar - Playtime

This play equipment caught my eye  - situated amongst a ring of trees - looking rather magical I thought !

Guardamar is well served with play areas for children ..

.

Guardamar - La Playa

A dark and wintery day down on the beach at Guardamar - dark clouds gather ..

Picture taken in November on a deserted beach - just us and the wind ..

.

Torrevieja - Graffiti

Another wall in Torrievieja painted with graffiti - not a bad job this time !

Torrevieja has lots of graffiti - most really bad and it makes the place look so tatty in parts ..

.

Torrevieja - Belén

Belén means Bethlehem ...

In Spain Belén also means a nativity scene . Most towns in Spain have a Belén on show at Christmas time, usually in the town's main square ..

This rather large one can be seen in Torrevieja and certainly attracts crowds of viewers.

In some towns there are actually museums dedicated to showing these nativity scenes.

The work involved in setting up these displays must take up an huge amount of time and effort.

.

Alicante - Circus

Christmas time is often circus time.

Here in Alicante the the circus has been erected near to the port and is eagerly awaiting customers. I was attracted to the bright blue and white stripes of the tents.

It's many years since I have been to a circus .. it's the sort of place you tend to take children.

.

Poinsettia

Poinsettia - very red, very bright and colourful..

This is the plant for Christmas in Spain - it's planted out here in a flower bed in Alicante and can be found at this time of year  all over the Costa Blanca. People buy pots of it to decorate their houses and very bright and cheerful it looks.

.

Alicante - New walkway ..

Down by the port in Alicante a new walkway has been opened to the public recently - not very long but it lets us to have a different view of the port and the surrounding hills.

Here is the city of Alicante complete with its many tall apartment blocks and a view of some even taller mountains to the rear.

The position of the walkway now allows unrestricted views of the outer harbour and the large vessels that dock.

It is quite pleasant to walk around the port and marina - Sunday afternoons are quite busy with many people strolling around.

.

Bags of Christmas fun in Guardamar

Here's the local Christmas Tree in Guardamar  - looking very pretty and all ready for Christmas Day.

But - what is it made of ??

Closer inspection will reveal it's made of white plastic bags - 

Each bag contains a message from one of the local schoolchildren.

An unusual and practical way of disposing of plastic bags ......

.

Return of the stranger.

Back in the UK now after one month on the Costa Blanca - with some cold weather on the coast this last couple of weeks  - further inland Spain has had a lot of snow already and it is one of the main topics on the TV.

The town of Guardamar is rather quiet - not many people about and since our last visit many more bars and shops have closed down due to the economic crisis. We feel that we are strangers - our favourite bars are closed and we now have to find others that suit us - it's like turning the clock back 6 years and starting again.

Building of new properties has virtually ceased - the house builders are asking for direct air links to Russia and Eastern Europe and the relaxation if entry qualifications in the hope that they can find new buyers from those countries for their properties.

The builders just can not understand that they have built too many properties and that the market is saturated ...  so many flats and villas for sale and many of the estate agents closing !!

.

Alicante - Street Art

Not sure what this is meant to represent - it can be found in the centre of Alicante.

Modern art ........ !!

Guardamar - the castle.

Guardamar's very own castle - not too much to it - surrounding walls but no buildings inside - all rather bare and barren.

Good views towards Rojales and Santa Pola can be had from the top - quite a steep walk for those not used to steep gradients.

Walkways have been created recently around the outside of the castle on the steep slopes - a good idea but two problems - most visitors to Guardamar head to the beach and not the castle and secondly when I was there last, the undergrowth had already started to encroach on the paths making it difficult to walk.

.

How long

How long before this rock goes crashing into the sea ? The coast here near La  Zenia is crumbling away - every time we go for a walk  we see some more signs of erosion.

It's a very pleasant walk along the cliffs  - but not in the height of the summer - far too hot.

.

Blue Blue

Blue sky , blue sea and long golden beaches .....

This is why we go to Spain ...

.

Alicante - Old Town

Another Sunday morning shot taken in the old town - Alicante

I think I've said before it's pleasant to wonder around when there are no people or heavy traffic.

.