Hope ..

I hope I'll never have need of this ... !!!

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Anyone want a paddle ??

A leisurely way to travel down the coast .....

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Guardamar - a little bit of colour ..

It may be January but these are providing a splash of colour down in the pine forest at Guardamar.

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Guardamar - a short cut ..

This little path is a short cut to the beach - it must save at least 2 minutes !!!

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Guardamar - still a few visitors ..

Even in January the promenade attracts a few visitors - you can not beat some sunny weather to attract people down to the sea.

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A little bit of scrub ..

A little bit of scrub opposite the Hotel Campomar in Guardamar - this hotel always seems to have refurbishment work being done on it during the wintertime ..

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José Canalejas

José Canalejas was Presidente del Consejo de Ministros de España 1910-1912

If you want to know more then you'll find it all on Wikipedia - lots of it ..

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Alicante - Beach front

A different view of Alicante - behind the modern apartments see the old castle walls.

Not bad weather for January ..

The only way ...

The only way to get across this road is to use the very handy footbridge - it leads from the beach to the old quarter of Alicante and the castle lift.

This very busy road snakes along the side of the promenade and cross it at your peril and only at authorised crossing points - it's like a race track !!

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What can I say ??

What can I say ? Quaint ?

How would you describe this building ?

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Fancy a climb ??

Fancy a climb up to the top of the castle ???

A bit too steep this way ..

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Alicante - View up the hill ..

View up the hill - here in the old quarter of the town ..

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Alicante - Ornate stonework ..

Ornate stonework on this church - it's to be found in the old quarter of Alicante not far from the castle.

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Alicante - Quiet streets

Sunday morning and all is quiet in these Alicante streets ...

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Alicante - Ships at sea ....

Alicante and at sea a ship waits to enter the port - the locals gaze out to sea nothing else to do but relax and have a fag !!

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Alicante - Impressive ..

Alicante - sea front

Impressive buildings line the front - which do you prefer - the old or the new ??

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Alicante - Oldies

This area of the beach is reserved as a exercise area for us oldies - and it seemed to be quite popular with the locals - well used!!

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O'Hara - Alicante

Another Irish theme pub near to the port in Alicante ..

Besides the Guinness I can recommend the pizza !!

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What happens ...

This is what happens when you build your home on the beach - the sea takes it's revenge.

I must admit though that these houses have been here for many many years ...

We call these the fishermen's cottages - mainly holiday homes, not a traditional fisherman in sight.

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Erosion

This is what the sea can do to the sand - wash it away !!!

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Spanish proverb

Si a tu vecino quieres conocer, averigua qué libros suele leer ....

Know your neighbour from the books he reads.

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Guardamar - Playa

Blue sea and a blue sky - pity about the cable lying on the beach ..

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Guardamar - Harbour

Down by the harbour in Guardamar on a bright and sunny winter morning ..

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Alicante - Welcome

Welcome to the beach area of Alicante - quite a clean and spacious beach !

You associate Alicante with the airport ( serving mainly Benidorm ) and forget about the city itself.

Lots of shops, bars and restaurants here.

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Alicante

January - a bright and sunny day but the locals still need their overcoats ..

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Birds ...

I guess that when you're tired of flying any old perch will do even an old boat half sunk in the River Segura.

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Alicante - Graffiti 3

I sometimes wonder if I should create a Blog dedicated to graffiti !!

More from Guardamar to follow over the next few weeks - this example shown is again from Alicante.

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Alicante - Graffiti 2

And some more graffiti - Spain is famous for this " art form "

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Alicante - Graffiti 1

Graffiti - found in the old town near to the castle.

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Alicante - Houses ...

Houses cling to the cliff under the walls of Alicante's castle - ripe for redevelopment I would think !!

This area is being slowly " improved "

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