Marjal Costa Blanca Post 5

Tuesday 25th - Monday 31st December 2018 🌞🌞🌞🌞⛅⛅⛅🌞 - it's been another lovely week but we had some chilly cloudy days (15 degrees 😂😂) in the middle of it
No Motorhome Miles but about 45 🚴🚴 miles
Parking Co-ordinates 38.18085, -0.8119

Well, that's it!  The big Ho Ho Ho is all done and dusted for another year - but our 'Dinner Do' for the main event was lovely!   We were treated to what seemed like a never ending stream of food as seven sumptuous courses were presented to us, and ours was made all the better because a couple of the Rally Stewards were on our table and they added Yorkie's, roast potatoes and cheesy leeks to what was already a delicious feast.

And after that came coffee and brandy plus music and dancing so the whole afternoon passed by in a very festive mode.  Then  even after all that we weren't quite done because on our way home we joined some of our other new mates for merry evening drinks at a pitch party!  And while we were there they invited us back for Boxing Day Barbecued Prawns and Chicken Curry which was all washed down with copious amounts of wine and then our hosts curious liquor  of brandy and chocolate milk - maybe a bit like a cheap copy of Baileys!!

So as you might imagine by Thursday we were more than ready for a rest from an almost constant 3 day party that had started on Christmas Eve with a huge gathering in the club house for a festive Christmas Quiz which just happened to be about the 12 Days of Christmas (so we won), carol singing, mince pies and Gluhwein (German mulled wine), and of course, Secret Santa. And all that was polished off with a final loud rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas which went around the room like a big Mexican wave with each table singing one line but competing to see who could make the most noise!

On Friday we could have gone to another party but as there was another big 'Do' on Saturday night (for which we'd already brought tickets at the extortionate price of 2.50 euros each) we decided to give that one a miss, and instead we took ourselves off for some much needed exercise and cycled about 24 miles there and back to the city of Elche which is the third largest in the Valencian Community.   Our main aim for going there was to visit The Palmeral de Elche which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000, and which is an area of formally laid out groves of date palms that have an elaborate irrigation system that dates back to when the Muslim city of Elche was first erected towards the end of the tenth century AC when much of the Iberian peninsula was Arab.

The tree above is the sentinel - it soars 25 metres into the sky excluding it's crown.  

The tree above is the Pigeon's Palm and it's unique because of it's shape.
It starts to lean over at about 2 metres high, then it grows in a diagonal direction
until about 9 metres and then it regains it's more normal vertical presentation.
And the Pigeon bit - well that's because the many hundreds of pigeons from the nearby
dovecote like to sit in it!

We later learnt that this massive palm plantation is the only grove of it's kind in Europe, and also the largest outside of Asian countries being composed of 97 different orchards wherein over 70,000 date palms grow.  Additionally, this number of palms is exclusive of other large plantations within the city of Elche and if these were taken into account then that would bring the total number to 200,000 palms - so that was the obvious reason why palms dominated our views no matter in which direction we wandered!  Therefore, it seems that we only saw the tip of the ice berg - but not to worry - we now have a very good reason to go back and explore more.

The Oriental Style Visitors Centre which is nestled in the centre of the park. 

While we were in Elche we also explored a network of paths and footbridges that have transformed the bed of the River Vinalop into a linear park land that runs between the two halves of the city.

It seems that in times gone by the river became dry for many months of the year and this resulted in the area becoming derelict.  Therefore in 2009 the City Council set up a competition to turn the river bed into a three kilometre park which now provides a lovely oasis for leisure activities and also still provides a narrow channel through it's centre for the river to run through.  Additionally graceful bridges crisscross the area and when it was all complete it was named 'El Valle Trenzado' (The Braided Valley).

Our final visit in Elche was to the Basilica de Santa Maria which is located in the square where, during the Muslim era, the main Mosque was situated.  It seems the first Catholic church was built there in 1334, then replaced in 1556 - but that one collapsed following heavy rains. The one that is there today was started in 1672 and completed in 1784 but unfortunately we couldn't go inside because the door was locked!

So after our circumnavigation of the outside to admire the buildings grandeur we set our sights on our return journey and arrived home just in time to lap up the last rays of afternoon sunshine!

Saturday and Sunday were spent indulging in more walking and cycling activities with other ralliers, and then we had planned a grand event for New Year's Eve!  We should have been partying from about 7.30 and ringing in the New Year Twice - once for midnight here and then again an hour later for good old Blighty!  But alas, John's got his second dose of Man Flu and I seem to have lost my voice somewhere along the way😱😷.  At the mo my throat feels as if I've swallowed a razor blade and my voice isn't even making it to a whisper - so rather than our ears being blasted out with loud music we're just going to have a very quite evening in and if we manage to stay awake to the 1st Midnight we'll raise a glass and toast it with a very nice drop of Single Malt!

So all that remains is for us to wish all our family, friends and readers 

A Very Happy New Year that will be Bright, Beautiful, Healthy and Happy for everyone!

Take Care and Lots of Love 😗😗😗

Click here to see our Spanish Camping spots

Marjal Costa Blanca Post 4

Tuesday 18th - Monday 24th December 2018 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 - another week of lovely wall to wall warm sunshine
No Motorhome Miles but about 80 🚴🚴 miles over several trips!
Parking Co-ordinates 38.18085, -0.8119

Well, that's week 4 of our 6 week stay here at Marjal Costa Blanca that's passed by, and on this 2018 Christmas Eve we're all getting ready for the big🎄 HO, HO, HO 🎄which will be a certain gentleman's busiest night of the year!

Sarah and Paul with their + 1

But before we get into all that we want to send our Daughter Sarah and Son in Law Paul all our love, hugs and best wishes for their 16th wedding anniversary which was on the 22nd  

So what have we been up to this week?  Well, in addition to lots of rally activities and the necessity of having to sit for many hours in the lovely sunshine we've taken ourselves off out for several long rides, one of which took us to the coastal town of Santa Pola which used to be a small fishing community but is now a bustling holiday resort that  hasn't quite lost  all it's old charm.

Santa Pola Marina

Santa Pola Beach

When we first arrived we entered into the marina where many millions of pounds worth of yachts of all shapes and sizes are housed, and the back drop to that was a huge palm tree lined prom where we found lots of pretty eateries and bars that stretched for several hundred yards.  However, as is our usual habit, we wandered past all them and found a balcony overlooking miles of clean sandy beach, and this provided a lovely spot for our picnic lunch.

Our Dining Room

Then once fed and watered we headed back along the La Gola and El Pinet beaches  towards Santa Pola's salt lakes - The Bonmati Salt Flats - which are now designated as a nature park and are famous for huge flocks of migrating birds that include spectacular flocks of pink flamingos.

The Salt Flats with Myriads of Flamingos  in the Distance

La Gola beach is also the home of 'Salinas Bras del Port', and it is here that  huge salt mountains are stock piled while waiting for transport away form the area.

The Salt Mountains

A Different Day and a Different Outing - This time up into the hills.

Another cycle outing (which we did with about 35 other ralliers) took us to the village of Daya Vieja where we visited another nativity and also a very unusual structure called 'El Mirador de la Palmera'! 

Our guide informed us that he thought it had been put there as part of a Millennium  project, but in actual fact it was constructed to protect the cluster of 6 towering palm trees that it encircled.   It was designed by Joaquin Alvado Banon and it's construction almost resembles a 3 story roller coaster where visitors spiral upwards via a long metal ramp that terminates in a bridge that leads to nowhere!  However,  once out on the 'limb' (which you can see better in the pic below) and with a bit of gentle persuasion (from me) it rocked and swayed very nicely resulting in one or two of our party squealing while others watched our antics from far below😂😂😂




Me up high and John down low with his new mate Nick😂

It rocked really well if you jumped up and down right on the end!

We've also had quite a few other outings but the two above were the most interesting, and if I'm honest the sun's shining so I'd really rather be out there with hubby than indoors tapping out our tale which probably wouldn't really be very interesting unless your here in person to enjoy it.

But just before I go I've got a bit of trivia to share!  Tonight we're going to a Christmas shindig that involves a Quiz and one of the questions that is nearly always asked at Christmas Do's is 'how many gifts are given in the 12 Days of Christmas Song'  The answer is 364 but when we Googled it we found out much more😏

The 12 days of Christmas are a period in Christian theology that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi - the three wise men.  It begins on December 25th and runs through to January 6th which is the Epiphany, or here in Spain, King's Day.  The song originates from some time between 1558 and 1829 when Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly so during that era the carol was written as a song for Catholics to demonstrate their faith secretly!

• The partridge in a pear tree was Jesus Christ.
• Two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments
• Three French hens stood for faith, hope and love.
• The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
• The five golden rings recalled the Torah of Law, the first five books of the Old Testament.
• The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation.
• Seven swans a-swimming represented the seven-fold gifts of the Holy Spirit Prophesy, Serving, Teaching Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership and Mercy.
• The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes.
• Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit - Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control.
• The ten lords a-leaping were the ten commandments.
• The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful disciples
• The twelve drummers drumming symbolised the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.

So there, now you know and maybe when you hear the carol this Christmas it will take on a slightly different meaning for you. 

Anyway, enough off that, I'm going to sign off for now and wish all our friends, family and readers a very very Happy Christmas with lots of over indulgences, pressies and definitely not to much hard work!!!

🎁Merry Christmas Everyone🎁 😙😙

Click here to see our Spanish Camping spots

Marjal Costa Blanca Post 3

Tuesday 11th - Monday 17th December 2018 🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 - another week of lovely warm sunshine - except for Wednesday night and Thursday!
No Motorhome Miles
Parking Co-ordinates 38.18085, -0.8119

For this week the phrase 'Busy doing nothing' comes to mind - it really does seem to have whizzed by and we don't seem to have done very much at all!!  I could almost put 'THE END' there but I will try to elaborate a little bit on that😂!

On Tuesday we took to the hills again and trekked through some of the scenery  that forms a back drop to the campsite for about 8 miles.






On Wednesday we caught a train and attended a dinner dance where wine was distributed at the rate of a full bottle per person, and of course the after dinner coffee and brandy had to be indulged in😵 - so a very good night was had by all!

Almost more wine than people and all for about 12 quid! 

Then Thursday became a recovery day - and for some that was for far more than just a bit of a hangover!  Overnight a wild wind and deluges of rain had whipped through the site drenching pitches, rocking vans and tearing awnings!  Needless to say we didn't sleep very well but neither did we experience any damage other than a bit of excess dust to sweep from our veranda! Therefore, because of our disturbed night we indulged in a very lazy day but we did nip out in the evening to watch  a campsite  special screening of Bohemian Rhapsody! 

Friday - well we more or less repeated Wednesday's outing except this time it was a much less crowded lunch do, and rather than drink all our wine we saved some for later when we went to another  social evening in the rally club house!

And after all that over indulgence on Saturday we joined a good many others for a 25 mile cycle ride to the town of Crevillent - a journey that was quite pretty as we traversed through pomegranate groves and lots of other arable areas.

A Spanish Turkish Tea House!

Then by Sunday unfortunately John had developed man flu😷!  So I left him behind and joined another group of ralliers for a walk into the town of San Isidro where we enjoyed coffee in a Turkish Tea House😕, and also viewed the Monumento del Campo de Concentracion de Albatera (on the left).

The site as it used to be

During the war the site used to be a concentration camp but now much of the land is used for farming, however it seems that it's sad and gruesome history often results in skulls and other bones being dug up!

And that's about it really for this time - but because we haven't got much to report I  thought I'd pad things out a bit by adding some pics of our 3 kids and their 4 kids living it up at a pre Christmas Party yesterday.

Evelyn, Santa, Jack, Max and Thomas

Ben and Sarah

Jack Adam and Max

Adam Sarah and Ben

Louise and Max

Sarah and Evelyn

Thomas

Paul and a sleepy Jack

Vicky Jack Adam and Max

Take Care 😙😙


Click here to see our Spanish Camping spots