SPAIN SECOND TIME AROUND

I had a strong feeling that ,having enjoyed six months in Spain so much,that I would be back,although I did not imagine that it would be with a new partner -Michael.

We went back to England in May 2009,and had a couple of trips back to Spain to sort out Michael’s old apartment, and find a new place to live, and now am sitting in the morning sunshine watching a man doing his weekly clean of the swimming pool. It is not exactly swimming weather, the snow is dusting the mountain range, and there is a keen wind. However the promise is there, and it is a very pleasant backdrop for BBQ’s.

It felt like we got the last plane out of England. We stayed at a travel lodge near the airport, the night before. We had to drag suitcases through the snow, to the main road as the taxi could not make it to the house.Michael had broken two bones in his hand slipping on ice, about 2 weeks before, and on arrival at customs was taken to a private room, while the airport staff examined the foam sling, and brace for suspicious substances.The plane had been unable to fly for 3 days, and was de-iced while we waited. Even so a 40 minute delay was a mere nothing, and we had an uneventful flight, arriving in torrential rain, but feeling very fortunate.

We have been here 4 days and are getting sorted out with spanish Dongle, spanish mobiles, bus timetables groceries, and linking up with old friends.I was a bit shocked to find out that two friends have decided to move to Castailla  near Alicante, and are renovating a finca, which currently has neither electricity nor plumbing. I think it is a brave decision, partly because  valenciano spanish is pretty hard to understand, and there are fewer english people there. It seems less hazardous to rent than to buy, and there are so many properties to rent, that one could live in several areas in Spain for a time, without the responsibilities of maintenance.

We walked along the beach between Altea and Albir, on Saturday. The sea was very wild, and had washed away the boardwalk, and the sea was hurling pebbles over the road, it was not really safe to walk, so we drove through the waves and onto the back road to Albir, past the orange groves.It is good to be back. …..to be continued