Category: Calpe

We went to The Coffee Box for coffee in the morning. Two Cappuccinos with a large Tiramisu for Scamp and an equally large Apple Tarte de Pom for us both to share.

Watched the cyclists limbering up. It must have been a race or a club outing, because there were always loads of them going out in the morning.

We found rows and rows of painted wooden ducks for sale outside one of the shops, but we knew we were almost overloaded with the stuff we were bringing home as well as our clothes and my camera gear, so reluctantly we had to leave them for some other boys and girls.

The weather was a bit cooler than it had been and there were occasional banks of mist and fog rolling in from the sea, sometimes almost covering the mountain on one side and the posh houses on the other side of the bay.

Dancing again at night and another lively time. Eventually Stewart turned off his amp and most folk just talked for a while. Others who hadn’t started their packing left a wee bit early.

Things I’ll remember:

• The coffee and pastries in The Coffee Box
• The cyclists clogging up the roads and pavements
• The wooden ducks
• The mist on the mountain

Another early rise tomorrow. I know we’d both like to come back here.

Today’s dance was Sweet Bay Salsa. No sign of Salsa! There was a fair bit of shuffling to one side and another and some waving of hands in the air, and that was about it.

Scamp wanted a second look at a dress she’d seen yesterday in the avenue of shops that look out onto the sand and the sea. Usually the ‘second look’ just means she’ll walk out with it and a smile on her face, but no sale today.

Next we walked round to The Coffee Box. I thought the Americano was just a little bitter, but Scamp agreed. More of this company’s pastries and a seat outside.

We walked back along the promenade and just missed the wee train. It’s a bit like a small tractor made to look like a train engine pulling two carriages. We seem to see them all over Spain and Italy.

We walked back along the prom, checking out more architectural high-rise buildings, proving that AutoCad is still alive and kicking. Eventually we walked back to the big supermarket ( My MerKat ) for tonic water and Scamp bought that dress.

We were just in time for the wee train’s return and found it was full of Spanish pensioners, they sang their wee hearts all the way round the circuit!

In the evening we danced for two or three hours. We sat with Barry and Cath and laughed all night. I think we were all beginning to flag on our third day.

Things I’ll remember:

• The wee train ride
• The indecision on Scamp’s face looking at that dress
• Finding all sorts of strange sweeties in the supermarket
• “My Merkat” What a name for a supermarket

Last full day tomorrow.

We were up at 3:45am, bleary eyed and hoping the alarm was wrong, but knowing that BOTH alarms couldn’t be wrong! The taxi arrived at 4am, exactly the time we’d asked for. After that the driver got lost TWICE trying to get out of the estate! However, he managed to find his way out and we were driven over to Glasgow Airport without wasting any time. Almost straight through the check-in and wandered into the main building with the other lost looking souls.

After we’d had the usual expensive breakfast we got the call to the gate. Unfortunately, they only wanted us on the plane, and once we were all aboard we got told that frost during the night had turned to ice and the wings needed de-icing. Also, as a result, we’d missed our take off slot. Isn’t it great when a plan comes together 😡.

Once the wings had warmed up and we were in the air, we just sat there for about three hours before we landed at Alicante and descended into the warm sun of Spain.

After we signed in with our passport and facial recognition we were shown to our Beniconnect bus that would take us to Calpe ( also known as Calp ). Another hour’s journey brought us to the resort itself, and after more signing and waiting for the slowest computer in creation, we were standing in a lovely room on the fourth floor with a spectacular view across the sea to the horizon.

The first thing we did was get changed into more comfortable clothes and find a shop that sold beer. There were a few! Later we walked around the town and took in the sights.

Dinner was a bit of a mix up with a load of quite arrogant germans (am I allowed to say that – well, I’ve just said it!) who would rather walk through you instead of around you. None of them ever smiled. It seems they liked to think they more important than us. They’re not. Note the lower case ‘germans’ to show what I think of their attitude.

We were dancing in the evening. I think we maybe had a bit too much to drink, but the company was good. Thankfully we had our own ballroom for dancing in.

Hoping for more sun tomorrow.