This week was part of my 3-week summer vacation, spent at home, relaxing, cycling and even occasionally going to the beach with my wife, not something I do a whole lot–my favourite way to enjoy the beach is to sit at a table on the promenade with a cold beer and enjoy the view.
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I start with some cycling photos. I went to Villajoyosa and Benidorm early in the week, a ride of just 60 km or so but with constant climbs and descents, making it quite hard in the heat. I stopped at Playa Bol Nou at 9 a.m., there were already a few beach goers:
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Villajoyosa is an important fishing harbour–many of the fish we buy at the local supermarkets are landed there–but on this Sunday the boats were in the harbour:
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I like to look at details:
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Outside the bar, where the fishermen quench their thirst and shoot the breeze after the day’s work is done:
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Another day I cycled towards Relleu. This is one of the prettiest routes around here:
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Besides cycling, I also cooked the kind of food that I would not normally make on a weekday, such as these haloumi/courgette skewers, marinated in a green sauce and then grilled:
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Time to eat:
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Later in the week, the heat became more intense, and even during the morning hours it was already hot and hazy. Here is a view of Alicante from the road to Aigues, my most frequent cycling route:
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And here is the view of Alicante from the Urbanova beach south of the city. Alicante is barely visible due to the haze:
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One afternoon my daughter and I drove to Santa Pola to have her paddle board repaired. On the way back we stopped at a beach bar along the coastal road from Santa Pola to Arenales del Sol:
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There was a great view of the island of Tabarca:
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Then pictures of beach life, mainly from Playa Muchavista, 500 meters from my house. An African vendor of flowery dresses and towels prowls the beach looking for customers:
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Channelling Elliott Erwitt:
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The rescuers have a water motorbike so that they can reach a person in trouble quickly. In late afternoon, it is time to push the vehicle back to the storage shed:
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A video call at the water’s edge:
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Father and son:
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Finally, my late mother’s cactus did its thing this week, again:
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