{"id":4919,"date":"2026-01-05T18:26:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T17:26:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/?page_id=4919"},"modified":"2026-01-05T18:40:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T17:40:12","slug":"week-01-new-years-eve-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/?page_id=4919","title":{"rendered":"Week 01: New Year’s Eve 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is the first weekly blog of 2026, so unsurprisingly the celebration of New Year’s Eve is the main event. We are a group of about 15 friends who get together every year, and this year we were the hosts. Since my last working day before the holidays was 23rd December, I also had plenty of time for cycling and for walking around with Mochi–he and my daughter are spending the holidays with us.<\/p>\n

1_1<\/strong>
\nThe various small towns where I cycle are decorated for the holidays, albeit on a much more modest scale than the city of Alicante, and also reflecting some local traditions. In Agost, the well at the centre of the main square is decorated with oranges:
\n\"1050235\"\/<\/p>\n

1_2<\/strong>
\n\"1050236\"\/<\/p>\n

1_3<\/strong>
\nMany of the balconies are also decorated with oranges, as well as knitted banners:
\n\"1050223\"\/<\/p>\n

1_4<\/strong>
\n\"1050224\"\/<\/p>\n

1_5<\/strong>
\nThe town hall is similarly decorated:
\n\"1050225\"\/<\/p>\n

1_6<\/strong>
\nThe town of San Vicente is closer to Alicante than Agost (it is actually the site of the main campus of the University of Alicante). I pass through San Vicente on my way home from Agost, and one day I stopped to look at a nativity display in a roundabout near the centre:
\n\"1050238\"\/<\/p>\n

1_7<\/strong>
\nOne of balconies near the nativity display is decorated with this banner of baby Jesus:
\n\"1050237\"\/<\/p>\n

1_8<\/strong>
\nWe have had some rainy days during the last week of December, especially inland:
\n\"1050231\"\/<\/p>\n

1_9<\/strong>
\nMochi received this bone as one of his Christmas presents. Given the relative size of dog and bone, it will take him a long time to chew his way through it:
\n\"DSF3097\"\/<\/p>\n

1_10<\/strong>
\n\"DSF3095\"\/<\/p>\n

1_11<\/strong>
\nEarly morning walk with Mochi, a fishing boat in the distance:
\n\"DSF3107\"\/<\/p>\n

1_12<\/strong>
\nA morning jog:
\n\"DSF3112\"\/<\/p>\n

1_13<\/strong>
\nA very cold selfie; the temparature that morning was no more than 7-8C:
\n\"DSF3108\"\/<\/p>\n

1_14<\/strong>
\nAn orange cat looks down at Mochi and me:
\n\"DSF3116\"\/<\/p>\n

1_15<\/strong>
\nThen New Year’s Eve arrived. Our friends arrived around 9:30-10 p.m., everyone bringing some food, while the drinks had been jointly purchased in advance. I\u00f1aki and Dalal set up the music:
\n\"DSF3117\"\/<\/p>\n

1_16<\/strong>
\nAssumpta and Nereyda in the kitchen:
\n\"DSF3121\"\/<\/p>\n

1_17<\/strong>
\nThe table begins to take shape:
\n\"DSF3122\"\/<\/p>\n

1_18<\/strong>
\nMochi also participated in the festivities:
\n\"DSF3124\"\/<\/p>\n

1_19<\/strong>
\n\"DSF3126\"\/<\/p>\n

1_20<\/strong>
\nMy wife poses with I\u00f1aki:
\n\"DSF3128\"\/<\/p>\n

1_21<\/strong>
\nI\u00f1aki analyses one of the appetisers:
\n\"DSF3130\"\/<\/p>\n

1_22<\/strong>
\nChimping together:
\n\"DSF3133\"\/<\/p>\n

1_23<\/strong>
\nMidnight is approaching, and the “uvas de suerte” (“grapes of luck”) are ready. In Spain, we eat one grape at each of the 12 strokes of midnight:
\n\"DSF3136\"\/<\/p>\n

1_24<\/strong>
\nReady for midnight:
\n\"DSF3138\"\/<\/p>\n

1_25<\/strong>
\nWishing each other a Happy New Year:
\n\"DSF3144\"\/<\/p>\n

1_26<\/strong>
\nCheers:
\n\"DSF3145\"\/<\/p>\n

1_27<\/strong>
\nI started 2026 with a bike ride, of course, visiting the kitties in Verdeg\u00e1s:
\n\"1050232\"\/<\/p>\n

1_28<\/strong>
\n\"1050233\"\/<\/p>\n

1_29<\/strong>
\nLater in the day, I went for a beer at 100 Montaditos:
\n\"DSF2428\"\/<\/p>\n

1_30<\/strong>
\nStill later, I went for a walk with Mochi. He is obsessed with the cats we see along the way. I am sure he does not want to hurt them, he is just curious:
\n\"DSF2439\"\/<\/p>\n

1_31<\/strong>
\nThe cats just stay cool, in full knowledge of their superiority:
\n\"DSF2440\"\/<\/p>\n

1_32<\/strong>
\nWhen we return from the walk, Mochi is eager to get inside right away since he usually gets fed right after a walk:
\n\"DSF2445\"\/<\/p>\n

1_33<\/strong>
\nAnother cat photo to finish the week:
\n\"DSF2446\"\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the first weekly blog of 2026, so unsurprisingly the celebration of New Year’s Eve is the main event. We are a group of about 15 friends who get together every year, and this year we were the hosts. Since my last working day before the holidays was 23rd December, I also had plenty […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":4915,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4919"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4919"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4923,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4919\/revisions\/4923"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.fotocycle.dk\/paws\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}