Xabea, Alicante

An unexpected trip...

First we would like to thank Alan and Veronica because they are the ones behind this trip.

We met Alan and Vi on March 2016 in a restaurant in Albarracin then we saw them one more time at Getxo last year.
Basically we met twice and here is the point: We don't have a deep, neither a long friendship and though we can say that Alan and Vi have a beautiful spirit full of life.

So Alan sent us an email encouraging us again to visit Jávea, offering his house to stay and organizing places to visit. He advised us to go there meanwhile the "Fallas of Valencia" but we could manage to have few days off (21 to 26 of March) after that party. We just wished that we could coincide with Alan and Vi there. Hopefully we will meet soon somewhere.

We see Alan and Vi as a couple who loves traveling, enjoying life and seeing others enjoying. And we did enjoy our stay at Jávea; this short video is a summary of photos about our time there and the scenic views of mountains and sea in the area, followed by a summary of information about the places that we visited.

Note: This video is in low resolution preferably to see it through a phone and not on big screen.

The music from bensound.com

 

 

So we drove around 730km from the north to the south of Spain, leaving the snow and the rain behind on the first day of Spring.

 

Jávea is a lovely town with beautiful houses and lot of NON Spanish people. The old port is a nice place and at night must be visited for eating and drinking. Jávea is situated on the back side of the Montgó mountain which rises to 753m and from the Xàbia side, Montgó is often said to resemble the head and trunk of an elephant. There is an easy part for hiking before starting the steady climb, we didn't reach to the top because we were not well prepared for that hike, and the views from the Montgó are amazing.

 

The area is called "Marina Alta"  and during our stay, we visited the villages situated in the mountains and the ones on the coast and both sides are charming.

 

Let's start from the mountains side where we drove through the different valleys, which the Moors occupied its territory for almost six centuries: Vall de Gallinera, Vall de Alcala, Vall de Ebo, Vall de Laguart, Vall de Pop. Each village on the way is calling you to stop and discover its corners full of history. It is obvious that the main business of the area is the cultivation of cherries, almonds and olives and the rural tourism. B was so happy because we could eat small green almonds like they do in Lebanon.

 

One of the places that we would like to tell you about is Castell de Guadalest,  located in a mountainous area of the comarca of Marina Baixa, and where JC found out that there was a museum of classic motorbikes. After visiting the museum we enjoyed a bocadillo in the restaurant beside which belongs to the same owner. The village itself is beautiful and full of things to do, one is visiting the museum of Microminiatures of Manuel Ribera Girone.

 

https://www.facebook.com/pg/JBerthe-camera-710112462333364/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1899373140073951

 

"In 1974, El Castell de Guadalest is declared historic - artistic. In 2015 , after overcoming a series of audits, the municipality is part of "The Most Beautiful Villages in Spain" and in 2016 enters the Federation of the most beautiful towns in the world."

I don't think that we should say more... Castell de Guadalest must be visited!

 

The sea side is picturesque: Dénia is a big town located on the Costa Blanca half way between Valencia and Alicante. The main sight is its castle on a rocky crag overlooking the city and which was built during the 11th and 12th centuries.

 

The area has typical beautiful and peaceful beaches, some sandy others stony. The coast side is a collection of beaches and pine-covered cliffs that stands a short distance from the shore. There are plenty of Capes and stunning walks in addition to swimming and relaxing: Cap Prim, Cala Blanca, Cap Negre, Cap de la Nau, Playa de la Granadella, Cumbre del sol... and the next day we continued moving on the coast until Benidorm where we spent the afternoon and in our opinion, Calp and Vila Joiosa and Moraira are more worth to visit.

 

In Calp, many Iberian, Roman and Arab archeological sites exist because of its strategic coastal location. Its economy is based mainly on tourism and fishing so you can't miss eating seafood in one of its restaurants.

The Penyal d'Ifac, natural park in Calp is a massive limestone outcrop emerging from the sea and linked to the shore by rock debris. It is a home of numerous plants and birds,  rises to 332 meters high, this rock is a striking visual feature of the Mediterranean coastline. Historically it was known to the Phoenicians (B ancestors) as the Northern Rock, to distinguish it from its southern counterpart, the Rock of Gibraltar. Not to miss, because we spent a magnificent evening contemplating the sunset from the top of The Penyal d'Ifac.

 

We think that on summer time all the area will be crowded and even though we couldn't enjoy a swim, we think that we did well choosing to visit during the low season, we had sunny days with a cool breeze which was perfect for us.

The diversity of international people living in the area gives a different spirit: the architecture of the houses, the decoration of the bars, the big choice of international restaurants, the products in the supermarkets...

We want to mention as well that the area was full of cyclists enjoying the perfect weather for cycling and maybe our next visit will include some cycling activities.

 

To end our brief story we would say that we will go back again and we will visit some corners that we didn't have enough time to do and to walk "Barranco del infierno" considered as "La Cathedral del Senderismo".

We would like to thank again Al&VI for making our stay there comfortable in their beautiful house.

 

Cheers for life and for discovering our beautiful planet!

 

An escape To France

It has been a year that we were talking to visit Normandie in France. We were planning to go there last September and to stay in Camping places but at the end we couldn't. February 2018 we had a week off but as it was snowing and raining all days in Bilbao, we preferred to do our trip by car instead of by moto.
We were so lucky because we had sunny cloudy days until the last day when coming back home we were driving under snow and rain which we liked it as well.

So we will mention the main sites that we visited hoping that we will be able to visit this area again because it is very beautiful and peaceful.

B: "I have been there in July 2009 and I loved it and promised myself to go back again. This time as well I had the same feeling" ;)

The video is published in low resolution.
The music is for Yann Tiersen - Rue des cascades

From Bilbao we drove to Dune de Pilat considered the Europe's tallest sand dune nestled between the Atlantic Ocean, an enormous pine forest Arcachon Bay, a sandbank and a peninsula. We spent the night at La Rochelle, a city which maintained its past architecture and considered one of the most picturesque historically rich cities on the Atlantic coast. Not to miss visiting the old harbor with its towers lightened up at night. We didn't visit this time Île de Ré but we are already planning to do it by motorbike.
Then we stayed in Morlaix in Brittany which is dominated by a two-storied railway viaduct (built 1861–64, partially destroyed by the Royal Air Force in 1943 and now reconstructed) that spans the valley 200 feet (60 metres) above the quays.
Around this town, we visited Carantec and Roscoff located on the coast of the English Channel. All the area is very well known for its oyster cultivation. We visited as well Plouezoc'h and the Cairn of Barnenez, one of the Oldest Structures in the World, additionally, the Cairn de Barnenez is the “largest megalithic mausoleum” in Europe. It was built during the early Neolithic period.
For the seafood lovers, it is very recommended this area. The food was delicious.
Continuing the road on the coast, we had a stop at Cap Fréhel, two lighthouses, one from the 17th century and the other one from 1950 and spectacular cliffs.
Saint Malo is a historic walled port city which dates from the 1st century B.C. We wandered inside, on and around its walls. It is considered a major tourist destination, with many ancient structures.
Cancale is a picturesque fishing port known as the "oyster capital" of Brittany.  Though a small town, it is well served by a large number of restaurants, many specialising in seafood.
We had a quick visit to Dinan and we loved it. We wished we could stay longer there. Its geographical setting is exceptional. The area alongside the River Rance is known as the port of Dinan and is connected to the town by steep streets.
At Hirel, we had a very pleasant experience sleeping in a nice room with sea view (Chambre d'hôtes) and JC was glad to meet the son of the owner who restores as well motorbikes.
In the morning we head to Mont Saint Michel, one of the beautiest places of the world. It is an island which has held strategic fortifications since ancient times. What was new is the bridge that connect the parkings to the island, it was not there in 2009, they inaugurated it in 2014. It is a place full of history and stunning views, must be visited. To reach the abbey you have to do it through lot of stairs.
After spending the day there and bought some delicious typical sweets, we head to Val de Loire. On the way, we passed by Jardin au bout du monde and as its name indicates it is known for its 80 varieties of flowers and aromatic herbs.
Before heading back home we decided to spent a night beside Rochemenier and we visited the Troglodytic houses carved in rock. Their wine was stored in a massive net work of caves. These caves were situated in natural cliffs. And of course we had some bottles of wine.
So cheers friends! for life! for unforgettable memories! for dreams to come true...