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Published: April 26th 2007
Our Villa: Casa Cielo
Our 'home' for the month of April, thanks to a house exchange. The Final Chapter: April in Spain
When we originally planned our retirement trip, we guessed that after three months of travel, we would be ready to ‘settle’ somewhere for the month of April. That somewhere became the small village of Benitachell, on the Costa Blanca, halfway between the major cities of Alicante and Valencia. Through the joys of house swap, we had arranged to have a three bedroom villa (with a pool) for the month, in exchange for a month at our home in late June and July for the villa owners. (their home is in Ireland; the villa is their vacation home!)
We were excited to arrive at Casa Cielo for a number of reasons, the first of which may have been the chance to actually unpack, hang clothes in a closet and not live out of ‘the suitcase’. Secondly, our good friends, Margie and Tony, were to arrive the next day, the plan being we would pick them up at the Valencia airport, an hour and a quarter from our village.
We were thrilled to see the plan actually work, (us arriving from South Africa and them from Canada, no cell phone or email to
Nancy and Margie
The Mediterranean Sea in the background. contact if there had been a problem...no one really had a Plan B!) so there were hugs all around when we met at the airport.
The next two weeks flew by and I won’t even try to record all the great times and beautiful places we experienced. This part of Spain is a stunning blend of outstanding natural scenery…the blue Mediterranean Sea with its rugged rocky shoreline punctuated with white sand beaches...the mountains, craggy and striking on every horizon…the small villages with whitewashed buildings, wrought iron grates and flowers cascading from window boxes and balconies…the miles of terraced hillsides, the rock walls built centuries ago to allow for growth of almond, orange, olive and grape orchards…it is so distinctly NOT North American that it is fascinating in every aspect.
Of course there are pockets of over development, with high rises running the length of some beaches and restaurants catering to tourists offering traditional English breakfasts, fish and chips and other British favourites. The Costa Blanca can easily be reached by a short flight or car from either the UK or central Europe, and the reputation for over 300 days of sunshine per year is a big attraction.
Exploring the old towns
Even the more developed towns have remarkable historic town centers..narrow streets and white washed buildings. Speaking of sunshine, this might be the only disappointing aspect of the trip, at least for these first two weeks. The weather was much cooler and much wetter than any of us had imagined…in fact, the newspapers and the locals could do nothing but talk about just how untypical the cool wet weather was. Some shop keepers, in halting English, even apologized for it…and while the four of us did our best to stay positive, and relished in the sunny breaks we did get, there were moments when we were all somewhat grumpy from lack of sun. (I know there is not one ounce of sympathy from New Brunswickers about this plight, but I do think that Margie and Tony were robbed…although it did not spoil our fun.)
We spent the days exploring wonderful small villages like Calpe and Altea, doing walking tours of the old towns, strolling the markets (there is a market somewhere every day here!) and shops for leather goods, shoes, sunglasses, linens and the traditional Spanish snacks such as churros (like long skinny donuts sprinkled with sugar), local almonds and ice cream (there are ice cream shops everywhere..it seems to be a dessert of choice,
Guadalest Bell Tower and castle
This village had to be seen to be believed. can you imagine building these on cliffs like this? even in fancy restaurants).
Speaking of restaurants, dining was also an adventure. Lunches in Spain are later than home, and often take several hours (those eaten while sitting in a sunny café being the best!). Then all the shops close for siesta from 1:30 or 2 till 4:30 or 5, when everything comes to life again. The Spaniards enjoy late dinners…really late, with most restaurants filling up around 9 or later and meals going on till midnight!
We occasionally stopped for Tapas, small snacks of various descriptions…sometimes we were not sure what we were getting! Many waiters and shop keepers speak little English, so we made good use of my handy Spanish Phrase Book…that and hand gestures (nice ones) made it possible to communicate. The Spanish are not noted as particularly warm people, and indeed, they are quick to honk a horn and throw up their hands in frustration if a ‘tourista’ holds up traffic. On one occasion, a labourer in our sub division was so frustrated with traffic coming through the spot that he and fellow workers were trying to repair, that he began shouting loudly at us in Spanish, and even threw his shovel on the
Flamenco Dancers
Traditional Spanish dancing and guitar. road in front of our car! However, for the most part, people were kind and helpful, although it may have taken more to generate a smile from strangers than it does back home. (I did have a waiter kiss my hand though…now that was a first!)
Margie, Tony, Hector and I had a great time trying new food such as the traditional Valencian Paella, a delicious rice dish, served with meats such as chicken and rabbit, (or shellfish) and seasoned with saffron. We consumed many bottles of ‘vino tinto’ (red wine) and cerveca (beer). Most restaurants offer free muscatel, a locally made dessert wine after the meal. One evening, we combined dinner with a flamenco dance show, perhaps not the most professional performers, but certainly an enthusiastic and enjoyable evening! We drove the narrow winding roads of villages, Hector and Tony in the back seat joking and occasionally singing Lemon Tree(...you had to be there!), while Margie and I navigated and drove respectively.
One of our most fascinating outings was to the tiny mountainside village of Guadalest, which was built as a Moorish stronghold during the 8th century! (yes, that is eighth!) The remains of a castle and
Lunch in Valencia
Sunshine, an historic city, good vino and cerveca...it doesn't get any better! the incredible bell tower are perched on the top of a cliff that seems to defy possible construction, yet there it has stood for hundreds of years. Visiting the cobbled streets, magnificent old mansion and the castle and bell structure brings history to you in a way that no text book or video ever can.
While we didn’t get to do much sun bathing, we did walk the coastal areas and certainly walked the village and town streets in search of bargains and gifts. When you see Margie sporting gorgeous new brown leather boots, you can picture us tramping through heavy rain, feeling smug with success when we found the perfect pair!
We couldn’t believe how quickly the two weeks passed. We were rewarded with sunshine on our final day together, which we spent touring the beautiful city of Valencia. Founded by the Romans, it is today Spains’ third largest city, and our hop-on-hop-off bus tour allowed us to get a good look at the fascinating architecture (both historic and modern) of this ancient city. We climbed the 207 dizzying steps to the top of the cathedral (which took 350 years to construct and where the Holy Grail is
Banco Valencia
This bank is just one of the many beautiful historic buildings in Valencia. kept!) and looked in awe at the cityscape. The 15th century Silk Exchange building (a Unesco World heritage site) and the beautifully tiled Mercado Centro (the largest enclosed market in Europe), along with a huge bull ring (bull fights are still very much part of the culture) were fascinating to view.
We had been so lucky to have such good friends to travel with, and sharing travel with Canadian friends is a very special opportunity!
After more hugs and farewells, we found ourselves driving back to our villa for our final two weeks.
Happily for us (although we did feel guilty), the sun has shone for most of that time.
We continued to walk miles, exploring markets, metros and mountains. On Hector’s 65th birthday (April 16th) we drove into the Laguart Valley, a spectacular mountain drive where we scouted the beginning of a hike for later in the week, visited the Cave of Skulls (a 6 chamber cave that extends half a kilometer into the mountainside) and stumbled upon a village fiesta. The outoor band and dancing, children’s crafts, stalls of food and cerveca, as well as a market made it a wonderful slice of
Local Wash House
These wash houses are common in many small villages. This one marked the start of our hike on the Mozarabic Trails. Spanish life to savour. A pretty good way to turn 65 we thought!
Perhaps the highlight of these two weeks was the hike we undertook on the Mozarabic Trail in the Laguart Valley. Now we have done a fair bit of hiking, but we would have to say, that this was unlike anything either of us had done or seen before. The trail followed 18 kilometers of pathways created in Medieval times by Christians living under Muslim rule in Moorish Spain. Hundreds of years ago, these people constructed these paths to enable them to travel from village to village, and the paths lead up, over and down incredible mountains and gorges. Rocks have been set into the cliffside forming walls and steps that go on for miles, and switchback up and down, taking today’s hiker into regions that we would never have imagined being able to access. When we looked back at each mountain (there were 3 in total that we ascended then descended into the valley between), we were constantly amazed, first that such trails could ever have been built by hand, second that they have lasted for centuries, and third, that we had actually walked so high,
Penon D'Ifich Park area
This spectacular rock formation dominates the shoreline of many small villages in the area. there is a trail that leads to a tunnel and then on to the top. The day we went, they recommended not going past the tunnel due to wet rocks, but the views were amazing! so low and so long!! By the time we had completed the 18 km, we were ready for it to be over, but we were in awe at the experience we had just completed…one that we will remember forever!
Our final big day out involved another trip back to Valencia, where we explored the site of the 32 America Cup Sailing venue. This was another fascinating opportunity, a chance of a lifetime to see a sporting event that receives such recognition around the world. To see some of the ships, to get a sense of the spirit and passion that drives the upper crust of the sailing elite, was a real treat.
We also used some time this last week to just rest and relax, as was our intent for Spain. We are content to do less, and our thoughts have turned even more to family, friends and home. The villa has been cleaned and bags are almost packed in readiness for the flight to London then on to Halifax on the 29th, where Bill will pick us up.
This has been an incredible 4 months…that it has been the trip of a lifetime is an understatement. We
Tunnel trio
This was a great walk. The sun was warm and the views amazing. A rope was needed to prevent slipping on the tunnel floor. both believe that the world is an amazing place, and that every destination has something to offer , if one can just look for the positives.
We feel so blessed to have been able to do this, and even more blessed that so many of you have taken the time to follow our travels by reading these blog entries. Thank you for allowing us to share…it has made the journey even more memorable.
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Carlene Merrick
non-member comment
Wow... what pictures
I am going to continue to read this tomorrow.. however... I would love to say ow much we miss you Nancy!! Love you and I'm so glad that this journey has been such as successful one!!! What pictures!!!!! You write like an author Love Carlen