Last evening, thanks to Jeanette who suggested the event, we had a wonderful time at the Benidorm Palace, about ten minutes south of our resort. She had read excellent reviews about this dinner/theatre and it was her preference over the jousting event, also held nearby. As usual, parking seemed to have been waiting just for us as we picked up the last space immediately in front of the building saving us a walk to the car park on the other side. We waited in the large lobby with other well dressed patrons and were soon ushered to our table located about three sets back facing the centre of the stage. We could not have been better positioned. When our five course dinner started, we chose red wine for the evening. My pate was excellent and so ... read more

Hi all, We are back at the resort to relax by the pool before we go out again, first for a walk nearby so we can enjoy the beautiful views of Benidorm, Altea and Albir at night. We just returned from having lunch in a "small" town south of here called Villajoyosa. Imagine having a pasta meal with a rerfeshing Spanish drink (a bit like Sangria but sparkling), desert and cafe con leche for only Euro 7.95 each. Stretching out before us was one of the better Mediterranean beaches we have been to - sand and not pebbles. We are considering returning here probably tomorrow for a sea bath if we do not end up at a beach closer to benidorm that had been recommended to us. We parked our car on the street and took ... read more

This morning we took a drive through Altea and Benisa and then had lunch in the port area of Calpa. We had great fish dishes. Gee had a mixed salad and a mixed platter while I had mussels to start and Sword fish as the main. Both were very tasty and the ambience was wonderful, sitting near the water. Incidentally, they said that wine was included but they brought a whole bottle of red. We managed most of it and I had just enough so as not to tip me over the edge and risk the wrath of the Spanish police. We then took a leisurely drive back to the resort and plunged into the pool before soaking up the Costa Blanca sun. Tonight we plan to take in some nightlife in Benidorm just south of ... read more

Today Sunday, I blog from the town of Alfaz del Pi, just north of Benidorm in Valencia area of Spain. We arrived in Alicante yesterday by train, picked up our rental car (a similar one to the last) and headed north. We had fun and games finding the resort and finally, with the help of two kind Spanish ladies, finally found it. Perched on the side of a mountain overlooking the beautiful bay, our unit is very impressive and like a small home away from home. Our deck outside is huge, the sunshine is wonderful and we are ready to relax after a hectic vacation in Italy and France especially. We went to a local supermarket nearby and were stunned by the prices. How can they manage to make a profit at these low prices when ... read more

Well, here I am again after the slowest of blogging starts. I am slowly trying to catch up although I must say that Jeanette probably took the best pictures with her fancy camera and none of them have yet been downloaded to my computer. That will be done when we return to Calgary unless I make an attempt before that. We are about to leave Lourdes where we spent the night and head for Carcassonne, the medieval walled city, via Toulouse. It was an unexpectedly wonderful evening as we attended an extraordinary event. We first visited the Grotto where Bernadette claimed to have had visions of the Blessed Mary, mother of Jesus. She was since made a saint after severe scrutiny from the Roman Catholic Church. Lourdes is one of the foremost pilgrimage sites for Roman ... read more