Load Of Bull

Archive for the ‘Travel’ Category

Situated on the outskirts of the main town heading in the direction of Yecla a small community exists solely because, and for, the hot springs that flow from its mountainsides.

It’s difficult to write an article about Fortuna without mentioning the natural hot baths, so I won’t, and indeed why would I as locals and visitors have, for centuries, used and benefited from the mineral springs that remain at an all year round temperature of 36 degrees.

Nestled in the hills to the northeast of Murcia about fifteen minutes from the A7 motorway and near the border of the province, the town became famous for Read the rest of this entry »

They used to be known as ‘Great’ Danes but not in my book, not any longer. How dare they? My home island nation (that’s Britain by the way) has, over the years, and mainly thanks to the Scots come up with some of the most important inventions, ideas and solutions to problems that are around in the world today. If it wasn’t for us (okay the Scottish) we wouldn’t have television, tyres

Read the rest of this entry »

I have a friend whose diet is poor. In fact so poor that pretty much every meal he eats has to include chips. He won’t eat ‘foreign muck’ and will investigate anything not looking like he thinks it’s should with the end of a knife like a surgeon investigating a wound. Finally, and it’s always the same he’ll drop the knife on the plate and say, ‘can’t eat that.’

He doesn’t like to take risks in any part of his life and that includes his food Read the rest of this entry »

Another cigarette exits my packet. Then my lighter disappears. I am in Juande cafeteria in the Glorieta Square in Santa Pola. Juan, the owner and ‘when I feel like it’ waiter wanders off with a puff of smoke to chat with another customer at another table in this typically Spanish hostelry – and with my lighter.

I’m here because it’s my escape. My bolthole. A place to sit and write with a large coffee amongst good people – and where else can you sit all day and have a couple of coffees to interrupt the chat without getting a piercing look from the owner. Ok it will cost me a few ciggies during the day too (and probably a lighter) but it’s a small price to pay when you’re enveloped by what is best in Spain – the traditional and the cultural. Outside of the front door, the recently extended Glorieta Square leads to the impressive five hundred year old castle – and Juan’s twin brother stands idly chatting with another local – with my lighter…

The noise inside is incredible as mostly housewives joust for their particular piece of knowledge to be heard before and above all others. The rest of us raise our voices to be heard over the din, therefore increasing the overall volume that bit more. You’d think it’d be impossible to get any work done at all but for some reason I can get more done in a couple of hours (read six…) in there than I can all day at home.

Juan and his wife Loles have run the café for the past twenty-five years having converted it from a general store in 1983. Juan’s parents had opened the General Store in 1930 and ran it for the next 53 years, supplying the town with everything from light bulbs to Goldfish, in fact the front of the building appeared in the major Spanish feature film ‘The man with the white umbrella’ in 1959.

Nowadays, Juan and Loles enjoy the Brits as customers too, and says Loles; the British always have two cups of coffee with their breakfast which is very rare with the Spanish and of course they drink a lot more beer than the locals but they are always polite and friendly and we always ask them to practice their Spanish with us.

Next time you are in Santa Pola – call in (offer Juan a ciggie and you will be a friend for life) and taste a bit of Spanish life and culture over a wonderfully, steaming, enormous Café con Leche – ladies, they do not come bigger than Juan’s.

I don’t know how long you’ve lived here but, whether it’s a matter of months or years, you will have seen change in the area you live in. I don’t just mean structural change either- without doubt most aspects of life here on the Costa Blanca have seen adjustments, amendments or indeed improvements in recent times.

We’ve seen Gran Alacant rise into a massive urbanized area; filled with Spanish and Ex-pats either temporarily, or throughout the year, and still in the midst of change – a new primary school being finished this month and three golf courses planned for the near future. No new news on the golf course for locals and hackers either…. Well there is but it’s the same as the last time we reported it in January but for those who had something far more interesting to do (read another mag’?) here it is again. The town hall stated that all the permissions are in and have been approved for the planned golf courses and 10,000+ houses that will eventually populate the land on the opposite side of the road to the petrol station at the entrance to Gran Alacant. The question is ‘when?’ The answer to that is; when a builder is brave (and rich) enough to build the houses and sell them – in the current market that could be a little way off.

Santa Pola has seen a fair amount of changes over the last twelve months alone with a new cinema and shopping complex in Del Este and an indoor swimming pool well on the way to welcoming bathers next to the health centre (good planning…?). The local police have a nice shiny new home (at least they didn’t have ETA destroy there previous one for them) and the promenade is getting a facelift ready for the summer… (yeah I know…but that’s what they said…). 

A new port boasting cafes and restaurants sits invitingly in the sparkly med’ and access in and out of the fishing town has been improved recently meaning there’s only a 25% chance of getting walloped by another car now…

If you’ve never been the town’s one- way system needs to be experienced especially by thrill seekers and orienteerers?…er…people who read maps…and especially at about 8.30 in the morning when the builders decide to close off roads – make sure you’ve got plenty of CD’s and water in the car.

Down the road a quiet revolution – perhaps that should be evolution – took place in San Fulgencio last year. Well, when I say revolution….voted into the town hall were a number of ex-pat councillors who had decided it was time for change. Since that time we’ve seen more comings and goings in the halls of power but one thing to come out of it all has been the new sports programme for the kids of the area. Politically San Fulgencio is an active place with many locals getting involved or voicing their opinions – possibly more so than in any other local town. Structurally, however, the area never stops evolving with building continuous (to quote a local) over the past ‘god knows how many’ years.

Along the coast a little further and we’ve seen enormous change in Guardamar where one report put it last year that the population would explode in the small Spanish town by one thousand (yup 1,000) percent! El Raso has become home to many ex-pats and the developments along the river have been filled with residents and 2^nd homers (although according to local estate agents the majority of buyers here have been Spanish). Guardamar is another one of those towns where there is always something going on. Whether it’s this month’s football tournament featuring a side from Glasgow Celtic or the famous ‘Food Week,’ Guardamar seems to be a little town that can punch above its weight. Having said that – get along to one of their Fiestas and you will not be disappointed as the place is taken over by the spirit and the enjoyment of the occasion and they seem to go just that bit further in Guardamar.

Rojales hasn’t escaped the building boom as many of you living there will know. From a small Spanish village just a handful of years ago this town and the surrounding area have seen their boundaries broaden as hundreds of houses (legal and illegal) have sprung up over the past few years. However, in spite of all this, the town retains its Spanish charm and is well worth a visit (especially at Fiesta time) or drive along to the Caves and see the local artists at work. Rojales basks in its culture, and rightly so. Nearby new kid on the block (relatively speaking of course) Quesada has its own town hall nowadays and changes on a smaller scale are seen now on the Urb’ as handfuls of houses are built rather than skip loads. A new motorway runs nearby taking people to and from the coast to the south and off to Alicante and beyond in the north.

Everywhere is changing some places more than others, some faster than others but our life here on the coast is an evolutionary one – the same as the rest of the world agreed – but it is changing at a much faster pace. The infrastructure, the landscape and the people will, in general, be quite a bit different in ten years time – fascinating isn’t it…? I mean, who will your neighbours be in ten years time? Spanish, Scandinavian Still Brits or (god Forbid) Americans! Who knows….at the end of the day it will be Him that decides. Yes, He with the almighty power to control our lives…Yup, ladies and gentlemen I give you the Chancellor of the Exchequer…Bless Him…

By the way Mr Darwin…about that missing link… I think he’s working in one of my local bars…that’s if you still need him…?