Easter Monday is a public holiday in Spain, and this year it was particularly nice because it happened to be my wife’s birthday. Otherwise, it was an ordinary week of work, cycling and such.
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In preparation for the birthday celebration in the evening, a cake was produced, and Cheeta helped clean the bowl afterwards:
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It is our tradition that I prepare a big breakfast to start a day like a birthday. This time I made the usual omelette but since my vegan daughter was with us, I also made scrambled tofu (which turned out delicious):
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The cooking theme continued throughout the day. We had invited a few of our Spanish friends for curry. They find Indian food incredibly exotic, and I enjoy preparing it, so everyone is happy. It is also good to serve when Monica is here since all the dishes except the chicken curry are vegan:
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Friends in conversation:
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Cheeta was interested too:
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Time for the birthday cake:
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This and the next three pictures are snapshots taken during early morning dog walks. Why someone would drink a beer and leave the can on top of the trash bin rather than putting it IN the bin is beyond me:
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The post office opens in about an hour, and the cleaner is at work:
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Take-off:
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At the supermarket. When Spaniards talk about ham (jamón), this is what they mean:
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On Saturday, I cycled up to the Puerto de la Carrasqueta mountain pass again. On the way, I stopped to have a look at the cemetery in Jijona, something I have always wanted to do. As is usually the case, it is located on a hilltop above the town:
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Low-rent and high-rent districts:
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New section:
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The mountain pass. This road is extremely popular with motorcyclists too:
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A fellow cyclist on the way up:
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On some of the straighter portions of this road, the motorcycles travel at speeds closer to the “homemade” speed limit than the official one:
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On Saturday evening, I went to El Campello’s Eden Bar again. Liverpool were playing Tottenham, an attractive match on paper (and it turned out so, although as a Liverpool fan I was not pleased with the 1-1 result). During halftime, as is my habit, I took a walk along the beach promenade. The sun was setting and provided nice illumination. A couple of children play in the sand:
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A lone jogger:
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The women converse, the husbands look like they just want to move on:
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Last picture of the evening. On the way to my car to drive home, I passed another bar. People were getting ready to watch the biggest match in Spanish football, El Clásico–Barcelona vs. Real Madrid: