The first week of August was my first week of a 2-week vacation. The situation being what it is, the usual trip abroad was not in the cards, so this was a “staycation” during which I was determined to disconnect from work as much as possible, and to spend quality time on two wheels.
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I start with a couple of images from Busot, a place I visit 3-4 times a week. I like this spot just before entering the village, where the goats often greet me, albeit warily:
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In the centre of Busot, there is a micro-market (two or three stalls) every Sunday:
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On Sunday afternoon, we went for lunch in a restaurant outside a small village in the mountains, about 50 km from Alicante. There are many good restaurants scattered around the area, often in out-of-the way locations. The place is called Moli de Xirxles, and it is located next to small stream in a nice wooded area. Of course, one eats outside (I have not been inside a restaurant since early March). Given the informal setting, the restaurant feels the need for the “no shirt, no service” type of sign:
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The setting was informal, but the food was very good, and reasonably priced:
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The mejillones were nice and plump:
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I entertained myself between dishes by observing a cute chubby dog under a neighbouring table. She was looking around in the beginning:
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But as the meal went on, the doggie got hot and tired:
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On the way back after lunch, I stopped to photograph the village of Polop from a nice vantage point:
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Note the cemetery on top of the hill, very common in the mountain villages around here:
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On Monday morning, I was out cycling again, enjoying the first day of my vacation. The clouds over El Campello looked threatening, but in the end they just went away, a not infrequent occurrence here–we get a lot of false alarms like this:
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So after my ride, I drove down to the Mercado Central to walk around a bit and enjoy the city. This is the bar on the square behind the market, usually more busy than this:
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Relaxing with a friend:
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I walked around the neighbourhood, looking for signs for my collection. This one is intriguing:
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Pirates:
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On Tuesday morning, I cycled inland towards the mountain called Maigmó, and this time the clouds looked more menacing:
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And this time, the clouds delivered. Fortunately for me, when I took this picture, they had not yet reached the road on which I cycled:
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I stopped for my usual break at about 26 km, just before a hard long climb after passing through this tunnel under the motorway. But when I saw this, I thought it wiser to turn around. Bad weather in the mountains is not pleasant:
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The following day the weather was back to normal. I cycled to Jijona this time, and took a break on the main street. I have seen these two ladies on previous occasions. Much of the social life in these small towns takes place outside:
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I cycled home via Busot. The 10 km road between Jijona and Busot is one of the nicest stretches on my customary routes. I especially like this particular spot:
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Finally, on Thursday I did the Vía Verde on my mountain bike:
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There are several fruit plantations around Agost, or just fruit trees growing along the trail:
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I don’t even know what these are:
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On this melon field, it is harvest time:
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After 9-10 km, the plantations disappear and the trail heads into the mountains:
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This is when the ride becomes most enjoyable, with a pretty landscape and many tunnels and bridges:
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And I was certainly not the only cyclist out there:
