During the last week of September we hosted a couple of big events in the office, so most of my photos are related to those events–both working-type images and images from after-work activities.
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But it was not all work. Of course I was out cycling during the weekend at the beginning of the week. And outside the tobacco shop in Agost this cute dog was waiting for his human:
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On the way home from Agost, passing the town of San Vicente, I happened on a fiesta–this is the season for the fiestas patronales in many towns around here. I hung around for a few minutes, taking pictures of the children having fun:
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On Sunday afternoon, I stopped by Playa San Juan to take in the autumn ambience on the beach:
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My Monday morning bike ride provided some nice views of the city from the hills near Aigües:
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At the office, we had the final prep meeting for the event we were hosting later in the week (the plenary meeting of our public and private stakeholders), including a test of the equipment in the big meeting room:
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Stephanie, looking serious and concentrated:
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Tuesday morning, sunrise on our beach:
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Later in the morning, Eri came to see me about some planned publications. It should be clear from this image that I do not subscribe to the idea of a “clean desk”:
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The first event of the week was a conference on IP enforcement, in our new auditorium. Blanca (on the left) is moderating a panel with representatives of Eurojust, OLAF (the EU’s anti-fraud office) and Europol:
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Blanca speaks to the Eurojust representative:
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Meanwhile, Kasia manages the technology:
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Tuesday evening we had the monthly wine tasting at the office. I took this informal portrait at the representative of the bodega whose wares we were tasting:
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Wednesday we started our plenary meeting. Lunch was a so-called “cocktail lunch” or “networking lunch”, meaning that you had to eat in the uncomfortable manner of standing and chatting with people while trying to avoid making a mess of yourself:
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Meanwhile, Eri was working alone in the large meeting room:
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The plenary is a two-day meeting; it is the one event each year which brings together all our stakeholders, both public and private. In the evening, we had dinner at a restaurant not too far from my house. It is one of the few places in Alicante that can accommodate 100+ people. We started with drinks and tapas outdoors:
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Also part of the pre-dinner activities was a short flamenco show. When we were planning the meeting, I was a bit sceptical about this bit (it was the idea of my colleague Stephanie), but it turned out wonderful and everyone loved it. The performer is a local flamenco instructor:
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Then we went inside for dinner, and afterwards I got this portrait of Eri and a lady from Cyprus whose name I did not catch:
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On Thursday we continued the meeting; during the mid-morning coffee break, I snapped an image of my boss Paul (centre) speaking with Blanca and George, a senior customs official from Malta:
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After the meeting ended and the guests had left, we had an informal get-together in the kitchen to say goodbye to a couple of colleagues who were moving on to other departments. Blanca is giving a brief speech to one of those departing people, Patricia:
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Patricia receives her parting gifts:
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And then, on Friday, we had our usual last-Friday-of-the-month drink at noon:
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Three of my favourite “victims”, Ana, Carolina and Eri:
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Conversation:
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That Friday was also the last day for my trainee, Kevin, who completed his year-long traineeship with us and was now moving on. So we took him for lunch at Hostal Maruja on the beach:
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This waiter, part of the family that owns Hostal Maruja, has been there seemingly forever:
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As usual, we enjoyed the excellent seafood:
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A paddle boarder approaches, with the island of Tabarca in the distance:
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Coming closer (he actually came ashore and entered the restaurant, it is that kind of place):
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The steps from the Hostal Maruja terrace to the beach are a popular selfie spot:
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On Saturday, I was happy to get back on the bike in a serious way, and I climbed the Carrasqueta mountain pass. More than 2 hours of cycling uphill, then a 5 minute rest at the top, enjoy the view and eat a banana, and then back down:
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This curve, about 6 km from the pass, is a lot more interesting when descending than when ascending:
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On Sunday morning, I did another long ride, more than 80 km, but this time on the flat terrain south of Alicante, passing the beach at Urbanova:
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It may be autumn, but it is still very much beach weather:
