This was the week leading up to Christmas. This year we were going to spend the holiday in quite a different way, by going for 3 days to Morocco on December 23rd. But during this week, the approaching holiday was very much in evidence.
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The nearby village of Busot, part of my usual cycling route, is nicely decorated:
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We are going to get together with a large group of friends to celebrate New Years Eve, and one day we met to plan the event in more detail, especially the important issues of how much wine, beer and champagne is needed (food too, of course). The planning session took place over lunch in a restaurant near Cani’s house, where we will party on NYE. Here is Cani with pen and paper, being serious about the accounting:
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Mati is less concerned about the planning as long as there is enough wine:
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Then the paella arrived, and the planning was put on hold for a while:
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On Plaza Seneca in the centre there is a small Christmas fair, mainly for the children:
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Churros are probably the most popular snack in Spain:
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Santa is there too:
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Afterwards, I went for a beer at a bar called Eden, possibly the most beautiful bar in Alicante, where you are served by the owner who knows how to pour a proper pint of Guinness:
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My wife has been singing in a local choir for many years. The Christmas season is always the highlight of the year for them, since they perform in some of the emblematic venues around Alicante. And so on Wednesday night they were singing in the Basílica Santa María, one of Alicante’s two main churches. I went to see her perform, stopping by the Plaza del Ayuntamiento on the way from the car to the church to check on the giant nativity scene:
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The choir in action with a very ornate backdrop:
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Detail. Having grown up in a Protestant country with its simple and austere churches, I am always impressed by the splendour of the Catholic churches here in Southern Europe:
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The conductor is originally from Cuba, but she has lived in Spain for many years:
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My wife in full voice:
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The male voices:
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While most of the singers are of a certain age, recently the choir has recruited some younger members:
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On the square in front of the church there is a small restaurant, and through the window I saw a Dutch co-worker:
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Friday was winter solstice, and I had taken the day off to start my Christmas break a day early. During my morning bike ride, I stopped to photograph the beginning of the shortest day of the year:
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A couple of km later, the rising sun illuminated the road to Aigües:
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While taking my usual Coke break on the main square in Aigües, I had a delightful surprise. The children from the local school were brought to the square by their teachers (it is a 5 minute walk) for a photo shoot on the last day before the Christmas break:
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One of the teachers had a sack of snacks which she was giving out to everyone on the square, including a sweaty cyclist:
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I enjoyed the sights while drinking my Coke:
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I continued my ride, going on to Busot, 8 km away. It is a really pretty road, and there are always other cyclists:
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The final climb of the ride, up to the little white house in the distance:
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And then the view of Busot from the top, a sight I always enjoy, partly because it means that the rest of the ride is downhill:
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On a hill overlooking Busot there is a ruin of some fortifications, presumably from Moorish times:
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My last stop was at the Busot cemetery, located on a hill above the village, as is usually the case around here:
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Planning for the inevitable future:
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Busot has a significant northern European population, which is now reflected in the cemetery as well:
The next 4 images are made with the Leica 90mm Tele-Elmarit lens, one of my very favourite lenses.
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Having enjoyed the solstice sunrise, in the afternoon I went to the beach bar 100 Montaditos to enjoy the sunset. The air was clear, and Benidorm was easily visible in the distance:
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My town, El Campello, illuminated by the setting sun:
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Beach volley:
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Photo session:
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On my way home, I took some pictures of my neighbourhood. This is the main road leading to the beach:
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A small roundabout, 100 meters from my house:
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Our house, which my wife insisted on decorating despite the fact that we were going to be away over Christmas:
