A bit of an eclectic week, which started on Mallorca and included a wine tasting, some nice sunrises and various odds and ends from around Alicante.
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The week started early Sunday morning in Palma de Mallorca. I was going back to the mainland following Saturday’s bicycle event (see last week’s blog). The ferry was departing at 8 a.m. so I was on deck to enjoy the sunrise over Palma:
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A crew member makes some last-minute inspections or adjustments. I liked the way his jacket matches the life boats. Note that the ferry is registered in Greece:
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Convenience flag:
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At 8, the ferry departed as planned, and I hung around on deck to take in the view of Palma’s waterfront:
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A few hours later, the ferry made a landing in Ibiza before continuing to Denia on the mainland. We did not get off the boat but I got some quick views of Ibiza nonetheless:
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I was back home around 5 p.m., tired but very satisfied. In the evening, we got together with some friends just to chill out a bit:
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On Tuesday evening, we had our monthly wine tasting at the office. Don Felipe, the proprietor of the bodega Gutierrez de la Vega, was an animated presenter:
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Takis used to work at the office. He recently retired but still participates in important activities such as wine tastings:
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Truth be told, I was not crazy about the wines presented this evening but I did like the labels:
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Three pictures from the centre of Alicante. I like to look at the sometimes fanciful signs. Here is a vintage clothes shop:
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A dog grooming place:
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Colourful shutters:
Then some sunrise pictures. At this time of the year, I am up and about at sunrise, either walking the dog or doing a pre-work bike ride.
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Playa Muchavista, during a bike ride on Thursday morning:
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On Friday, my wife was going to Madrid on a 7:20 a.m. train. So I dropped her off at the train station and then went to work early. The side benefit was that I enjoyed a magnificent sunrise from the office terrace:
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A blast from the past, seen while walking my dog on Saturday morning. This is a much-beloved car, associated with the counterculture of the 1960 and 1970s (in Denmark its nickname was slum-stormer’s tank). I do not know how old this one is, but production ended in 1990, so it is at least 26 years old:
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Sometimes a good way to enjoy the early morning light is not to look at the sunrise but at the buildings that are illuminated by the rising sun:
The last three pictures are from a bar in El Campello, just under 9 km from my house, where I have started to go to watch sports. In contrast to other sports bars around here, they have an excellent beer selection, and the place does not get ridiculously crowded. The owners are French and the beer list has a heavy Belgian influence which is a very good thing.
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I went there on Saturday afternoon to watch the England-Ireland rugby match, part of the Six Nations championship currently underway. These two English gentlemen were very knowledgeable about the game:
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The neighbouring table was occupied by a group of local Spanish people who were there just to have a drink and converse, not to watch sports. Here is a selfie in production:
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An itinerant seller of Chinese trinkets offering his wares to the people at the table. This is a common scene in the bars around here:
