An eclectic week, with the usual activities of working, cycling, and walking around the city. At the end of the week, we had a true cross-cultural experience: my Puerto Rican wife made a Polish dinner for our Spanish friends.
7_1
The week began on Sunday with the usual bike ride in the mountains. The almond trees are in bloom everywhere:
7_2
I am training for a 200 km brevet on Saturday the 22nd, and this is the first part of the route, between Agost and the Maigmó mountain:
7_3
7_4
The parking at Maigmó, 35 km from my house, a natural place to take a break. I am used to having it more or less to myself, but on this Sunday morning lots of people had driven to Maigmó to hike in the beautiful landscape:
7_5
On Sunday afternoon I went to the city to buy some things in the Chinese grocery and to have a beer at Malatesta. Sadly, the bar was closed (some of the local bars have opening hours that could be described as “random”), but it was not a total loss; a walk in the centre is always nice:
7_6
Urban fauna and peeling paint:
7_7
Strange graffiti, questioning the ability of Alicante cooks to make paella. Perhaps the work of extremists from Valencia:
7_8
When I came home, our friend Eliot came to visit for a bit; his wife is visiting friends in Barcelona, so he feels lonely:
7_9
On Tuesday afternoon I attended a talk by senior IP staff from Panasonic on their IP strategy; we get visits like this from time to time. Here, Iris is introducing our guests:
7_10
The talk was only mildly interesting, but I was entertained by the innovations in English grammar visible on this slide:
7_11
Wednesday morning was nice, and I took a walk on the beach, enjoying the clear air and some fluffy clouds:
7_12
7_13
During the lunch break, I had to go to the centre to buy a few things at the Eastern European grocery. Before going inside the store, I took in the urban life on Plaza Seneca. A woman and her dog caught my attention:
7_14
7_15
7_16
Typical Spanish mid-week scene; the mother is at work, the grandmother looks after the baby:
7_17
It is evident that the large, paved square is popular among young skateboarders:
7_18
Thursday morning, another early morning walk to the beach and the bakery. This time, I looked at the sky:
7_19
7_20
A cat in the neighbour’s driveway. That house is empty at the moment, and I hope the local cats take up residence–we have mice in our garden:
7_21
Our lemon tree:
7_22
One thing I like about my Panasonic GX80 camera is that it serves as an excellent platform for some of my Leica lenses, such as the 90mm Tele-Elmarit, one of my favourites. At the office, I tested the combination on my Greek colleague Eri, always a willing victim if I ask nicely:
7_23
On Friday night, my wife, our daughter and I went for dinner at a restaurant called Brel on the beach promenade in El Campello. Despite the Belgian-sounding name it is an Italian restaurant, very popular around here. We had a reservation; those who didn’t had to wait:
7_24
Monica studies the menu:
7_25
Enjoying the excellent bread and olive oil:
7_26
On Saturday morning, I started the day by cycling to the French bakery (I usually walk there, but I wanted to take a morning ride after breakfast, so I was in a bit of a hurry):
7_27
An example of why I always have my camera with me. A young woman with her elderly little dog finishing breakfast outside the bakery. Like many of the customers and the staff of the bakery, she was French (I had overheard her speaking with her companion), so I asked her nicely in French to pose for a couple of pics:
7_28
Later that morning, during my bike ride, one of the goats outside Busot looking at me warily:
7_29
In the afternoon, Monica and I went for a walk near the harbour of El Campello. It was not that warm, but it did not stop this man from enjoying the sun:
7_30
The beach promenade was full of people strolling around, and many dogs out and about as well:
7_31
On Saturday night we had invited some Spanish friends for a Polish dinner. One of the manifestations of the multicultural nature of our household is that my Puerto Rican wife likes to make Polish food occasionally, something she learned from my late mother and my sister. Here she is, serving the barszcz:
7_32
The star dish was gołąbki (“little pigeons”), cabbage leaves wrapped around a filling of meat, spices and rice:
7_33
Like many traditional Polish dishes, gołąbki is a lot of work. This is not food to be made in mid-week, unless the person cooking it does not work outside the home:
7_34
But they are delicious, and fortunately there were leftovers for the next day:
