This was the week when I returned to a normal life following my enforced isolation with the virus. I was asked by our office doctor to continue to work from home the first part of the week, but I could return to the office as of Thursday. And I continued to cycle every day, and we got together with friends for lunch for the first time this year. Good thing too, since newly imposed restrictions here in Spain mean that such get-togethers will be forbidden for the next few weeks at least.
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Having made my first post-Covid bike ride at the end of week 2, I continued this part of recovery in week 3, cycling to Busot on Sunday morning. How I enjoyed this familiar view again:
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On Sunday afternoon we got together with Eliot and Assumpta for lunch, the first time we saw any of our friends since New Year’s Day:
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One of Assumpta’s star appetizers are these grilled aubergines:
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But this being Eliot’s house, the emphasis was on barbecued meat:
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Balu was very interested in the proceedings:
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While I was happy to be recovering, apparently without any lasting damage, the Covid situation in Spain is very bad, and in our region, the Comunidad Valenciana (home to about 5 million people) it is worse than anywhere else in the country right now. We are paying the bill for the relaxation of restrictions during the Christmas season (which in Spain lasts a month, from the Constitution Day holiday in early December until Three Kings Day in January). And so the restrictions in our region were tightened on Monday. All bars and restaurants are closed (except for takeout, so we can still get our pizza); shops must close at 6 p.m. except for food shops, pharmacies and the like; all sports installations, whether indoor or outdoors are closed–and this latter restriction includes the various playgrounds on the beach and in the parks:
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On Thursday morning I drove to the office for the first time in more than 2 weeks. I already knew that my office would have been thoroughly disinfected during my absence, and sure enough, this is the sight that greeted me on arrival:
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But some of my lovely colleagues were around, and it was nice to see them again:
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On Friday afternoon, on my way home from work, I passed by the beach. Clearly, people are not exactly obeying the spirit of the restrictions on the exercise installations on the beach:
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On Saturday morning, I cycled to Busot again. From a photography point of view, winter is much more interesting than summer, as shown by this and the next photo:
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On Saturday afternoon I drove to the centre of Alicante, just to walk around a bit (since all bars are closed, there was no other ulterior motive). The weather was nice, but the main beach in the centre, Playa del Postiguet, was rather thinly populated:
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I walked around in the area near the city hall. Everything was closed and the streets almost deserted. Sadly, this is what it takes to “bend the curve” of the pandemic. Still, I enjoyed looking at the details of the barrio:
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The first station of the cross of the annual Santa Faz pilgrimage, a major event which brings out more than 100,000 people. This year the holiday is on April 15th, but like in 2020, there will be no procession:
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A quirky mural:
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Window, near the cathedral:
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It is a long walk from here, at least 1100 km:
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And some food to finish the week, one of my current favourite pasta dishes, involving no tomatoes but lots of onion and anchovies:
