The main event in the week leading up to Christmas was our trip to New York to see our son for the first time in two years and to celebrate the holidays with him and our daughter-in-law. Before that, I continued to enjoy Alicante during the festive season.
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On December 21st, my wife and I walked down to the beach to see the winter solstice sunrise. Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating, and there was hardly any sunrise to be seen:
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People continued to flock to the nativity scene on Plaza Montañeta:
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The large nativity scene on the Esplanada remained a popular spot for selfies:
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The building housing the local college of architects is nicely decorated:
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Two pictures illustrating the economic impact of the pandemic. First, a nightclub that has gone out of business:
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On the other hand, Covid has spawned new businesses:
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Another pair of photos, with contrasting fortunes. Here, a woman wearing fancy clothes:
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Not far from there, a homeless man uses a fountain to wash himself. This is strictly speaking forbidden in Alicante and is punishable by a 100 Euro fine, but for obvious reasons this rule is not enforced very much:
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The vestibule of our local supermarket continues to provide me with photos of cute dogs:
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I continued to enjoy my cycling, knowing that I would be taking a 2-week break during our trip to New York and Puerto Rico:
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One morning, there was mist and Busot was shrouded in fog:
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The square of the village, decorated:
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In the morning of December 24th, we drove to Madrid, from where we flew to New York, arriving late afternoon local time. Our son met us at JFK, we picked up our rental car and followed him to Weehawken, New Jersey, where he lives. We had booked a hotel 5 minutes walk from his apartment. Once checked in, we walked to his place and met our “grand-pets” for the first time. Monica loved Euclid:
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This is the other grand-pet, Watson. Moses and Myrela adopted him in late 2020:
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After a lovely, low-key Christmas Eve with our son, daughter-in-law and the pets, we walked back to the hotel, enjoying this view of Manhattan along the way:
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The next day, Christmas morning, the weather was not nearly as clear as the night before:
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We had agreed with my son to do the gift exchange around noon. In the morning my wife and I drove to the neighbouring town, Hoboken, to buy a few last-minute things. I was fascinated by the utility boxes on the main street, adorned with positive and uplifting messages:
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I am not sure how this plays vis a vis the establishment clause of the US Constitution, but the Hoboken town council seems to be hedging their bets:
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Then we got together with Moses, Myrela and the pets at their apartment. Moses wore the only red shirt he owns, which pleased me very much:
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Euclid is a Samoyed, a big and active dog. But he is still a puppy and likes to play, often by ripping paper:
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Or by hiding under the sofa as best he can:
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Then we started the gift exchange. Moses and Myrela are avid readers, and so books featured prominently as presents:
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Monica scored a couple of new games for her Nintendo Switch:
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The pets also received presents:
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Watson guards the presents:
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We finished the festivities by taking the “official” Christmas portrait of the family, using the tree in the main hall of the apartment building as the backdrop:
