Summer is in full swing. I continue to work and to cycle, albeit the rides have to start early in the morning, before the temperature is on the wrong side of 35C.
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In Agost, the town hall is decorated with the usual local flags, plus those marking the Moros & Cristianos festival, and the Ukrainian flags that are everywhere these days:
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One evening, I went out for dinner with Eri and a couple of other people. It is great to eat outside on a nice summer evening:
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I sometimes stop in the centre on my way home from work, usually to buy Polish groceries from the Eastern European shop on Plaza Seneca. On this occasion, there was an unusual scene:
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I don’t know how this happened but given that we have not had any stormy weather, I assume that some drunk idiot decided to play Tarzan:
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I usually start my pre-work bike rides around 7:30, and since sunrise right now is around 7:05-7:10, I get to see some lovely morning light, here illuminating the centre of El Campello:
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Sometimes it is worth it to look at what the rising sun is illuminating:
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About 12 km later, I was in Aigües, around 8:30. The only living creature I saw was this dog watching me from a balcony:
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Another random image, this one of a utility box in the neighbourhood where we lived until 2018:
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On Saturday evening, we got together with friends for a party:
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The baby Hans is holding seems very interested in the food he is eating:
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Iñaki brought the newest member of his family to the party:
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On Sunday, I took a long ride to the south of Alicante, in flatter terrain for a change. My first stop was at the beach Urbanova, about 17 km from home. At this early hour, it was almost empty:
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A few hours later, this lady will have lots of company:
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About 30 km later, I was in the harbour of Santa Pola. The beach bars were just getting ready to start the day’s business:
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Checking out the beach life:
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Santa Pola is the southern-most point of this ride. Heading north towards Alicante, I go on a wonderful seaside road, passing rocky beaches like this one:
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Different ways to enjoy the Mediterranean Sea:
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Now closer to home, 70 km gone, about 15 km to go. This is a low-rent neighbourhood called San Gabriel, separated from the beach by the Alicante-Murcia railroad line. This overpass is the only way to cross the tracks, making it a very long walk for some of the locals. They are now demanding that the railroad be relocated to allow them easier access to the sea:
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Many of the balconies are similarly decorated:
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Finally, entering the centre after about 75 km of cycling. At this point it is seriously hot, and people are looking for cooling in every way they can:
About 8 km later, I was enjoying a well-deserved cold drink at home.