My sister and brother-in-law were still with me all last week. Since I had only limited possibilities to take time off, they spent most of the days relaxing by the pool–just the kind of vacation they wanted. We did get out and about a bit, though.
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The weather was still nice enough to eat outside, and most of the time Cheeta was under the table, just in case:
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If no “accidents” occur, Cheeta resorts to more overt begging:
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One of the traditions when my sister visits is that she makes some of the favourite Polish dishes, starting with pierogi, a type of dumplings:
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The pierogi are first boiled:
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Then they are lightly pan-fried and served with fried onion. Heavenly:
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Another firm favourite are potato pancakes stuffed with goulash:
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On my day off, we went for a drive along my cycling routes. This is El Campello. I like this picture because the two different worlds that co-exist here are in it, the traditional goat and sheep herding, with the beachfront apartment buildings in the background:
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We drove up to the mountain village of Aigües. This is a restaurant on the corner of the main thoroughfare and the main pedestrian street:
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Close-up parking:
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On Sunday morning we went to have a look at a large outdoor market in another Alicante suburb, San Juan. A rather attractive ham lady:
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Shopper in a hurry:
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Little shopper:
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A rare picture from the office not involving my female colleagues. This is Michał, a Polish economist on my team, discussing the finer points of database matching with Geert, a visiting expert from the European Patent Office:
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We also drove up to Villajoyosa. The water is still plenty warm for swimming, but the beaches are almost empty and parking is no problem:
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This is the Villajoyosa waterfront, with posters advertising attractions in nearby Benidorm:
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This woman carried on a long conversation with a friend on one of the balconies:
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Here is Villajoyosa’s answer to New York’s Flatiron Building:
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These streets are not made for cars, not even small ones like this:
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After backing up, the turn is successfully negotiated:
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House detail:
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Saturday did not start very promising. Autumn is definitely here:
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My sister and brother-in-law were flying back to Poland Sunday morning, so I wanted to make something nice for our Saturday dinner. We went to the Mercado Central to buy tuna steaks and veggies to roast. While waiting our turn, I photographed the fishmonger gutting a fish for a customer:
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I coated the tuna with a mix of spices according to a recipe I found on some US cooking site:
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The steaks were seared and served with roast vegetables:
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My wife made flan for dessert, and Cheeta was very interested:
And thus, on a tasty note, ended our week.
I enjoyed the whole tour. By now I feel almost as though I know your sister and her husband, I have seen them so often. I do appreciate you sharing your family life as you do.
I wish I had more things like this to share, Must try harder !
Many thanks.
Comment by Brian Swale — 24 October 2012 @ 10:06