Beyond Benidorm

 Beyond Benidorm are some stunning beaches and hill top towns and we’ve been exploring.

We got ourselves a BonoBus card (a card that you pre-load and get cheaper bus travel locally) and headed away from Benidorm on the local bus to Altea.

Altea is only about 30-40 minutes on the air conditioned bus from the Benidorm and it couldn’t be more different. 

Living by the sea, we love a good beach to wander along, but this time we headed up, up to the top of the hill through tiny streets, shaded from the heat of the sun.

It began with a cobbled street, quickly became steps which rapidly turned very steep. We’ve realised we are definitely fitter than before as we just kept walking, with a few short stops to admire the view and take a photo.

What a view! The sea was turquoise, sparkling away below us, Benidorm on one side, Calpe on the other. The whitewashed houses and terracotta tiles of the Mediterranean in abundance.  

Reaching the square at the top, we found the stunning blue domed Església de Santa Maria del Consol d'Altea which dominates the square. The original church dates from the early 17th century when it stood next to the castle that protected the town, however the current church began construction in1901. It is absolutely stunning with its domes visible for miles around. 

The Baroque style decorations within are beautiful.

We chose to visit on St Patrick's day in an effort to escape the madness of Benidorm. It was a wise choice. We sat in the square with a glass (OK jug) of Sangria, listening to chirping little birds and soaking up the atmosphere. It was bustling but calm, peaceful and perfect. We had a wonderful day. 

We also visited Albir, this time on our new electric bicycles. What a great addition they are! I confess I was really nervous only having practiced a few times at home and having a terrible sense of balance, but it was fun! There are designated cycle lanes almost all the way between the campsite and the town.  We were there within 20 minutes. It hosts a beautiful esplanade replete with cafes and bars. What a perfect  place. We enjoyed a cooling drink or two, before cycling home again. There’s more we want to explore here, but as we went on a Sunday, very little was open - we will have to go back.

Our final trip out so far was with Justin and Jamie (incorporating the iconic fashion shoot!).

Just along the coast in the other direction to Albir and Altea is Finestrat. The holiday tour operators would have you think it is Benidorm, but it isn’t! Don’t be fooled!

It does however have a beautiful small beach, several cafes and bars on the sea front with an ‘arty feel’. I loved the crochet bunting.

It also has a shopping centre, together with fabulous DIY stores! We do love a Spanish DIY/building store, we got so carried away with all the goodies, I forgot to take any photos so you will just have to visit to see how impressive Obramat and Leroy Merlin are (and so cheap compared to B&Q). You did want photos of them, didn't you? 

PS. I found a photo! Maybe a glimpse of a future tale..

Fallas

 Fallas is the week-long Valencian celebration of St Joseph. A vibrant, noisy festival, complete with early morning fire crackers, late night fireworks and incredible statues.

It celebrates the end of winter and the beginning of spring. It incorporates fathers day and is truly a sight to behold.

To add to the melee, there is also the madness of St Patricks day celebrations in the middle of the festival, so the town is very busy with both locals and tourists. We stay away generally, but this year I decided I wanted to learn more about it and see what it involves.

The week begins with early morning fireworks (think 6am). This sets the scene for the week. There's flower parades,  special services for St Joseph and to honour him as a carpenter, incredible huge wooden cartoon structures are built  - the Fallas (fools), and they are surrounded by puppets (ninots).

Here in Benidorm there are three areas they are displayed at for the week. Old Town, midway between the old and new town areas and the Rincon area (near the end of the new town area).

I picked the last possible day to visit the Fallas, in the hope it would be less busy. I walked miles, but it was totally worth it. Local women gathered, wearing their traditional costumes for the parade, but most people were just walking by, obviously having seen the statues already during the week they were on display.

As you can see the Fallas are enormous, full of colour, satire and exquisitely built - they must take 100’s of hours of skilled work. They are designed to reflect cultural and political themes of the current year.

The Old Town, the Fallas was situated next to a small street fair, replete with children's rides and hot Churros stands.  There was a teenager lounging in a chair, a unicorn, a woman with an empty shopping bag and a fight. I didn't quite get the meaning of any of it - probably just me!

Mid town ( not far from the harbour) the Fallas sat outside a hotel, just in the middle of the road, depicting the nautical and fishing history of Benidorm.

Beside it, the Children's Fallas was super cute. 

New Town took its theme from the well renowned ‘Strip’ here. Cabaret with fun and naughtiness in abundance. Did you spot the not so subtle dig at a very unpopular political figure here in Spain?

I loved seeing these, they had so much detail, it was hard to take it all in, and hard to believe, they are all now ashes.

On the final day, locals in traditional dress parade through the streets, and just before midnight it's time for La Crema when the Fallas are burnt as part of a huge street party.

We didn't make it to La Crema. Maybe next year?

Banned?

 Something must happen in the heat of Benidorm to bring out naughtiness. While on a day trip out with Justin and Jamie, Jamie and I found our new calling in life.

We inexplicably found ourselves in a clothes store called Bellaminis. That doesn’t sound unusual. I hear you cry, no it isn’t! But before we knew it we were spotting Spanish fashion items we just couldn’t resist.  

This is where the unusual (for us at least) came in… 

We started with a little leather number.

Then found a skirt to go with it

Jamie judged these a little dull for me, so we moved onto the sparkles! However the wise woman that she is, suggested the UK Parliament could do with a few more sparkly women, so I’m trying it out to gauge interest… 

Fearing for gravity defying exposure we spotted a stunning denim diamante number that might work for a party night. However it felt a bit too plain - clearly not enough glitz. 

Would this be better we wondered?

Although this combo did seem much more… me!

Jamie became a little concerned that I’d feel the chill of an evening, as there can be a breeze after sundown, and we wouldn’t want me to catch cold! She thought this stylish Gillet would be suitable and fit right in with my wardrobe.

We did however find a couple of items we just couldn’t identify. For instance, what on earth is this?

Underwear? Outerwear, torture device, compression garment? 

And I’m reminded of long johns grandpa’s used to wear, but this wasn't in the lingerie area… Do people wear this as a complete garment? Is perhaps ice skating  popular here?

Dodging behind clothing rails, giggling like teenagers we hid from the shop staff desperate not to be barred before our mission was complete. Before we knew it we were in the formal wear section and found ourselves singing Defying Gravity, albeit very quietly so we wouldn’t be overheard!

Are you team Glinda or Elphaba? I think you all know I'm Elphaba, right? Jamie having recently watched part one, has said she is definitely a pink sparkles, team Glinda woman.

Anyone who knows me well knows I can’t resist accessories. Namely matching shoes and bags. Here we found a problem. Clearly every one of the previous outfits fitted me perfectly (well, one arm in a leg hole at least), but shoes, nope. I love my pink boots, but a girl can never have enough pink boots and these were perfect; if I didn’t have ‘sturdy nurse’ legs and big feet. Oh how I love these!

There was a rather limited selection of bags available - which was disappointing. However this caught my eye immediately, after all who doesn’t want a handbag in the form of a woodland owl?  

Beaten only by a pumpkin! - I know a few people who would love this, I was tempted!

As we circled the store, we found Ian and Justin pretending they had never met us before, and bore no responsibility for the feral wives we are (if you have seen my Facebook post recently you will understand!)

However, it wouldn’t be right to find a new outfit without finding something for one’s husband.

Ian was not impressed with my choices. Can’t think why!

As we went to leave the store we clearly took a wrong turn, found ourselves heading through the changing room into The Rusty nail, and then when trying to exit, I found myself on the catwalk! 

Were we banned? Not this time, but there is another chapter to this tale that could end in disaster…..

Tune in again soon to find out!