We drove down from our housesit in France to our next adventure in Spain over two days and nights. It was only 1,100 kms, which in the scheme of our global lifestyle, is not that far really. Again we drove all the non-toll roads which really is more interesting as we drove through some really beautiful villages.
The thing we noticed immediately was that we saw more people in our first day in Spain than our entire time in France. This was due partly to the season but also the fact that we were very rural in France. As we approached Calpe we set the Satnav to our housesit. We knew it was on top of a mountain but the Satnav fails to recognise the (main) road up and brought us the back way. Hmmmmm, where exactly have we agreed to be for two months!?!?! Paradise, that's where. When we arrived at the house it was immediately apparent to us why anyone would love to be here. Both roads up the mountain have a portion of gravel road and outstanding views of the coast and surrounding countryside.
The house stands alone on the top of a mountain yet only 5 or so kms from the nearest town of Calpe and the coast. By necessity it is completely off-grid as the services do not extend this far up the mountain. The English owners restored the house to it's current glory, diligently reclaiming all the wonderful old tiles and stone work. They have also done an amazing job of setting the house up with solar panels, generator backup and generator boilers with as-need hot water. A lot of thought and common sense has gone into making the house functional and easy to live in.
And then there are these three (four!) cuties
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L to R: Alvis, Smudge & Tigger |
The cats are all so friendly and love to hang out with us for hours on end in the sun by the pool. During out first month we have had only two days of no sun. One was a rain day that filled up all the water tanks nicely and the other was just overcast. The pool is still a bit cool for swimming but James has braved it a couple of times - straight in and out ... just cos he can. The furries like to drink from the pool which is kinda strange as they have their very own fresh rain water in their bowl. Alvis brought us a 'present' of a baby rabbit one day which James managed wrestled off her. It jumped straight in the pool and started swimming in circles. Who knew bunnies could swim?! He managed to scoop it out with the pool scoop and took it for a walk up the road to set it free as it seemed to be okay. Alvis not so impressed.
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| Pays to be up early to get a good seat at this house |
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| This face :-) |
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| Sigh ... life's tough ... not |
The town of Calpe is really quiet at this time of year but one can imagine how bustling it must get in the height of summer. We are still surprised at the number of motor-homes parked in the empty lots dotted around town.
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| The mighty Med with Calpe rock in the distance |
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| Looking back at Calpe |
The first thing we noticed about supermarket shopping is how much cheaper Spain is than France! We are also delighted at the constant supply of fresh seafood available.
Typical BBQ
And how could we not make a seafood and chicken paella which was so huge we had to await the opportunity to share with visitors .....
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| Eyes bigger than his belly. Even the cats reap the benefit of the paella by getting to enjoy the chicken from the stock making process. And no, they didn't get to eat it in one sitting ... just a cute photo op :-) |
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| Watching some locals display their 'catch' |
