1 September 2025 – Jalon to Alcalali Ermita

The temperatures remain very high for this time of year

The forecast for today was 30c at midday

Rather than cancel the walk we started half an hour earlier at 0830

Most of the group opted to wait for cooler weather

However we did have 14 walking, including three new members

Elizabeth, Mike and Allan joined us for the first time

I choose Jalon to Alcalali mirador because I could adjust the walk if it was too hot

We took the most direct route, and had frequent water stops

I was pleasantly surprised that it was much more comfortable than expected

This may have been because of the constant chatter as everyone caught up on the summer news

The first walk is often like the first day back at school after the summer break

And today was no exception

We were all still quite fresh when we reached the Ermita for our banana break

Everyone avoided the picnic tables, which were out in the sun

But there was plenty of seating space for everyone in the shade of the Ermita

No one seemed to be in a hurry to start the return journey

This part is more exposed, but not too hot today

We arrived back in Jalon at 1100

I forget to put batteries in my satnav, so did not record the length of the walk

Bar Claudia was very packed inside and out, so we went upstairs

A very enjoyable walk, despite the doom and gloom weather forecast

Temperature – 24 to 30c

Time Taken – 2.5 hours

Distance – 8 km

 

 

 

Family Visit Week Two

For many years Calpe Family Park has been a firm favourite, which we visit each year

Stuart always takes photos of Jack, Georgia and Chloe in the same place each year

If you look back over previous years you will see this Game of Thrones location each year

Jack looks right at home on The Iron Throne

We thought Jack, and perhaps Georgia, would be too old to be interested this year

But we were quite wrong, they were all looking forward to visiting

They even took turns to decide which rise they would all visit next

This must have been Jack’s choice, he is taking is so serious

This was Chloe’s idea, the older two were too mature for this one

But not for this one, which has been Jack’s favourite photo for many years

After the family park we walked along the prom to the Texas Steakhouse

We visited on a Saturday night and I was surprised to find that it was much less busy than I remembered

Last year the whole road was packed and lots of atmosphere

This year they took last orders at 10pm, and were closing when we left about an hour later.

We knew the Parcent Festival started during the visit, the loud rock bands go on all night

But we were not aware that the “festeros parade” was taking part when we went into the village for a coffee.

The band parades through the village collecting each “festeros” from their house.

Each house is decorated and the young boys and girls all look very smart.

Our last family meal was at the Orba Pizzeria

This is another favourite restaurant, and a fitting end to another lovely family visit

 

Family Visit Week One

 Two week visit this year, from 29 July to 13 August.   It rained on their first day, but soon cleared up and we were rewarded with a double rainbow.

The children used to spend most of the holiday in the pool, but with Georgia 15 and Jack 19 they are a little old.  Comfortable daytime temperatures of below 30c meant that the pool was cooler than usual.   

We miss the children in the pool, but it is nice to see Chloe making the most of it.   It seems like last year that Stuart was teaching her how to swim, now she is like a little mermaid in the water.

Jack cooked the evening meal of fajitas, which we all enjoyed on the naya.

We celebrated Georgia’s 15^th birthday on 3 August

Michelle had brought her presents and cards to open here, and we had a cake.  It was a little hard to cut having been kept in the freezer, and we could not stick the candles in it.   But it tasted lovely despite all of that

We walked into Parcent one evening and took advantage of the play area outside the surgery.

The Wok in Javea has long been a favourite of Stuart and family, though Jan and I had never been there

Georgia asked to have a meal there for her birthday

We arrived quite early, so it was not too crowded

And it was mostly families, which suited us fine

The food was excellent, particularly the steak

 

And the birthday girl had a dozen different dishes

When they were younger the children loved visiting the font in Parcent, and playing with the running water.    They were a little less interested now that they are all older.

Our second meal was at our old favourite, The Imperial in Calpe.

It was just as friendly as ever, but I was surprised that it seemed to be not as busy as usual.

Jack, Georgia and Chloe spent all of their time on their phones or Ipad, and Chloe spent hours speaking to her friends in the UK.