I am here to enjoy meeting other bloggers and to share my love of craft ,mostly crochet, my thoughts and my daily happenings here in Alicante,Spain, my adopted country. I belong to a local choir because singing and music makes me happy. Flea markets and book shops are two of my favourite places to be. I read lots......sci´fi/fantasy,buried treasure, and off world adventures. I have a passion for history! I walk and walk and walk for about 10 months per year during the hot months I swim.
Having come to a decision about our future downsized home and as we have dismissed the idea of a place on top of the Arenales cliffs we are looking around other areas of the coast.
Last Sunday we went to the Campello area again. I have mentioned this seaside town before here. This part of the coast is just outside of Campello and not too far from Alicante city.
We want to avoid the urban beaches as they do get very busy throughout most of the year and during the summer peak season months they get really crowded. That is why we are looking at these other areas along the coast where there are wild beaches. We would really love to live near a beach that is as unspoiled as possible!
This is a very small wild beach which is fine for us and not much sand more pebbles which is fine too. We don't go in for sunbathing anyhow and it doesn't bother me if it is all pebbles. We spend most of out time in the sea swimming or snorkeling. Sr P much more than me! Understandably Sr P would have to try out the area or I should say this part of the sea ... if it is good for snorkeling that is.
There is a very nice coastal footpath which we strolled along as far as it went.
Sr P observing the area and the sea which was as calm as a millpond.
Beautiful views and so relaxing to contemplate.
Lots of seaweed today
What is it with the lilac lamp posts? That's a first!
Really large "WoW" villas there in the background. I imagine they are holiday homes as most of them were closed up for the winter.
All of the lamp posts were painted lilac. I am trying to decide if I like them that colour or not!
Although we would prefer a little bungalow we would also consider an apartment. There were several for sale in this complex. I did take note of the details but (there is always a but...sigh) I later noticed that to get down to the beach one has to cross a very busy main road!
Oh! dear! We didn't like that very much!
Access to the beach we were looking at after crossing the main road.
I rather think we are being super fussy!
This is our wants list at present but I am sure I can add to this list if I think about it a bit more:
wild unspoiled beach
small house/apartment, close proximity to the beach
large terrace
Must not face north
right sort of snorkeling area
not too near a main road
near to Alicante City
good services.
Fabulous view
quiet area
REPLIES to comments on my previous post completed 😊
Two weeks ago we went for a short drive to Campello an old fishing village which is situated on the road to the popular tourist resort of Benidorm.
It is one of our favourite places!
We often visit an islet there which is situated on the outskirts of Campello called the Isleta de los Baños de la Reina (Islet of the The Queen's Baths). A small island connected to the mainland that holds the remains of an Iberian/Roman settlement.
The sea waters around the islet are crystal clear teeming with marine life hence it is a very popular area to snorkel dive.
CAMPELLO
We used to come here frequently to snorkel when the islet was just a lump of rock,or so it seemed, long before the authorities cordoned off the islet to the public to start the archaeological excavation which took several years.
I have always felt disappointed with the many photographs I have taken over time of the islet.
I have never in my opinion been satisfied with the views I
have obtained of it! I have come to the conclusion that unless you get
an ariel view of it or better still walk around it you cannot fully appreciate
this flat little islet.
I would very much like to see a few palm trees
planted there which would offer essential shade for the visitor.
This snapshot taken by the Marq Museum from a drone gives a much clearer view of the the islet.
Excavation and some restoration continues in progress but it is possible to visit the site for a small fee. It is quite interesting how the Museum has set it up so the public can see and visualise how the occupants lived so many centuries ago. You can see the warehouses with houses and adjoining thermal
baths, the small temples and curious fishponds excavated in the stone there.
Having an exotic name like the Queen's Baths one could be forgiven for imagining that this was where the Queen and her handmaidens would have their daily baths surrounded by servants and musicians and slaves waving palm fans over their mistress while she enjoyed her daily ablutions. I hate to disappoint... but recently it has been announced that this settlement was a fish farm! Unfortunately why it was called the Queen's Baths...no one knows... the explanation for the name of the islet is lost in history. Speculating a little I thought it might be because the fish farm might have been commissioned/owned by the Queen.
Authorities have continued to allow the public to use the outer rim paths of the islet to go to the favourite snorkelling areas and snorkellers if they are lucky and observant may get to see some of the submerged remains of the settlement that are still there resting under the sea.
16th century watchtower.
I think this tower,recently restored overlooking the islet, speaks for itself as this part of the Mediterranean was rife with pirates for centuries.
THE MED
In contrast I have always been horrified with what they did to this little bay,another place where we used to go swimming and snorkelling!
It is situated on the right of the watchtower. When I turn to the right and see this eye sore view. .. well... as I consider myself a polite person I won't share my thoughts on this with you. Progress...tch!
As they have mucked up that side of the bay perhaps they wouldn't mind transferring a few of those palm trees to the islet!
Prickly pears
Nature will have her way and some plants grow in the most unusual places. As we were returning to the car Sr P saw this Prickly pear cactus laden with ripe fruit on the pathway.
Sr P loves Higo Chumbos ( Prickly Pear fruit) so he was all for picking some to take home with us. This fruit is quite popular here and they also make jams from it. That was fine by me I told him as long as he picked them as he knows how to do that. They are a bit awkward to pick and you need to use a couple of plastic bags if you haven't got gloves and also be wearing long sleeves and he was wearing a thin shirt. In the end,thank goodness,he decided not to. Prickly pears are not called that for nothing and I could foresee having to be digging out all the irritating thorns from Sr P's body during the afternoon!
Interesting video clip on how to harvest Prickly Pear fruit (certainly not the way Sr P does it)
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞
Nº 14 on the 21/16 list on my last post has been completed which you can read about here:
Lazy darning completed on Sr P's black jeans
A little bit of cutting out. I decided fish this time.
Ironed on and completed in a jiffy!
Mmmm...I have mixed feelings about these fish. The smaller one is ok but the bigger one looks more like a submarine.
I can tick this off the list now and there are 15 dos to do now 😏
I'd say this is circa 1955 at Minehead seawater paddling pool in Somerset,UK.
I was a water baby and I still am 😁
I would just like to add I am answering to all the comments I receive (occasional one could skip my eye LOL!) on my posts. Just so you know any queries in your comment will be answered.
