A Final Word On Easter

I've had a rather nice time over the past few days. Travelling around the area, walking along beaches and getting a rather nice tan, Easter has been pretty good this year. Above is a photo of the very pretty and rather exclusive beach at Javea. Maybe only 30 miles north of Benidorm it may as well be on a different planet. There are no high rise buildings, no fish and chip shops and perhaps tellingly, no Brits. It is set in a lovely half-moon shaped bay, has a pebble beach and one of the nicest beach bars I've ever seen. As you can see the water is lovely and the general feel of the place is quiet and classy. Although I've never been there it struck me that this is what much of California must be like.

Spain has a bad reputation for tackiness. This is completely undeserved, but mainly due to the small number of places that the Brits have occupied and ruined. But there is much more to the country than that. There is style, elegance, humour and above all, great natural beauty. I feel privileged that the scene above is only a short drive from where I live, and extremely excited that a long summer now beckons. Yesterday morning I stood on a different beach, north of the city and looked out to sea. I was pretty much alone, the sea itself was a stunning light blue colour and I had a feeling of almost overwhelming satisfaction. All in all, not a bad Easter, and I realised that my adventures over here may only just be beginning.