Spanish Fishing boat - trawling and surrounded by seagulls is a common sight here.
We spent one night anchored off Alicante - certainly not a place of beauty.
Alicante by night - possibly the best time to see it!
And on to Benedorm - now that's a sight, looks more like a New York skyline than a beach resort. It's so built up its hard to imagine there's enough beach space to go round, but then I'm told there is always the night life, and apparently Bingo is a great hit!...
We motored round the bay, stopping to offer assistance to Steve and Lynne who had by now got a section of fishing net wrapped round their prop. The Mini Dive Tank proved indispensable and we were on our way again.
The next stop was Moraira where we anchored in El Portet bay.
The view down to El Portet, known locally as Paradise Bay. A fabulous spot where we met up with friends from home John and Ellie who have been living nearby for the last 7 years. We enjoyed their company and also the Moors and Christians Festival, a festival which dates back 400 years and recreates the clash between the two cultures. The Patron Saint is honoured for allegedly giving victory to the outnumbered Christians. From a spectators' point of view, it seemed like a good reason to dress up and March round the streets, then hold a huge mock battle complete with lots of Firing of the Blunderbuss, noise and fireworks into the early hours over a two week period.
The fun begins - street markets and drums
And this was just the beginning!
That evening the swell picked up and Paradise Bay was no longer Paradise. We abandoned our anchorage and sought refuge in the Marina, by midnight we were permitted to tie up on the Fuel Pontoon under strict orders to leave by 0800 hrs the next day, and at a cost of €51.
We returned to the anchorage the next morning but conditions deteriorated again in the early afternoon and we decided to leave
Aztec Dream at anchor, shortly before we left the bay. We were astonished when a small Danish yacht motor sailed into the bay and proceeded to drop its anchor. Conditions were certainly not favourable!
Aztec Dream lifting her anchor while the Danish boat prepares to drop his. Sadly for him, our decision to leave was totally justified, we learnt later that he was dragged ashore during the night and his yacht was written off.
A sad end to Louise II. Apparently the Danish owner was singlehanded and had spent the last 14 years on the boat, the last 4 in the Med. Our €51 overnight on the Fuel pontoon suddenly seemed quite good value.
Our next major stop was Valencia - home to the 32nd Americas Cup, ex Formula 1 circuit and most definitely City of Culture. So much to see -
Valencia - Ian and Lynne try to decide what to photograph!
The Central Market, Valencia
Shark for sale
The Bullring and Train Station, which wishes you a pleasant journey in many languages
Valencia suffered a catastrophic flood in 1957, after which it was decided to divert the river Turia into a canal and convert the river bed into a Green Space, complete with beautiful parklands, gardens, sports facilities and cycle tracks.
A perfect way to visit the city - Segway Tour.
The Lonja la Seda, the old silk exchange is a World Heritage Site - built between 1482 and 1533 it is described as Masterpiece of late Gothic Architecture.
Beautifully carved columns - apparently one of the first examples of using cranes in construction.
Beautiful marble tiled floors
Fabulous carving where ever you look, but according to the guide book this odditity is the most photographed in the building.
A view from above
You would not be doing justice to Valencia without including the City of Arts and Sciences. The site was opened in 1998, but controversy rages over the cost, at €1 billion, it was 4 times over budget - the legal case continues.
Valencia - visit it yourself! A blog just doesn't do it justice.
From now on, we will only be travelling West, gradually working our way to the Panama Canal.
