Views

Some lovely views were, once again on offer as we took our daily walk around the environs of Benidorm.
One of the best views to be had of the whole town, is from one it's southernmost extremities, the small, rocky pinnacle of the Hermitage.

The view also includes the small range of hills known as the Sierra Gelada. Much the same view can be had from the site of the ancient Castle, now known as the Placa del Castell. On this particular occasion, the mist had descended over the Sierra - and a cheeky gull had crept in to the picture.

On a clearer day, it is possible to see well beyond the skyscrapers of the town and the Sierra Gelada, to the huge monolith of the rock of Calpe (remember this entry from last year, when we got up-close to the rock).

Another view of the town, a little closer to the action this time, is of the Parque L´Aigüera.

Last view for now, takes us up into the hills of the Sierra Gelada on our way to the large cross which overlooks the town. Beyond the town you get a good view of the mountains inland. The most famous of these is the 'chipped' mountain of Puig Campana which rises to approximately 4,626ft. In impressive sight, the name means 'Bell Mountain' - though you will not hear it ringing! The 'chip' is supposed to have ended up as the small island in the sea off Benidorm, known as Peacock Island.

Sky

We were fortunate enough to have some wonderful weather in Benidorm. Having said that, it was a little drizzly the day we arrived, but as we spent the afternoon sorting out, unpacking and getting some shopping in, it didn't matter at all.
Some of the skies were breathtakingly colourful, as in this one taken from our balcony in the early evening.

A little later one evening and the sunset was fiery-red as the lights started to come on around the town.

If I managed to get out of bed early enough, the sunrises were pretty good too. As the sun rose over the Sierra Gelada - the range on hills to the east of the town - it burst through the morning mist in dazzling shafts.

Along the paths around the Sierra Gelada, on the way to the Castel del Mar, the skies over the sea were also colourful, although more subtle in their showiness.

Return

Malcolm and I returned yesterday, from our annual, winter break in Benidorm. We stayed at the Playamar Apartments, situated in the 'Playa Azul' building, an imposing edifice in three parts.

Our apartment was on the thirteenth floor of the shorter, left-hand section of the building. We had a great view from about 100ft up but that is a small part of the total height of the building which reaches more than 350ft in total. The building was finished in 2002 and affords fine views of many of the other sky-scrapers of the Benidorm skyline.

Looking over the edge of our balcony, was a little vertigo inducing and you certainly wouldn't want to dive off into the pool from this height!

More pictures to come......

Shovel It!

Trudging through the snow as we walked around the lakes this morning, we were surprised to see some 'foreigners' swimming around in the small sections of ice-free water. Three or four pairs of Shovelers (Anas clypeata) were 'shoveling' around the water in search of anything to eat.

Not a rare species of duck, but not usually easy to see as they are very shy birds, which is why these pictures are a little 'distant'.

Rather beautiful and colourful, the males stand out amid the other swimmers, the females however, are more drab and resemble female Mallards - until you get to the bill, which is enormous for the size of the bird, making it look very front-heavy.

It's wonderful to see these little beauties, but it shows how harsh the winter is as they have obviously been forced to move about in search of feeding sites. Nice that they chose our local lakes.

More Snow

Snow has fallen, snow on snow.......... sing up, you all know the rest.

After another covering of snow last night, adding about an inch to what already lay, it was still snowing this morning as I made our first coffee of the day. We needed to go into town this morning, so no country walks for us today. Before leaving, we called Malcolm's mum to see what she needed bringing from Tesco, then set out, trudging through the 'deep and crisp and even'.
Yesterday, we were privileged to see a Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) in a tree. What a beautiful bird, very shy and so difficult to get close enough to photograph.

The sun was shining through the trees and illuminated small sections of the hedgerows as we walked. They shone wonderfully in the snowy gloom.

The reflected light from the branches was highlighted by the frost and snow which clung determinedly to them, sparkling in the sun like glitter.

Icy View

Another fine, sparklingly cold day, though not quite as cold as yesterday. Just -4C as we set out for a walk up Shipley Hill to get a view of the surrounding area and the snow covering.
We passed the lake of the old American Adventure theme park on our way. The ice was thick and almost covered the entire lake, except for a small corner which was being kept ice-free by the ducks, swans and gulls.

All was white as far as the eye could see, with more cloud than yesterday, promising more snow showers later.

Small patches of green were still visible beneath the old Beech trees on top of the hill. This particularly large, old specimen standing looking over the frozen scene - it has probably seen many more like it during it's lifetime.

Pale, Wintry sunshine struggled to penetrate the skeletal trees on the hill, illuminating the covering of snow on the ground. Stunningly beautiful, but time to head for home and get warm again.

Joy!

We awoke again this morning, to plunging temperatures, 'Gin-clear' skies and 'Champagne-cold'. The prospects of getting out into the snow for a walk after being kept in for so long, filled me with excitement - and filled Malcolm with icy dread!
We set out after breakfast with the thermometer still reading -6C but the freshly fallen snow making it much easier to walk in than the naked ice of previous days.

The sun shining through the trees and highlighting the sparkling frost and snow crystals, was breathtakingly beautiful.

Onward towards the 'DBC Bogwash' as mentioned (and pictured) before and the frigid scene which greeted us was amazing. Coots, Mallards, Swans and Gulls all having to share small, ice-free holes in the otherwise solid lake.

This scene was repeated further along the walk as we approached 'Straw's Bridge' pond. Here the Geese, Ducks and Gulls were sharing the limited available free water with more good grace than is usual.

Turning for home we passed another of the ponds. This one was completely frozen from shore to shore and a thick covering of snow on the ice revealing a multitude of footprints from birds and foxes. The sign next to the lake, seems a little redundant at the moment!

As I started by mentioning the Gin-clear skies and Champagne-cold weather, it seemed fitting to end our walk with a warming (and purely medicinal) 'splosh' of Brandy in our coffee when we got back home........It soon brought the colour back to Malcolm's cheeks.