We are in Spain, Javea or Xabia. Why has it got two names? Javea is the Spanish, Xabia is the Valencian local dialect.
The city has an astonishing 50% non locals but you can spot the locals by their mittens and furry boots! It's only 19 degrees here and a bit windy too so they are in winter clothes next to the tourists and expatriates of various places in their summer dresses!
The mountain that dominates the view is El Montgo but so far it shows no signs of going anywhere. People have lived up there since prehistoric times.
Benedorm is near here and you can get a bus if you fancy some people trafficking or prostitution! We will give it a miss. Ibiza is so close you can see it on a clear day. I've heard that despite it's club land reputation much of it is unspoiled and lovely. We are planning the four hour boat ride. My daughter will love that, she loves boats and the sea.
My kids love it here, beach, beach, beach and more beach. It's taking all my will power to do some homeschool when I want to spend all day on the beach too! The Spanish look on, shaking their wooly hats on their heads - crazy tourists on the beach in November.
The fun thing about going somewhere new is that even mundane things like going to the supermarket become mini adventures "What might be in this packet labeled all in Spanish?" "What is this crazy looking thing?" Tim bought an amazing looking fruit and we were all excited to try it, it tasted like slightly too dry apple with the addition of many huge, very hard inedible seeds! So not a huge success! However the strange melon we bought was amazing!
The city seems half empty to me, (I'm used to rammed Sussex) and very spread out, what is all this land for? between buildings? between the cycle paths and the road? beside the car park...? The answer is nothing, it's just space, land is not at a premium here.
The city also is half empty for winter. People own flats here and only stay part of the year, many apartments in our building are empty, that always saddens me, so much wealth in the world and so much poverty.
The cycle paths I mentioned are everywhere and often tree lined! We want bikes to wiz along the front to harbour or sandy beach. We are looking in the second hand shops.
We are flying back for two weeks at christmas if anyone wants to see us. We will be emptying our stuff from the broken van and selling it for scrap and freezing because of acclimatisation...so a pretty depressing christmas plan! 😂
I wrote, was it really only a week ago? That I may have led my little family down a blind alley...well this beautiful sea was at the end of it! Perhaps a little crazy courage and a leap for change is not so dangerous after all!
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