After a delightful but busy week with Will & Angela in Dunfermline, & meeting up with friends it was a bit unsettling getting back to Campello. However bright sunshine & warm weather helped after snow & freezing winds!!
 
Having our friends Peter & Sylvie in Campello has meant that we have been able to get away from the half mile of seafront hi-rise, in the Costa Blanca, & see areas inland . They have generously driven us around the whole district.
 
The mountains along the coast are stunning. We drove to Busot & Aigues de Busot, villages in the hills near Campello. There is mile upon mile of open countryside, with very little development & it's as you imagine rural Spain. Yet, you are within spitting distance of the sea.
 
Yesterday we spent the day in Benidorm. We started off at a huge market, selling everything from fruit & vegs, bras & pants, aromatherapy oils to bed linen & C.D's.
I have never seen mounds of strawberries like it. 3euros for 2.5kilos!! Sylvie said they are expensive at the moment!!!
 
Being back at home, after 10mths away, makes you realise how expensive our foodstuffs are. Eating out is extortionate. You can certainly see why people come to Spain. We had a lovely tapas lunch with a drink for £2.50 each, & dinner for £3.50!!
We shall be food - buying bores when we get back!!
 
The old town of Benidorm is pretty, with its narrow streets & balconies, as in other parts of Spain .
 
We drove up into the mountains overlooking the town, & walked out to a picturesque viewpoint. You could see for miles out to sea as well as the mountain range. It showed really clearly what a narrow strip of land the coastal developments take up.
 
On the walk down Sylvie showed us a hairy caterpillars' nest in a tree. Apparently when they hatch out they march in procession behind each other. If you touch them they give off really poisonous hairs which can make humans or pets quite ill.
Needless to say we kept a wary eye, especially as I had open sandals on!
 
On 31st March we went to the Hotel EuroTennis in Villajoyosa for Sylvie and Peter's Masonic Ladies Night. It was a marvellous occasion which not only provided a great evening's entertainment (one notable comment from Sylvies speech on the evening "Diamonds are a girl's best friend but a man's best friend is his dog!"  ) but also raised mega-euros for charity. It also gave us a chance to stay in a 4 star hotel, soak for hours in the bath, and put on the glad rags (see blog photo) for an evening.
 
The following day Sylvie organised lunch for 8 of us who had been their guests at the Ladies Night in a restaurant serving a traditional Sunday Lunch (Rob was even allowed 2 Yorkies - puddings not terriers!). This was also our wedding anniversary so we enjoyed a pre-prandial Bucks Fizz or 2 on the boat before lunch to celebrate 35 years together.
 
Tomorrow we leave for Altea where we will see out Easter before heading for the Balearics.