Today was Shelley’s first day of spanish school.  One of the reasons for moving to Spain was to learn spanish and immerse ourselves in the spanish culture. Shelley began her spanish classes today at the Studio 3 school. The three-hour a day class runs for the next two weeks and will provide further foundational language to help transition to Spanish.

Ray has a french background and is slightly  more advance in the spanish language and will take the next level of class when it is offered.

The school is located beside the cafe where we go and practice spanish every week. It is  great way to meet people and expand our knowledge of the language. You are never too old to learn new things and we are enjoying the challenges that brings.

“adios y que tenga un grand dias”

On Saturday we decided to go to the “Parque El Palmeral” which is a lovely park. The park is full of palm trees, water falls, small waterways and lake.  Most Canadians would think the “lake” is more of a pond than a  lake (it is quite small).  The park itself is quite impressive and apparently it was used for backdrops in major movie scenes.

We took the bus from our apartment and we arrived near the park in about 15 minutes. A short two-minute walk and we were at the  entrance way of the park. The walls of the park are impressive with a curved stone style and majestic palm trees surrounding the entrance into the park.

Once we entered the park there were multiple trails that led to different areas of the park. We decided to start on the  left and work our way around the entire park.  Bordering the trail are numerous smaller trails that go to small areas with benches.  On one of the side trails we took we came across an orange tree with ripe oranges. Some people would pick them along the way. We didn’t take any oranges because we weren’t sure if it was permitted.

The trails had many small waterways which were only a few feet deep and were man-made.  There was also a small pond (they call it a lake) where you could get a small rowboat and go along the waterways.

The boat access was closed when we were there and we would not likely have taken the rowboat anyways.

There was an area in the park with a small store where you could rest and buy ice cream, snacks, beer or wine. We came across many beautiful areas with lots of different palm trees and areas to relax or have a picnic.  Interestingly the park had an oriental look to it.  The lanterns were an oriental style and the bridges had an oriental look as well.

We came across a waterfalls with a walkway that went through it to the other side. It was a good way to cool down from the heat.

What I did notice was the wild cats. There were lots of wild cats throughout the park. They are living in the park and seem to be part of the natural environment there.  They stay clear of people and are careful to not get close. I guess not everyone is a cat lover in the park.

We spent about three hours walking through the park looking at the palm trees and enjoying the beautiful views. We stopped and had a small picnic and enjoyed the day. The walkway leading  out if the park has a beautiful view of the Mediterranean Sea.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dias”

Today I have been working on a new section for the blog.  I thought  that a video section in the blog would be good separated for people to access. The goal of the video section on the right side of the menu is to provide a more detailed “look” at our travels and adventures.

I hope to  develop the video section to include videos from the cities we visit. My first video is the trip to Benidorm. I will include more videos in the future.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dias”

We decided to explore the city of Benidorm which is about one hour away by train. Today we took the TRAM system from Alicante to Benidorm and the cost of a return ticket was 6 euros each.

The city of Benidorm is on the eastern coast of Spain and it is part of the famed Costa Blanca.  It has two massive beaches and the waterfront walkway is covered with beautiful palm trees and wide promenades. There are numerous bars, restaurants and shops all along the waterfront. The city of Benidorm’s population is only  69,000 but there are over 400 hotels in Benidorm. The city is known for its beautiful views and party atmosphere in the summer. It draws a large population of tourist during the summer.

We walked all along the promenade and took in some of the beautiful views and even stopped at a restaurant called El Castell for a drink and snack. We tried the spanish treat called “Chocolate con Churros.” It is basically hot chocolate with a deep-fried pastry that is dunked into the chocolate. It was very tasty.

The views were just breath-taking. We walked up to the top of a cliff area and saw the city landscape from there. It looks a little like the coastline of Miami.  Below are just a few of the views along the waterfront of Benidorm.

Once we finished walking along the waterfront we went for a walk into the old quarter of the city.  The narrow streets are full of wonderful shops and restaurants. We came across an old church which was quite unique.  The doors were plated with a gold coloured metal with inlaid markings.  It was ornate and impressive, the photo doesn’t really do it justice.

We also came across the hotel Selomar which was badly damaged by a fire. It was a hotel under renovations and vacant at the time of the fire which happened last year. It now sits empty and an eye sore on the waterfront.  (Fires like this happen everywhere not just in Canada)

We had a great day in Benidorm and saw some beautiful scenery. It was well worth the trip.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dias”