Not all Scots are mad but I am
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harry
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Where is Quesada ?
Well that´s were we live on the Costa Blanca Spain. Just 10 minutes from the large town of Torrevieja and 40 minutes from the city of Alicante.
Why pick there? Lots of reasons, Guardamar is just ten minutes from our home, which has some of the best beaches in Europe and some really nice restaurants and shops. It´s where all the Spanish go on holiday, so that speaks for itself. Guardamar has one of the largest Moors and Christians fiestas in Spain. Funny thing though, the Spanish all go there in August, so we don´t go there in August as it can be pretty busy and the beaches nearly full. But the rest of the year it´s a great place to go and relax on the white sandy beaches.
Torrevieja is a big town with a fishing port and a very large marina. With Zenimar Boulevard close by, which is one of the biggest and most spectacular shopping centers in Europe with 365 day opening from early till late and a large selection of restaurants, you can spend a whole day shopping there no problem.
Don´t forget the salt lakes, one of which is pink. Yes pink, you won´t believe your eyes and the Pink Flamingos in abundance. The World Health Organisation says it is one of the healthiest places on earth to live.
You also have within 40 minutes the very large cities of Elche, Alicante and Murcia. Nice to visit for the day and experience the Spanish way of life. You can go by bus, train or car and see the sites on the way there. There are always street markets and fiestas for you to see.
What about Quesada itself, close to all the facilities as mentioned and it has it´s own large water park, lots of supermarkets, shops, restaurants and pubs. You are also very close to lots of small local Spanish villages also with lots of eating and drinking places. Quesada is close to everything including 30 minutes from Alicante Airport. Everything you need is minutes away from Quesada.
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“Costa Blanca” (White Coast).
Is the name of the 200 km long coastline . We find many wide sandy beaches as small coves and beautiful landscapes with palm groves, wetlands and several nature parks.
The climate, has over 300 days of sunshine every year and an annual average temperature of 18 degrees Celsius, with lots of tourist facilities that can be found along the coast and some of the most fantastic beaches in Europe.
The name “Costa Blanca” was invented in 1957 by the airline “British European Airways”, which advertised their flights from the UK to Spain with this slogan. The name will not be surprising for anyone who has seen an aerial view of the coast from the air: the white sand beaches, rock formations and small villages with whitewashed houses form an impressive contrast to the deep blue Mediterranean sea.
In the northern part of the coast there is Denia, Javea, Calpe, with its massive rock formations, in the south of it there are the artist’s paradise Altea, Albir, as well as the touristic center of the coast, Benidorm, with incredible leisure facilities and nightlife. Passing Cala Finestrat and El Campello the way leads on to the capital of the province, Alicante and furthe South of Alicante there are Santa Pola, Guardamar del Segura, Torrevieja and Pilar de Horadada. When hiring a car most of these towns and areas can be reached in just over one hour. Giving you lots to see as well as lots of sandy beaches.
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What is life in Spain like?
When we came here 13 years ago there was a mas migration of Brits to Spain, either purchasing to reside here in Spain or purchasing as a holiday home. House prices were cheap due to the value of the pound and cost of living here was also inexpensive. And of course we had the sun (over 300 days a year on average) and white sandy beaches. Life was good here with the only problem being the language and communicating with the Spanish residents. Of course everyone speaks English? not likely and why should they, it is Spain and they do speak Spanish, Yes a lot of people speak English but not the important ones,IE. Police, town hall, people not in tourist areas etc.
There was not much in the way of UK shopping for food or clothes etc but now you can buy nearly everything you can get in the UK. Even UK newspapers the same day as release in the UK. There are also lots of restaurants who serve UK food but still serve Spanish cuisine if you wish. It is always cheaper to buy Spanish foods and goods . You can also receive UK television as well as TV from anywhere in the world including Sky Sports etc. This was not available when we first came to Spain, Spanish TV or nothing, ha ha.
Health care here is second to none and unfortunately I have experienced it personally. They are very caring and family oriented care with no large wards or waiting in corridors to get a bed. Crime, there are opportunist crime here like stealing of handbags and personal items but not a lot of serious crimes, like murder, armed robbery, bank robberies etc. Perhaps in the big cities like Madrid and Barcelona but we have not witnessed it around the Costa Blanca. But remember you still must be careful and don´t leave things lying about, like cameras and mobile phones. You would not do it in the UK so don´t do it here.
The weather obviously is much warmer than the UK all the year round with not much of a winter at all. Now and again you will see the newspapers making statements that it is warmer in the UK than Spain. Ha ha , perhaps for a few hours or one day a year? Can you honestly say you swam in the sea and it was not cold at all. Unfortunately now the prices although still cheaper are not as cheap as it used to be although eating out here is far cheaper. Car fuel is cheaper by about 20% but catching up all the time.
Anyway it is April 19th and the beaches are filling up and people are already in their pools swimming but still a bit cool for me. Last week temperatures reached the high 20 s +, not bad for April. One thing I will mention is the Brits don´t like August here as it can be a bit to warm reaching the 40 s. In fact some go back to the UK during August, rain or no rain. But if you are on holiday, the warmer the better. So come on over and enjoy yourself s, it´s a lovely country and even lovelier people. Remember to bring a phrase book for Spanish as you might meet my wife who speaks Spanish, ha ha.
Hasta Luego
Harry In Spain.
Watch UK TV here in Spain with world wide sport and movies without monthly charges. www.netbox.es