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You'll pay for it with pleasure

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  Onwards we go and why not.  We will pass the Palacio del Marques de Rafal. A week ago Cecilia wrote ‘ The Palace of the Marquis of Rafal is a magnificent example of Orihuela's stately architecture. This Baroque-style building was distinguished by its ornate façade and elegant interiors, reflecting the power and culture of the local nobility. The building has great historical and artistic value, bearing witness to the city's rich heritage. Although access may be restricted, simply admiring its exterior justifies a stop during a stroll through the historic center. A fundamental piece of Orihuela's architectural legacy, it deserves to be preserved and appreciated.’   So who were the Marqueses of Rafal I hear you cry? Well, Jeronimo de Rocamora y Thomas had done his bit for Great Spain in the Eighty Years War, raising and paying for a regiment.  Philip IV was chuffed with him and made him a marquis.  He died in Orihuela three years later.  His son, by hi...
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Alberto is a real powerhouse

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  We are on the road again.  The ‘lifegym’ is our first port of call.  It is described as a gymnastics academy. Eight months ago Nelson wrote ‘Great gym, clean, with amazing music and very friendly instructors. Alberto is a real powerhouse. However, the weight room lacks a bit of organization and is getting too small for the number of people who come. We hope for a future expansion :)’ Bar Frankfurt is a bar and grill.  It has almost 900 reviews, of which, the total gets in at 4.4.  Pablo reckoned ‘We went for lunch and it was a great choice. The food was good and varied, and the waitresses were friendly and pleasant. Good value for money.’   You feel Luis would give six if he could do.  ‘One of the best bars I've tried in the Vega Baja area. Exceptional quality, reasonable price, and the best tripe I've ever had. 100% recommended.’ We end at the Casa Museo de Miguel Hernandez.  It is open 10 till 2 and 4 till 7 Tuesday-Saturday and only mornings ...
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Conspicuous and harsh-looking

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The Roman City building game, Caesar 3, was old and simple and somewhat fun.  Building statues which slowed down Barbarian attacks as they stopped to vandalise them was always fun.  They didn’t do hills but they did so slabs of rocky looking unpassable terrain.  The result was you built your city in odd shapes around these. This is what today feels like. The Sierra de Callosa looms round the way we go. The Sierra de Callosa is important enough to get its own wiki page in 10 languages. Apparently it is 4.6km long and the highest point is Aguila - which is 572m above sea level.  Wiki gets a bit personal describing it in this way.  ‘ These conspicuous and harsh-looking massive limestone mountains rise abruptly from the low Segura River Valley floor and have some very steep cliffs. There is very little vegetation on the arid mountain slopes and both physically and geologically the Sierra de Callosa is similar to the Sierra de Orihuela range located only 2.6 km to th...
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Concrete castles and aged furniture

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  Happy New Year! Right, we’ve got that over and done with, let’s head to Cox. Cox has about 7600 people living in it and has lot of orchards around it. It has a hill with a castle and people have thought it was a jolly good place to hang out since the Copper Age.   Diverse Romans, Eastern Romans, Visigoths and Arabs turned up.  Eventually they were replaced by James I and his Argonese hordes.  It was doing alright till the 17th century, when the Moriscos were expelled in 1609 and the plague depleted the population.  Eventually Castilians arrived to fill the gaps.  We have entered a paradise of things to review as we head down the high street.    The Hotel Versalles gets 3.9 stars from people and three for facilities.  R Skelson liked the place.  ‘Please stay here it is without question the best hotel I’ve ever stayed in and I’ve stayed in 5 star all over the world, the owners are so friendly the service brilliant. Rooms clean bathrooms...
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There'll be a welcome in the islands

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  Welcome to March.  Also welcome to a day without a house, shack or wayside cafe.  We begin the day, alongside the main road.  Google will have us scrambling up the embankment, nipping over the barrier and so across the way and out among the olive trees. Today is the Dia de les Illes Balears.  This day was picked because on 1st March 1983 the Statue of Autonomy was published.  It became a non-working day in 1999.  I’m sure they are up to larks over the sea. It is Saint David’s day.  Last year the Welsh migrant community came together at the Plaza de la Mezquita in Benalmadena to, to quote Euroweekly, ‘ to eat and drink Welsh cuisine, sing, dance, and celebrate the ex-pat Welsh community’. This is what I have found out about St David in Spain.  The websearch answering to the call did offer me a fair bit of St David’s as a Pilgrim Route; the Camino de Santiago and ‘Napoleon Crossing the Alps’.  Hum Ho. Not much going on. Not a lot to look...
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