Calpe

June 3, 2024

Today’s ride was almost embarrassingly short at 14k, but there is a reason for its petite length. The original plan had us approaching Calpe from the north but we decided to abandon the ‘desert riding’ and re-route to the coast, so we can now afford to slow down and shorten up the distances considerably. In turn, it allows us to explore the inland region on unloaded bikes. And that was the goal all along, to see those inland areas behind Calpe. This is one of the training grounds of the professional cycling teams in the winter months. Consequently, it’s appealing to people like us who love road riding.

We had oodles of time today so we took our time before packing up. We gingerly lifted the bikes off the balcony and into the hallway, then down the stairs. Special thanks to Angelique for the warm welcome and making this all work out. We will always have warm memories of the Blue Sardine in Altea.

When we were in Vila Joiosa, Sandra had recommended a great Altea breakfast joint to us, Diferens Cafe, so we headed there once we were all packed up and ready to go.

Diferens was hopping with customers by the time we arrived, but we managed to find a table partly shaded by an umbrella. It’s a bit surprising to feel the sear of the sun at 10:00 am in the morning, but that’s what happens in Spain at this time of year. Once again, the breeze off the water cooled things down to a manageable temperature.

Eggs appear in dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner in Spain. David especially likes the traditional scrambled eggs at breakfast.

We meandered down the waterfront cycle path after breakfast to get a picture of Casa Felix for the record. The cut flowers and flowering bonsai’s were already out on the tables. The menu was set and posted on the chalk board.

This is Casa Felix, preparing for another day of making diners happy.

Every single thing in that menu will be delicious!

There were few people out and about this Monday morning. Dogs were out being walked and restaurant staff were setting up their umbrellas for the day, but there was little else going on.

The ride to Calpe was a little hilly but far easier than either of us imagined. There were a few reasons for this. One was that the road went through two tunnels rather that going up and over the mountains. Two, the road had been recently paved and had a beautiful shoulder. Three, a crew was securing fencing to the rock faces along the route, reducing the traffic to one alternating lane of traffic through the obstruction. This always works in our favour as we can simply wait for the last car to pass and then we have the whole place to ourselves. Works like a charm every time.

The views got better and better as we worked our way along the coast. Well, except that Benidorm was ever-present. Those skyscrapers are tall! I jest a little here because we really didn’t experience the unpleasant side of Benidorm. There’s just something crass about all that density in such a beautiful spot. It’s not our thing, but it suits a lot of people.

We can still see Benidorm! One of these days, it will disappear from our view.

The highway punched through some short tunnels en route to Calpe.

The old highway was narrow and more precarious.

Once we exited the tunnels, it was a downhill cruise all the way into Calpe. Our hotel was easy to spot, right across from the harbour, next to the big 322 m high rock, the Peñón de Ifac. t’s a landmark for Calpe and is often called the North Rock or Little Gibraltar, as opposed to the South Rock at the real Gibraltar.

Closer view of the rock. It’s home to hundreds of seagulls whose constant calls can be heard all day long.

We checked in to the hotel for our two-night stay in Calpe. Since we had lots of time to spare, we both did a batch of laundry (I carry laundry sheets and a dry bag for this purpose) and hung it all out to dry on the balcony.

There are several bike shops here in Calpe, but there’s one called The Service Course, just a 5 minute cycle away, that we decided to visit. They are a full-service place for cyclists. David was in search of a tire gauge and was offered not only a pump with a gauge but a washing station with a bucket of soapy water. He took them up on the offer and I spent the time chatting with the two Belgian staff about cycling and planning out our adventure tomorrow. The mechanic, meanwhile, had just finished servicing a 14,000€ bike for a customer. Afterwards, we rode to a beach cafe for a light lunch.

The ride was so short today that there is no video but just wait till you see tomorrow’s. It’s a doozy!

We stuck out for dinner tonight and ended up in a touristy place with dis-interested waiters and very average, over-priced food. It came nowhere near the rave reviews we read online, but such is the nature of travel. You win some of the time and strike out some of the time. There’s always tomorrow!

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Today's ride: 15 km (9 miles)
Total: 921 km (572 miles)

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