A sunny (but chilly) start to our 2015 travels

It may be the end of January, but here in Javea on Spain’s Costa Blanca, the winter sunshine is warm and there’s hardly a cloud in the sky. We’ve eaten breakfast al fresco and strolled along the sea front, noticing how the placid warm Mediterranean of the summer months has changed into a turbulent winter sea.

We flew to Alicante with Norwegian, a low cost/high quality airline that’s upping its presence in Europe with new routes to Europe and the USA. Low cost – our return flights from Gatwick were just £50 each;  high quality –  smart crew and good service (one of the attendant’s found a spot for my bag in the overhead locker and brought it back to me at the end of the flight), modern aircraft and convenient flight times – 5pm in the evening is so much better than 5am in the morning! We’ve taken so many of those red-eye flights over the years, which means leaving for the airport at 3 or 4am. When we flew to Spain in December, we were so tired after the early start that we took a ‘short’ nap when we arrived in Javea and ended up sleeping right through until the following morning!

The Costa Blanca assumes a different character in the winter months; the clear views, sunsets and local seascapes are particularly beautiful. Beaches are deserted and spectacular waves pound the shore. With no crowds, traffic is lighter and parking so much easier than at busier times. The downside is that few of our friends and neighbours are around and many restaurants are closed for a winter break.

Arriving in Javea about 10pm, we were hungry so went straight to the Arenal, hoping find somewhere serving food. Luckily for us Lungo Mare stays open until late on Saturday nights, so we were able to enjoy some fresh pasta and our favourite cabonara sauce.

Then we drove up the hill to the Costa Nova and opened up our cold unheated villa. We turned on the gas (for the hot water) and the electric blankets (a necessary indulgence in the winter), drank some warming coffee and went to bed.