Sun and snow!
IT has been positively springlike this week and the forecast for tomorrow is showing a balmy 26 degrees! Let’s hope that the coming week is just as nice because it is a busy one for the resort.
The Cheltenham Festival begins on Tuesday and finishes on Friday, which coincides with St Patrick’s Day, when parts of the Rincón in Benidorm turn green!
There have been bodies on the beach, although I’ve not yet seen anyone brave enough to go into the sea – but then maybe this weekend, with the sun beating down, that will change. But there are plenty of walkers along the promenade – both Spanish, wrapped up, and Brits, half naked!
But it’s not all just sun, sea and sand here, like many mistakenly assume. A few hours’ drive, well three and a half to be precise, and you can be skiing! I took the plunge last week having seen the forecast promise snow and temperatures of minus eight – Blighty weather, which is exactly what they are experiencing this week.
It is a long and winding drive, especially the last 30-40 minutes, meandering up the snaking mountain, not so good if you suffer from car sickness. There was little evidence of any white stuff and I was getting rather apprehensive that we’d embarked on this day trip on the say so of the weather app on my mobile… but there was a great sigh of relief as we hit the top of Valdelinares at around 10.30.
Having got rid of all our skiwear, I had to ask friends if I could borrow some as all the sports shops had sold out. Lesson learnt… never get rid of things, buy one of those vacuum bags that allows you to safely store such items and leave under the bed or on the top of your wardrobe. So thanks to Joyce and Michelle, we were kitted out, apart from gloves but thank heavens for Amazon. Ordered them one day and they arrived the next. What did we do in the old preinternet shopping days I wonder?
To hire the skis, boots, sticks and helmet was reasonable at €25 for a day, then there was the lift pass on top. I noticed many people arriving and putting on their own boots and skis – perhaps they were not living quite so far away and come regularly when there is snow.
Let me make it quite clear, I did not ski. I am by no means that adventurous but ‘the children’ did. Instead, I enjoyed coffee and croissants whilst looking out at the slopes and went for a walk into the nearby forest – it was like a magical winter wonderland with snow covering all the trees.
There were quite a few school groups, with about a dozen coaches parked up for the day. There was no charge for the parking, perhaps that was because it was midweek but there were barriers so evidently they do operate, maybe just at the weekend?
Being midweek, only one restaurant was open and it reminded me of a cross between motorway services and a school canteen but no bargain ‘menú del día’ here like we are used to... captive audience I guess. One main was €12.50 – I wouldn't have minded so much if it was hot and tasty but it failed badly on both counts lukewarm soggy chips - about half a potato-worth - and four anorexic sausages. The alternative was burnt ribs or some questionable looking meatballs. Perhaps, when the other restaurants are open there is a better choice, but if I go again I think I will bring my own thermos of hot soup and sandwiches.
We left the slopes at around 17.00 and made it back home shortly before 21.00. Remember to leave before the mass exodus, as there is only one road in and out. If you get stuck behind a couple of buses with no way of overtaking, it’s a long slow drive until you hit the motorway. A full day on the slopes is pretty exhausting, so the thought of then having to tackle a long drive back would fill me with dread, although I know many who do it. In fact, one friend told me how her husband would leave at 05.00 to drive down to Granada for the day then drive all the way back! Madness… but then I’m not a skier. It was something I had wanted to do for a long time and definitely glad to have ticked off the list… best see what’s next on it.