Altea and WHAT??

 On Thursday morning we masked up and took a 31/2 hour bus ride to Altea and the AirBnB we rented on the Mediterranean.  The scenery was beautiful, we rode through citrus groves and farms.  Flowering shrubs and trees lined the roads.  Bougainvillea, giant lantana, wisteria, purple jacaranda, and lots more that I can’t identify, but thoroughly enjoyed.  I am mourning my garden at home, by the time I get back the forget-me-nots, iris, spiderwort, alliums, peonies and bachelor buttons will likely be done flowering. And if the Rhodies decided to actually bloom this year, I will have missed them as well.  But I have certainly enjoyed the beautiful flowers of Spain! 

As we neared the coast, the mountains increased, and the ride got pretty curvy for this weak stomach, but fortunately we hadn’t eaten much and I didn’t embarrass myself. We did stop in every hamlet, village, city and rest stop along the way, the 130 km ride stretched out for most of the afternoon.  But the town of Altea is beautiful, nestled into the cliffs.   And our small apartment has gorgeous views of the sea!

We are very close to a grocery store, so we masked up and picked up a few basics like wine, laundry soap and toothpaste among other things.  Happy hour was really enjoyable!  Then we got on the phone to our docs back in GR to make arrangements for the letters of recovery we will need to present to the airlines when we fly out on the 18th.  

Early evening, we went out on the promenade to check things out and get some supper.  Heard lots of languages along the way!  Early to bed, relieved that we are here, and not locked in a hotel room some where!

This morning Dick cooked breakfast and we lazed around for a while, then I did manage some wash, those European washing machines are really hard to figure out, especially when Lu and Barb aren’t around to help!   

I went down to the beach with a chair and enjoyed the waves while Dick tried to nap.  The beach is covered in stones, nothing like our Lake Mi golden sands, but not complaining.  My Camino focused wardrobe means I am very underdressed for Altea, but I discovered that when it comes to swimwear, my tank suit makes me very overdressed on the beach!

And came back to this: 

US lifts COVID-19 test requirement for international travel

WHAT???