The Hogueras Fiesta in Torrevieja

Last night was pretty random. I started off as a guest at my friends gym and a participant in a fun, yet slightly punishing yoga class. It was good to have a proper stretch and learn some new poses though, even if I am having some strange pains in my gluteus maximus today.
I was then invited to a Spanish families pre-fiesta dinner. I turned up bottle in hand and was immediately met by a dozen smiley faces and a table full of food to die for - yum. By this time it was 22.30. I quickly found that it was easier to converse with the families 5-year old than anyone else, as I explained in my broken Spanish, my basic language skills make me a kind of baby myself :)
Soon we were rushing out of the door and taking a short walk to the beach around the corner from Los Locos in Torrevieja. Crowds were gathering and as we met them a single rocket was fired in to the sky and BANG! An opening explosion that nearly burst my ear drums.
Firework displays in Spain are an awesome event, you can be near or far away and they are always simply spectacular. This display was to celebrate Los Hogueras, a fiesta for the start of the summer. The display was coordinated to run alongside music, blaring from speakers placed in the streets. There were literally thousands of people in the streets, on the beaches, standing on chairs - everyone smiling while looking skywards.
The display lasted about 20 minutes, it was full of texture; colours, noises and shapes. Once over we walked along the promenade, sucking up the atmosphere and watching as all manner of events unfolded. Mature ladies danced the flamenca in groups on the sand, the men clapping and singing. Teens set (small and controlled) fires and played in the water. Couple kissed and hugged. Children played innocently, running between family members and friends.
School is out for students and they were there in their hundreds, celebrating and drinking sensibly, playing, laughing, dancing. The culture is so different from that in the UK. No-one was smashing anything up or fighting, or becoming drunk and disorderly - like they do in my hometown in the UK.
We decided to go home around 01.00, although I made a mental note that next year, I would be joining the party with a few beers.
There was just one thing that really annoyed me at the fiesta.... I forgot my camera and was absolutely gutted.

Pole Dance Fitness for the Olympics!

And this is why:

The girls in Australia keep coming up with the goods:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF6t0shspBg

And this lady from the UK ain't bad either!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-lGjkXlOcM

Blog: Adventure Sports on the Costas

Hello readers!
I want to introduce you to another Blog I will be writing called Adventure Sports on the Costa's; it's been created to compliment my newly designed website (coming soon - www.costa-adventures.com)

http://www.adventuresportsonthecostas.blogspot.com/

This new Blog will focus purely on adventures sports and related events / people / products and services, mainly in Spain.

Feedback is always welcome, so please feel free to get in touch if you have any.

If you are an activity provider that would like some publicity, get in touch for an informal chat :)

UK Trip

My UK trip last week wasn't filled with the usual blood-pumping, adhrenaline enforced activities; but was to have my Hen party in London. I had a fantasic time with my group of loved ones and if anyone needs a bit of inspiration when making plans then I suggest:
Strada, Market Place - for pizza and pasta
Madame Jo Jo's - for live cabaret and entertainment
On Anon - for a brilliant clubbing experience in a maze of rooms and lounge areas

Thanks to all involved for making my do so special, I had a blast!

The Downhill Bike Ride Company - Benidorm

Fancy taking a brilliant bike ride where you don't have to pedal?? Yes please!

http://www.coastrider.net/main/features/spec-features/7889-my-day-with-the-downhill-bike-ride-company.html

Hiking in the Sierra de Espuna with Vista Verde Trails

It took quite some time to get this article published, for various reasons, but here it is now. I hope you like it and if you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me or direct with Vista Verde Trails themselves, all their contact info is at the bottom of the article.

http://www.coastrider.net/main/features/spec-features/7641-hiking-in-the-sierra-de-espuna-with-vista-verde-trails.html

This area is definitely worth a visit :)

Sierra de Espuna and Monastario Santa Eulalia

What a lovely weekend I have had! On Friday I travelled to the Sierra de Espuna again, this time to stay for the weekend at a converted monastery on the national park called Hotel Monastario Santa Eulalia (http://www.monasteriosantaeulalia.com/). The hotel itself has been converted beautifully and nestles between valleys and mountains, its gardens harmonious with the natural environment.





On the Saturday we ventured up the mountain, along roads that become thinner and thinner the higher we went. The views became increasingly awesome and the recreational areas we passed were buzzing with families cooking away on the public BBQ's. We saw hikers and climbers, although for once, it was nice to sit in the car and admire their efforts. Close to the top of the Sierra de Espuna is an area where there are derelict 'snow holes' (pozos de la nieve), structures which were used in the past to store snow (this would then be crushed and the formed ice would be transported down the mountain to the villages in the summer). Today some have been restored, they make cool sights when you come across them in the woodland.





Although beautiful and wild, the Sierra de Espuna does seem to have little wildlife. Maybe the human impact has been too much (although far from busy with tourism) but I was surprised not even to see any birds of prey. I shall sit still for longer next time :)



Aledo was the nearest town to our hotel, quaint with tight roads and a restored castle and church that can be seen for miles. We also visited a monument of Jesus, sat upon a high point that has many religious statues scattered around the ascent. From here we had more amazing views of the surrounding towns and mountain peaks.





Sunday was upon us before we knew it. I had a quick peek in the church at the hotel, filling up with locals for mass, the walls were all painted with various depictions and; stunning. Although not Christian, I have much respect for the architecture employed by churches in Spain.



On our way home I just had to stop at this house; it's for sale if anyone is interested!

An Introduction to the Coastrider Readers

The ball is rolling again! Please use this link to see my first of many features for The Coastrider, a local paper here on the Costa Blanca. I'm really excited about the move and already have a few articles for them to print. I'll be bringing you the best of earth, air and sea experiences on the Costa and beyond throughout the year!

http://www.coastrider.net/main/features/spec-features/7500-an-introduction-to-my-costa-adventures.html

I've also been offered writing work through the UK's biggest adventure sports holidays provider and look forward to providing a unique insight in to adventure tourism in this area. More info to follow soon.... :)

Where Does the Time Go???......

It feels like ages since I've written my Blog, the time is just flying past and I have lots to tell. I have decided to stop writing for the RTN due for various reasons and have am now providing features to The Coastrider, another local newspaper instead. That way I am still getting published by someone locally and the readers are getting lots of cool info about what is available to them right on their doorstep. It's an exciting transition for me and as we move from winter, through spring and in to summer, the articles will shift from more earth bound activities to sea based experiences. Woo hoo!
The sailing school is busy (Serenity Sailing), we've had a fantastic start to the year, we're very lucky. Costa Adventures is in need of a revamp so my dear friend Anthony will be creating an amazing new website which will be launched at the end of the year.
I've recently had meetings with a group that will be starting a car club and a boat club. The car club already has 2 Ferrari's and another supercar for track use and the boat club has 2 tidy power boats and 2 jet ski's that are based in Torrevieja. More info to come as it develops.
I continue to go on brilliant adventures. This week I went on a 38km downhill bike ride in the mountains behind Benidorm - it was FANTASTIC! A special mention should also be given to the 2 members of staff that I was with that day, Terry and Alistair; they were fun, professional and so knowledgeable about the area. An article will be published soon about this amazing experience and I will publish it here.
I'm working closely with various activity providers so that I can keep bringing you information on events, races, club launches and interesting local developments. If you need any information about any aspect of adventure tourism on the Costa Blanca, please get in touch and I will do my upmost to help.
For now goodbye, but I will be back soon. Have a great weekend, wherever you may be.
Hasta luego! Anna :)

Vista Verde Trails & the Sierra de Espuna

I must write a little something about todays adventure prior to the article I am having published in 2 weeks. I have had a fab day. I spent most of it with a lovely group of people, being led around part of the Sierra de Espuna by Paul from Vista Verde Trails. Paul is a good guide and gave us some great tips of safety and he and his partner, Alison, are a wealth of both local and general knowledge. The other guys in the group were all lovely too and my friend / rep surprised me with her sky-high fitness levels - she puts it down to Mamberry, the goji berry and super / nuclear fruit supplement she has been taking for a couple of years.
We walked for 5 hours and I would normally be crippled after that kind of walk (especially as my knee popped out of place last week), but this was the first major walk attended using my nordic poles. I don't want to jinx things but I am feeling surprisingly pain free, lets hope it's not a different story tomorrow :)
It was a shame that the visibility was not so good, but it just means I will have to go back another time - it was just so lovely and I can't wait to take my fiance.

Nordic Walking

This has been one of my favourite activities to date, it was so fun to learn this new skill and the physical benefits were many (great sport for after Xmas):

http://www.roundtownnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22738&Itemid=38

Talking of walking, I have just returned home after walking in the Sierra de Espuna for 5 hours! Great scenery, great company, great leader - great day! More will follow once I have wallowed in a hot bath :)

Inverted Crucifix & Superman

What do the funny words in this title mean? ...... They are the pole dance moves that I did for the 1st time last night. So, so cool. I have some funky bruises on my feet and inner thighs but they are worth it!!!!! Got to start taking more photo's.
On the down side, I got home last night and while standing having a drink with friends, my knee popped out (old injury). So no dog walking tomorrow for S.A.T.S who I volunteer with :(



On the upside this means I can concentrate on my article deadline (about Nordic walking), do some course work and shoot some photo's for next Tuesdays digital camera club.
We have poo weather again, but that hasn't stopped Richard going shooting, glad he's forming his own hobby, gutted I can't play on my pole while he's out!
Anyway, here's to a fab weekend with some fab friends that are over from the UK - enjoy folks!

Yacht Maintenance & Anti-Fouling

Every year or two we have to take our yacht, Serenity, out of the water for maintenance and do to something called 'anti-fouling'. When you anti-foul a boat you basically paint the belly (hull) with a substance that discourages growth e.g. barnacles and other marine life. If you didn't do this your boat would not go through the water so well as this growth, creates resistance.
Having the yacht out of the water also makes other jobs easier and we normally use the time to give Serenity a lot of tlc.
One of my friends asked how you get a boat out of the water, so I thought I would show you some pictures.

Serenity backs in to a holding area and a huge crane comes along, two harnesses go underneath her.



Then they lift her out of the water and pressure wash off all the crud.





She's then put on stilts so that we can work on her hull (belly). We paint and polish the sides and clean up the propellers.

I had a really great time whilst being a guest speaker on Fab FM last Saturday. The DJ, Bob, really made me feel at ease and I enjoyed speaking about something I am so passionate about - adventures!! They have asked me to go back in 2 weeks as we ran out of time. This experience has really made me think about media and increasing the net in which my and my activity providers cover. Great things lay ahead.....

Heretat de Cesilia - An Award Winning Winery

I visited this fantastic winery last month with some of my family and fell in love with their produce. Check out this article to read more about the award winning wines produced at Heretat de Cesilia.

http://www.roundtownnews.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=22558&Itemid=38

I'm thirsty just thinking about it. Maybe you should enjoy this article with a glass of full-bodied red ;) Yum.