9 Aug 2010 – Feliz Cumpleaños SIN y Adiós España

What a scenic and panoramic drive for my last day in Calpe: Xalo/Alcalali, wine-producing history goes back to 1472 when the Moors sent a selection of wines to the Valencian court.

Coll de Rates Restaurant***situated at the foot of Col de Rates mountain, this rustic, beamed restaurant serves a delicious home-made apple cake and commands stunning views overlooking the many mountains & hilltops.

Fuentes de Algar: natural park is a natural beauty spot high up in the mountains behind Altea, which is incredibly green and rich in crystal clear water. The region is well-known as a large fruit-growing area and in particular for its groves of nisperos. Some 22 million kilos of nisperos are produced in the Guadalest and Algar valleys every year.

Guadalest: surrounded by the Aitana, Serella & Xorta Mountains the village was a strategic military stronghold with fortifications. dating back to 715AD and the period of Moorish occupation of Spain.  The town grew up around the fortress. Originally the population lived within the protection of the castle walls. The castle can only be entered by one small tunnel cut through the rock at the San Jose gate. The area inside the walls includes the ancient city dungeon, the bell tower, Saint Josep castle, the Orduña House, parish church and the Moorish fortified building called Alcozaiba.

The houses the Moors lived in then were built outside the San Jose gate. This part of the town, ‘el Arrabal’, with its little streets and squares is where the majority of the shops, craft shops, museums and restaurants are today. The river Guadalest flows through the area and has been dammed to form a spectacular a reservoir below the town. Guadalest has been declared a ‘Monument of Historical and Artistic Value’ and is a major tourist attraction in Spain.

La Casa****www.lacasarestaurante.com with a Swiss trained chef Mike and his SIN wife Serene have been successfully running la Casa for over a decade. During autumn and spring dinner service is held in the dining lounge of this traditional Spanish town house. We were able to enjoy our meal ‘al fresco’ on our private terrace on the second floor of the house. All dishes served at la Casa are home-made, on the ‘a la carte’ menu.

What a wonderful way to celebrate SIN 45th Bday, with 3 fellow SIN in Spain!

Appreciations to Rita & Jürgen for their kind & generous hospitality. If not for them, Costa Blanca, especially Calpe would not have been in my traveling plans. Having experience the Ifach in all angles and positions, what more can anyone want 🙂