Yesterday evening we ate an early supper and then drove into Benissa, the nearest town, for a concert by the local Benissa choir. A free concert in a large hall, we weren’t too sure what to expect, but were reasonably optimistic as a friend of Linda and George’s, Claire, a soprano, was taking part. As it turned out it was an hour-long programme of popular music, such as Lennon and McCartney, Les Miserables and The Lion King. Not very Spanish but very well done with good arrangements and great singing from the choir – and Claire, the soloist. The enthusiastic choir master was a veritable Gareth Malone and the whole thing was good entertainment. The hall was packed and there were more people looking through open windows. We stepped out into a still very warm night and had a little walk around the town before going home.

I woke to a beautiful day: a completely clear, deep blue sky. Made all the more beautiful by being able to step straight into the swimming pool before breakfast. The plan was that Linda and I would go to Javea (or in local Valenciana, Xabia) for the weekly market and to look around. It was a half hour drive. After parking the car, we stopped at a cafe for coffee. It’s so nice being with someone who also sees morning coffee as essential!

The market had a mix of stalls; you could buy clothes, household items and pretty much anything you might need as well as food.

We didn’t want to buy too much as we didn’t want to carry a heavy bag around but Linda bought some gorgeous large local cherries.

We made our way through the streets to the port area where a friend of Linda’s, Fleur, owns a lovely shop, Casa Indigo. Much like the one yesterday in Moraira, this was full of beautiful things that appealed to me – and I even bought a few small things today.

After talking to Fleur for a while, by the time we came out it was nearing 2.00pm. Most places were closed or closing for the long lunch the Spanish have and wouldn’t be open again until 5 or 6. We were hungry now and cut down a narrow street towards the waterfront and by chance came across a lovely cafe – Mira Luna.

The people were so friendly and helpful. The cafe had only been open for 8 weeks and was beautifully designed with lots of gorgeous touches. We sat outside looking at the view at the top of this post. We ordered soft drinks and they came with a nice bowl of nuts, dried corn and habas fritas.

Linda ordered a tuna sandwich, which looked great when it arrived with a deep filling. I had homemade quiche which was delicious and you could tell it really was just made and very fresh.

They also had homemade cakes and we couldn’t resist sharing a slice with our coffees. We had a discussion with the guy serving us about which was best from the great choice and went for with one with poppy seeds and quark cheese. I wasn’t totally sure how this sounded but it looked really good and tasted brilliant; really delicious and not too sweet.

Mira Luna was a great find. We then had a gentle post-prandial walk along the promenade.

It was fairly quiet because of the long lunch hour when people shelter from the hot sun. We made our way back to the car and journeyed home. It had been a lovely outing but it was now definitely time for a late siesta by the pool.