Yesterday morning Linda kindly asked me what I’d like to do on my last day. I didn’t want to venture too far and it was decided to go to Altea (where we’d gone for the paella on Sunday) and find a cafe near the beach for coffee. Even though we were quite early by Spanish standards there was a long queue of traffic heading into the town when we got close; a symptom of the time of year and it now being high season. We were lucky to find a parking spot quite easily though and then cut down a narrow road on foot to the beach with the idea we’d walk along for a bit then have a coffee. However, almost immediately we found a cafe-delicatessen of interest – Paladar. They were only just opening but a very friendly waitress – who we discovered later came from Estonia – encouraged us to look inside and promised she made very good coffee. It was very smart inside with a lovely view out to the sea.

There was a great view from our outdoor seats too!

They sold wine and all the kind of things you’d expect in a good delicatessen. We could also see they sometimes made paella.

There was an appealing list of tapas, salads and other things to eat which made us think another time it would be a great place for lunch. Meanwhile, it was only coffee time. We ordered our coffees and sat outside. When the friendly waitress came with the coffees she also brought us a little slice of their homemade lime cheesecake to share. It was delicious.

Altea is quite an upmarket coastal town which has long been a popular destination for artists. In fact a friend and favourite artist who now lives in Cornwall, Alan Furneaux, has prints and paintings of Altea and other Spanish towns on his website (see www.alanfurneaux.com). We looked round a few arty shops and walked through a square full of wonderful and very old olive trees.

Back home we had a quiet afternoon. Linda cooked a gorgeous supper for my last evening and we opened a bottle of Cordorniu Anna cava, which is one of the nicest cavas and much cheaper there than in London supermarkets!

It was a beautiful evening. It had been one of the hottest days since my arrival and was still hot as the sun set and darkness fell.

This morning we were up early. I watched the light of the sun come up across the wonderful view from the naya.

Then it was time for the journey to Alicante airport – about an hour away. Linda like the great friend she is gave me a lift all the way. Once through security I had time for a last taste of Spain in a bar – Canas y Tapas – with a typical Spanish breakfast of coffee, tostada and fresh orange juice.

Note:. The lovely Mimi at Chef Mimi Blog alerted me yesterday to the fact that she was unable to leave a comment on my last post. When I checked I found Comments turned off for all the Spanish holiday (I thought it had been a bit quiet!) There was obviously a hiccup with the WordPress Mobile App I use on my iPad when away. I’ve sorted it out now and opened Comments on all the posts but many apologies to anyone who had wanted to say something. Your comments are always welcomed and I love to hear from readers!