Our First Year, Homeless By Choice, Retired Nomads House Sitting Around The World

It's been ONE year now since we left the comfort of our lovely home in Panama to become worldwide nomads. Our decision was a scary one, to sell, give away or throw away all of our world belongings and leave with just a few small suitcases. Although we had made plans to house sit around the world this was still a big leap into the unknown. Would it all work out? Could we live with so little stuff? And would we enjoy living in other peoples homes out of our tiny suitcases? We are really and truly homeless by choice since we have nothing stored anywhere in the world to return to. We are retired nomads, living rent free around the world by house and pet sitting.

We Are Really Doing This? Here We Go!

The past year has been an incredible journey for us! After leaving behind our house keys in Panama for the realtor to pass onto the new owners we flew to Texas to visit the kids. Our first house sit of the year was in Round Rock, near Austin, the music capital of the world. This set some high standards for our future house sits. A huge, modern, lovely home with a pool came complete with sweet dog and homeowners who have become lifelong friends.

Clyde's Kids From Left To Right

Caleb, Cobey and Christy

My Daughter Desiree, My Grandson Vash,
Me and Sabrina, Desiree's Partner

Then a quick stopover in New Jersey to visit my sister and some of my high school friends for a trip down memory lane. None of them seemed at all surprised that I was living this type of lifestyle as one remarked, "you've always been a bit crazy."

My High School Friends And My Sister Maryann

From Left To Right In Front Is Lennie, (Lenora) Angela then In The Back

Maryann, Me and Vee (Elvira).

Our adventures abroad began with a 20 hour flight from New York to Bangkok, Thailand for our next house sit. We explored the lively city of Bangkok to the smaller crazy city of Chiang Mai, then the quieter village of Chiang Rai. A side trip to the country of Cambodia was a must being that we were so close. From temples covered in gold to ancient temples covered with moss this part of the world was amazing and so affordable. We even fit in a quick weekend trip to Hong Kong to reconnect with some old friends from Texas that were living in China at the time.

Gorgeous Buddhist Temples In Thailand

Posing With Real Tigers That Were Handled From Birth By Humans

Feeding And Bathing Elephants

Famous Tomb Raider Temple In Cambodia

But our hearts really longed to explore Europe and our first stop was Italy. Since it was September the weather was lovely and we enjoyed feeling the seasons change for the first time in many years. We began in the small village of Giavera (Ja-vera) del Montello outside of Venice. From there our Italian adventure took us to the region of Umbria near the city of Umbertide. Next we headed into the more famous region of Tuscany for six weeks of house sitting. We awoke to spectacular views of olive trees and grapes as far as our eyes could see. Some of our temporary homes sat in the shadow of medieval castles that loomed over us from above. Our time in Italy culminated in the less known Le Marche region (mAr-kay)  in the mountains that offered stunning views not everyone gets to see. This was our second visit to Italy and surely we will return. After all we left our hearts behind wrapped up in the tons of mozzarella cheese dipped in wine. Speaking of food though, we learned that horse meat (yes you read that right) is commonly eaten in Italy. It's high in iron and is a healthy option for children and those with anemia.

On Juliette's Balcony In Verona, Italy
Romeo.....Romeo....Where The Hell Is He? Oh He's Taking The Photo

As Americans we can legally only spend 90 days out of every 180 days (6 months) in the European countries that are part of the Schengen agreement (which is most of them). Therefore we needed to leave the EU for at least three months until our clock would reset. Fortunately for us there are tons of house sits in the United Kingdom just waiting to be enjoyed.

Our British invasion began in London where we pretended to be royalty as we explored Buckingham and Kengington Palace and the lovely area of Westminster that features the historic Big Ben clock. After picking up our hired car as they say here we headed down to the tip of Cornwall stopping along the way at the famous Stonehenge. This WAS dear Clyde's FIRST time driving on the "wrong" side of the road and scared me WAY more than him. For the next FIVE months we explored lots of the UK, met some wonderful homeowners who have become lifelong friends and enjoyed the company of some great new furry friends. Not to mention learning a whole new different English vocabulary and making SO many British friends that we practically are Brits now.

Changing Of The Guard In London

Cooincidentally out of the 23 house sits that we have done thus far, all but a few of the homeowners have been from the UK. So we are watching British television, know how much we weight in pounds, kilograms and stones, and know what the weather is in Celsius too. From Yorkshire pudding to crumpets, haggis with nips and tatties and so many more we are well versed in UK food terms and slang. And we have and still do embrace the idea of afternoon tea. Even in hospitals across the UK patients are offered afternoon tea with a healthy snack to keep them going.

After living in England for three months we headed to Wales for our next house sit where we literally did NOT know IF they were speaking English or Welsh. Here is where the accents were the most difficult to understand. The city of Cardiff features an ornate castle smack in the city center along with charming historic buildings. Nearby the smaller town of St. Fagans is well known for its Museum Of Welch Life that features over 40 full-sized buildings from throughout the country. And like ALL museums in the UK it was free to stroll along the lovely grounds and meander from building to building.

The Keep At Cardiff Castle, Wales

After Wales we made the long drive over to Scotland for our next round of house sits. To break up the drive we stopped in the city of Liverpool best known for the Fab Four....The Beatles. Despite having been born too late to enjoy the full impact of the Beatles Invasion we were fascinated to learn about Liverpool and hop on board The Magical Mystery Tour.

Come Along.....On The Magical Mystery Tour In Liverpool, England

Our next stop was the city of Edinburg (there is no G in Edin-burrah), Scotland where we spent about five weeks. Historical buildings, the sound of bagpipes and Scottish plaid dotted the streets of this compact metropolis that we really came to enjoy.

They Really Do Wear Kilts In Scotland And Play Bagpipes

Kilts Can Even Be Rented And Are Worn To Weddings Like A Tuxedo

From there we boarded a plane bound for Dublin, Ireland for a short three week stay in the Emerald Isle. Surprisingly we were wowed by the beauty and absolute greenness of the whole country. Our house sit there was in Howth (ho, long O), a coastal suburb of Dublin famous for its cliff walks. There we had the pleasure of walking dogs along a path that opened up to stunning,  jaw dropping views of the Irish Sea.

The Emerald Isle....Ireland

Our Daily Views While Walking The Dogs

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Views From Our House Sit In Howth, Ireland

The Irish Sea And Dublin Bay

Our next round of adventures took us from the greenness of Ireland to the brown, dusty desert of Spain. We have to admit that the change of scenery did take some getting used to but as the sunshine and warmth enveloped us, we enjoyed our new home. The white sandy beaches and the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea were an added perk along with the history of each old town.

My One And Only.....Clyde

Clyde Making New Friends In Benidorm, Spain

The Doll Was The Hen For A Hen Party (Bachelorette)

Beach In Benidorm, Spain

Topless Bathing Is Common Throughout Europe

During our three months in Spain we will explore the Alicante area, Valencia, Cartagena, Murcia, Almeria, Madrid and even attend the festival of San Fermin to see the famous, "running with the bulls," in Pamplona.

Unfortunately though, our house sitting came to an abrupt halt on June 10th when Clyde was hospitalized for nearly passing out with a dangerously low heart rate. I took him to a private hospital where he was seen by a doctor within minutes of arriving. There he spent four days in ICU and two  in a regular room, had a pacemaker implanted, and now has a permanent souvenir of Spain in his chest. Amazing as the care was even I was provided with a private room to use while he was in ICU so that I could stay nearby. After he was moved into a regular room I was able to sleep on a pull out couch for a few days by his side. The rooms in this hospital equaled that of a luxury hotel with granite counters in the bathroom, a large walk in tiled shower and a spacious bedroom. Above Clyde's bed in the regular room was a monitor that offered free internet, a television, radio, a menu to select his meal choices and more. There was also a large flat screen television on the wall and even a small refrigerator. Unfortunately, we did have to cancel one of our house sits during this time and hopefully the homeowners understood and had a backup plan. We opted to spend a few weeks at a resort so that Clyde could have some recovery time. There are a few follow up visits with the cardiologist here before we move on from this area. But the cardiologist IS aware that we are travelling fulltime and assured us that Clyde can follow up with doctors worldwide.

Clyde In ICU After Pacemaker Surgery, Elche, Spain At IMED Hospital

New To Us Spanish Word.....Marcapasos Or Pacemaker

In the past 12 months we have visited or lived in 14 different countries from Central America, to the US, Asia, the UK, Ireland and now Europe. We are thoroughly enjoying our travels and see no end in sight. We have spent about 265 nights sleeping in other peoples beds making us realize that we can live just about anywhere.

Check out Our Video Below
Our First Year
House Sitting
The World

Year two of our worldwide adventures will take us to Morocco in August where we'll visit Casablanca, Rabat, Fes and Marrakesh. From there we'll fly into Cairo, Egypt to explore the Great Pyramids, The Sphinx and all of those touristy, must see things. Then a short plane ride to Luxor where we hop on board a cruise ship for a Nile River Cruise to Aswan and other stops. Once back in Luxor we'll make our way over to the city of Hurghada for a 6-week house sit near El Gouna on the Red Sea.

It continually amazes me when I see these places in writing and realize this is MY life that I'm writing about and NOT someone else's. Surely neither Clyde nor I ever imagined we'd have the opportunity to visit and live in such places in the world that we could have not afforded to do without house sitting. The end of the year will find us in Portugal for the holidays and after that who knows? But surely there will be more great places to see, live in and experience as we begin year TWO of house sitting around the world.....along the gringo trail.

A Visit To The Emergency Room In Spain.....

This Is For Our Blog Followers Who DO NOT Follow Us On Other Social Networking Sites

It was a Thursday morning like many others. Clyde was sitting in front of his laptop at the dining room table of our current house sit near Elche and Alicante, Spain. I was in the bedroom doing something when I heard him groan loudly. "What's wrong," I asked? "Uh I'm feeling dizzy and sick to my stomach," he answered. Quickly I went into the dining room to find him slumped over sideways in the chair nearly on the floor. He looked out of it, almost incoherent but said he was ok.  He sat up still looking a bit strange but within minutes he was back to normal.

This all began back in February or March while we were house sitting in Wales. One day we were out exploring castles and other tourist sites as usual. As Clyde climbed back into the drivers seat of the car he said, "oh I'm going to be sick," pausing for a minute and then he was fine. Since that was the first time any such thing happened we were concerned but thought it was just one of those things.
That same day he had another three or four similar episodes where he felt like he was going to pass out, a bit dizzy or vomit.

I became very concerned especially since HE was doing all the driving, on the LEFT side of the road in a car with a standard transmission. There would have been NO way that I could have transported him to a hospital in the event of an emergency which was rather scary!

So I suggested to him that we find a doctor to see as soon as possible. Since we were in between house sits we were staying at a small B&B in St. Fagans, a town close to the larger city of Cardiff. We asked the woman that owned the place what she suggested we do, or if she knew a doctor who could see him. Immediately she picked up the phone and called her doctor's office who agreed to see him the next morning.

The next day we met with a general practitioner who looked him over, checked his vital signs and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He went onto explain that "near fainting" could be caused by many things such as dehydration, low iron etc....but did not think it was cardiac in nature. Basically he dismissed Clyde by saying, "you are fine....for now."

For the past ten years since Clyde lost 100 pounds with weight loss surgery, the lap band in particular, he has had a low pulse rate. Through the years he mentioned it to doctors and even had a full cardiac workup with a cardiologist back in Texas. Even then the specialist said something like, "you're fit, active and have no symptoms so a low pulse is not as issue."

But since that day of near fainting episodes in Wales Clyde has been perfectly fine, until last week. After the first episode I insisted that WE WERE going to walk into a hospital here in Spain and ask to be seen. Since the large city of Alicante was less than an hour away I figured we'd have to head there. But instead I found a private hospital in the smaller city of Elche, that was about thirty minutes from where we were staying for our house sit.

About 45-minutes after the first episode in the dining room Clyde had another one and this time made it to the living room couch. Again he appeared to be not all there, incoherent again and I was scared. I grabbed my purse since I would be driving along with my contact lens solution, JUST IN CASE HE WAS ADMITTED AND I SPENT THE NIGHT WITH HIM and off we went. Since we were responsible for three dogs and one cat we filled up some large bowls with food for the dogs that stayed outside and put the cats food bowl outside too. All animals had adequate supplies of water also again, just in case we didn't get back that night.

Now throughout our worldwide travels we have been renting cars and Clyde has been doing ALL the driving. The reason for this is that typically rental companies charge more money to add a second driver. So to keep cost down he is ok being the only driver. The second reason is that I have NOT driven a standard in twenty years and most ALL cars outside of the US are standard. Another way to keep cost down on rental cars is to allow our credit card to cover some of the insurance. But in order to do this the rental period must not exceed 30 days, so we swap out cars every 30 days.

So last week we went to Alicante Airport to change out cars. The clerk explained that the car we were getting was brand spanking new, always a nice feature of rental cars. Off we went to find our car in the parking lot. When Clyde clicked the key fob to open the door nothing happened. He checked that he had the right car, the license plate but still....nothing. He went back to the office to tell them and the clerk said that the battery must be dead in the key fob so they would have to switch out cars. Well turns out that without even asking the second car that they gave us was an AUTOMATIC. So when he had his fainting episode it made it SO much easier for me to drive him to the hospital.

We made our way to the Emergency Room of IMED Hospital Elche and approached the front desk. Clyde walked in looking fine, alert and explained his problem to the desk clerk who spoke English. Within minutes we were taken into a room to see a female doctor. While the doctor did speak some English she had the desk clerk come in to standby just in case a translator was needed. Of course they did not know that we speak some Spanish and could have filled in the blanks if necessary but a translator was also helpful.

After checking him out and asking a bunch of questions the doctor had him put into a bed in ER and suggested that he spend the night. She explained that this way he could be monitored in the event that he had another episode to find out what was going on. I asked IF I could stay with him and she said, "sure."

A while later he had another episode before he was hooked up to a heart monitor. The nurse came in, lowered the head of the bed, they did another EKG and hooked him up to a heart monitor. The next time an episode occurred they were able to see that his heart dropped to a scary 15 BEATS PER MINUTE. A normal heart beats 60-100 beats per minute and when it drops below 60 it's called, "bradycardia."

Immediately another female doctor came to talk with us suggesting that he be moved into Intensive Care for the night. There he could be closely monitored and IF his heart dropped lower they would be right there to help. Of course with him going into ICU I could NOT stay with him overnight. Since the house we were at was a good 30 minute drive and I was not willing to be that far away from him we asked for other options. Was there a hotel nearby? Could I sleep in the lobby? Finally the original doctor we saw approached me and said, "I have a room for you and handed me a small piece of paper with the number 2201 written on it." I thanked her profusely nearly giving her a hug, so relieved that I would now have a place to stay nearby.

The hours for ICU were limited to a few hours two times per day. Since we ran out of the house quickly we forgot to take our phone chargers and when the batteries ran out we had no communication with each other. When I did get to visit him he had already been told by a doctor that he would be needing a pacemaker (marcapasos in Spanish). We were both scared at the thought of this. Would he be able to live a normal, healthy life? Could we continue to travel? Would we have to cancel our next house sit or all of them? What, how, when.......

There was just ONE nurse named Rosa in the ICU that spoke fluent English. She was so helpful in answering our questions and concerns about everything. She explained the procedure, what his recovery would be like and calmed some of our fears.

Thankfully we do have worldwide health insurance and by the next day they approved the surgery. We had to pay our deductible of $3200 and the rest was covered, at least so far. The hospital had to find the specialist in Alicante that performed this surgery. Although a cardiologist specializes in treating diseases of the heart, it's a cardiologist electrophysiologist that implants pacemakers. Even more specialized that a regular cardiologist this type of doctor specializes in abnormal heart rhythms.

So Clyde went into the hospital on a Thursday, the pacemaker was implanted on Saturday and he was released on the following Tuesday. The care that he received in ICU was wonderful with plenty of nurses nearby monitoring his heart and taking care of his every need. Spain has some of the worlds best healthcare and top notch doctors so we knew he was in good hands. Overall he spent FOUR nights in ICU and TWO in a regular room with me.

The only problem I saw was that he liked having sponge baths by not one but TWO nurses while in ICU and thought that trend would be performed by nurse Terry also. While he is recovering he is NOT allowed to lift his LEFT arm overhead. The pacemaker was put on his left side and needs time to allow the leads to attach themselves to the heart ventricles. Moving that arm too much could cause the leads to move and further surgery would be needed. But the way I see it he has one good arm with one attached hand that is perfectly capable of washing himself. Perhaps nurse Terry can hand him the soap and shampoo?

Trusted House Sitters Information

During the hospital stay we kept in touch with the homeowners of the sit we were currently doing to let them know our situation. They had introduced us to their good friends who were able to go over and feed the animals in our absence. And one of their friends even came to get me at the hospital to take me back to the house for some clothes. It was nice to have someone to talk to and get away from the hospital for a few hours.

Because we did have to cancel one of our house sits while he was hospitalized we are currently free for a few weeks. When our last sit ended the homeowners were sweet enough to offer us a place to stay nearby, in a small house they have in a village. While the place is charming it does lack internet and tv and after a few days we were missing our online world.

So Clyde found us an apartment in a luxury resort at a reasonable price. Here we can relax on holiday for a few weeks with no responsibilities of house and pet sitting. And perhaps with so much free time I might even give the old boy a scrub down?

Condado Alhama Resort, Murcia, Spain

ONE Of TWENTY Pools Here

So when we leave Spain in August Clyde takes with him a permanent souvenir, a scar on his chest of his perils here. I thought it might look prettier concealed with a decorative refrigerator magnet, since after all he DOES have a piece of metal inside. But then there IS that one little problem that magnets disrupt the function of pacemakers and cause them to malfunction. Probably not a good idea eh? Of course I'm joking about the magnet so instead we'll just return to our travels to give you all something to enjoy.....along the gringo trail.

Stalking Celebrities In Benidorm......

Since we are down to our last few days at this five-week house sit near Alicante, I thought one last trip to Benidorm was a must. If you recall we first became aware of the bustling, coastal city while house sitting through the UK. We stumbled upon a British comedy show by the same name that was currently in season EIGHT. Well since the UK is cold and rainy we managed to find and binge watch the prior SEVEN seasons. And because most ALL of the homeowners we have met are Brits or Scots we have plenty of BBC and ITV telly to watch. Recently we finished watching Season 9 and Season 10 is currently being filmed right here in the town of Benidorm.

Need We Say More?

The show takes place at a three-star, all inclusive resort called The Solana which is filmed at the real Sol Pelicanos Ocas along with its sister hotel directly next door. It follows an ensemble cast of characters from the UK that book a holiday at the resort every year, only to complain about it's lousy food and accommodations. The bumbling hotel staff gives the show a slight feeling of the old Faulty Towers, since nothing ever seems to go right yet the hotel management sweeps all of the troubles under the carpet. While the cast of characters has changed over the ten seasons the premise is the same. Bargain loving Brits taking advantage of the 315 days of sunshine per year just a few hours from home at discount prices. Many holiday hounds in Benidorm take relaxing to the max and hire mobility scooters that can be rented cheap so they do not even have to tire out their feet on holiday. There IS even a path for them to ride on down to the sandy beaches to avoid walking there too.

The Mobility Scooter Used By People That Don't Need Them Is A Theme Of The Show
This Is A Scene From The Show Past Seasons

The Real Hotel Where The Show Is Filmed

On our first trip to Benidorm we spotted production trucks full of props, wardrobe, food and more but failed to see any of the actors. Yesterday we merely set out for a day at the beach since we had given up on spotting any of our favorite characters from the show. But while looking for a parking spot we noticed a row of trucks parked along the roadside. As there was a Wednesday street market nearby we thought it might be for that. But then we noticed one truck full of props and another with a TV logo on the outside. Could they be filming here still? So we decided to park and walk down the street to see what we might discover.

Production Crew Trucks

Not far from the trucks in a parking lot they were setting up canopies with tables underneath for lunch. Clyde said, "wow, they're going to be having lunch soon and maybe we can catch a glimpse of the actors from afar." He suggested that we wait there and see. We began chatting with a British couple nearby who were also fans of the show. Just than a older man dressed in a tee shirt and shorts approached us and asked, "do you want to see the actors from Benidorm?" Of course we said, "yes," to which he responded, "well don't look that way cause you won't see anything." He went on to explain that they were filming across the street in an apartment complex (used to film scenes inside the hotel) and he said  they would be coming out for lunch soon and would be walking across the street right in front of us.

On Location Setting Up For Celebs To Have Lunch

Celebs Eating Lunch

Wow!!! This was TOO good to be true! Did we just happen to be in the right place at the right time? Would be REALLY be getting to see some of our favorite cast members that had become almost like friends, in our heads?

A Scene From The Benidorm Show

We Did Not See All Of These Actors

While waiting we began talking to another British couple, also fans of  the show who HAD seen some of the actors on other occasion in the streets. The sun was hot and the minutes led to an hour or more of standing there in the hot sun waiting for something to happen. But nearby food was being carried out to the tents so we KNEW something would happen eventually.

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Suddenly people began coming from across the road and down the street and we tried to spot a familiar face among the crowd. Just then the British couple said, "did you see Jacquline....and Pauline and Noreen?" Or the actresses that play those parts. "WHAT....NO....WE MISSED THEM," I said. Yes somehow they walked right by us and we missed them and now we could only see them in the distance eating lunch. But not to despair because they HAD to come back out once they were done and we could catch them at that time.

An English Comedian On The Left

Actress Janine Duvitski Who Plays Jacqueline On The Show, She Is Hiding From Fans

Jacqueline In Character

Jacqueline And Late Actor Kenny Ireland Who Played Her Husband On Show In Previous Seasons

They Played An Elderly, Very Wild And Open Swinger Couple

Lesson learned here: Actors play a role and DO NOT necessarily look like they do on camera! Take for example the character of Noreen played by Elsie Kelly. On camera she wears a big floppy hat and glasses and her hair appears yellow. In real life she had pure white hair, no hat or glasses and walked right by us. Had the British couple not seen here before in real life and had not told us it was her we would have never known.

Actress Elsie Kelly Who Plays Noreen On Benidorm

Kelly In Character As Noreen.....Does Not Look Like She Did In Person

The Character Is A Sweet, Ditzy Old Lady Loved By All

After eating the cast members walked by us heading back to work and we managed to snap a few photos. They all avoided making eye contact with the fans that were waiting and tried to quietly walk by. We noticed two young men approach actress Selina Griffiths who plays the drunken daughter Pauleen to Noreen. One man posed for a selfie with her and Clyde quickly said to me, "come on." So we approached her from behind asking please can we get a photo since we came ALL the way from America. She was gracious enough to pose for a photo with me, a nice culmination to our hours of standing in the hot sun waiting.

Actress Selina Griffiths And Me

Selina Griffiths Sneaks By Fans

Griffiths In Character....As Pauline She Is A Bumbling, Snobby, Drunk

Afterwards we managed to have a late lunch before finally heading to the beach. We cooled off with a dip in the crystal, clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea, relaxed on some sunbeds (lounge chairs to us), and enjoyed an icy cold adult beverage.

Young Man Selling Mojitos And Sex On The Beach For 5 Euros On Beach

While there are plenty of other beaches nearby we've come to love the vibe, excitement and craziness that makes up Benidorm. From young bachelors celebrating their last few days of freedom to wrinkled pensioners going topless on the beaches, it has something for everyone. There were plenty of British kids spouting off phrases like, "what a lovely day" nearby in between throwing sand at their siblings. Families with kids, young newlyweds, old  timers riding on motorized carts and everything in between. A pint of beer can be had for just ONE EURO, less than the cost of a bottle of water and probably can be purchased with breakfast.

Sunbeds Rent For 4.50 Euros Each And Umbrella Too

And with SO many Brits on holiday in Benidorm we had to keep reminding ourselves that we are in Spain and not the UK. Rarely did we need to use Spanish there since most everyone that works in the tourist industry speaks English. Even fish and chips with mushy peas can be found on many menus and is what Clyde had for lunch yesterday.

We Are Turning Into Brits......

Fish, Chips And Mushy Peas....Clyde's Favorite But Too Greasy For Me

From stalking celebrities to sunning our buns we enjoyed our day of fun in the sun in Benidorm. And my new take on life can be expressed by the words on my chest, "Good Girls Go To Heaven And Bad Girls Go To Benidorm," which I guess makes me a bad girl here in Spain......along the gringo trail.

Torrevieja, Spain.....A Salty Wonder

The city of Torrevieja on Spain's Costa Blanca is dripping with Spanish charm. While its name simply means, "old tower," and there is one on the waterfront, it's known today for it's salt production. Torrevieja is surrounded by two natural salt lakes on either side that are home to many species of birds. Aside from its salt production the town is kept alive through tourism, fishing and a large British expat community.

An Old Tower

As we strolled along the lively, cobblestoned streets and plazas we thought what a nice place this would be to live. A bright yellow plaza features The Church Of The Immaculate Conception with the waterfront and plenty of restaurants nearby. For lunch we stopped at a roadside café and ordered a "house burger" to share. Ground beef is a bit different here in Spain with its gray color not too appetizing. Thankful that we only ordered one to share I opted to take off the meat and eat the rest. Hamburgers in Spain commonly are served topped with a fried egg as are MANY other dishes too.

Church Of The Immaculate Conception

How to Get A House Sit for Free Accomodations

Hamburger Of The House

Bottom Layer Is Shredded Ham, Lettuce, Tomato, A Burger, Fried Egg On Top

Served With Two Tapas, Fries And Drinks For 8,50 euros

While the town is modern with heavy duty street lights hanging over the roadways it maintains it's Spanish charm through the architecture. Along the seaside we found a mosaic tiled bench that snaked it's way along offering up seats for tired tourists and locals alike. The beaches here seemed to have darker colored sand and not as white as other Costa Blanca beaches yet still pretty.

Looks Like Something Inspired By Antoni Gaudi? A Long Bench

Strange Designs Around The City....Crooked Posts

Cement Furniture....Bet These Don't Get Stolen

A quick stop in the old part of the city offered rocky beaches that seemed like something only the locals would visit. Perhaps it was the sign leading to a beachfront walkway that said, "solomente por residentes," that gave it away?

Beach On Torrevieja

Another stop along the Mediterranean coastline as we enjoy the sights, sounds, foods, wine, beer and people of Spain......along the gringo trail.