George is 35 months old today!
At the airport, ready to go to Spain!
En route!
Tapas and wine on arrival in Alicante--George fell asleep on the bus from the airport to town, and we managed to have a lovely meal with him sleeping soundly in my arms. It was just like the old days when he used to sleep in the Ergo through meals!
Flan
Flan
Castillo de Santa Barbara
Remnants of the old bakery (16th century) at Castillo de Santa Barbara
We spotted a couple taking wedding photos at the castle--George loved their car
St Nicholas Cathedral in old town
Correos postbox
This pedestrianized street had crazy giant toadstools and slides for kids
Post office
Playing with bubbles at the park
The staff at this restaurant were so sweet with George--they called him "El Presidente"
This little octopus in the paella freaked us out!
After dinner, we went to the amusement park on the waterfront
Running around on the Esplanada at 10pm
The next morning--I love how you can see the castle on the hill from all over town
Dinner at a posh tapas bar
Marina
George fell asleep at dinner, so we had a little stroll on the waterfront with him sleeping in our arms
We took a boat trip out to Isla de Tabarca
The water was incredibly clear--we saw lots of fish!
Spanish Army Fort--Tower of San Jose
Lighthouse
Tabarca has a marine reserve, so it's very unspoiled and has fantastic tide pools
We found lots of hermit crabs and sea snails
Baby seagulls
George fell asleep, so we found a nice shady bench in the town square and had an ice cream while he napped
Church of St Peter and St Paul
Alicante has so many little play areas around the city for kids
Central Market
Swordfish at the market
The flowers at the market
Sangria
Back at the amusement park
Last morning in Alicante
City skyline from the harbour wall
One last helado and horchata
MARQ, the archaeological museum
Library in MARQ
Checking out the fish at a Spanish pet store
Back home--playing with bubbles at Roundhay Park
Lunch at Pizza Express
Otley Show
Checking out the John Deere tractors
We watched the royal wedding at Wetherspoons--so exciting!
Back at the show after the wedding--George got to sit in a fire engine
Helping Mummy pack for Prague--he wadded up my dress and put it in the back of his dump truck
George's 35-month milestone landed in the middle of my conference trip to Prague, so I'm terribly behind (again) on the post. It's a pretty easy one this month, though--we had the trip to Alicante and the Royal Wedding & Otley Show. The holiday in Alicante was lovely--it was our first proper beach holiday as a family, and George's (and my) first time in Spain. Alicante is very family-friendly, with lots of play areas for kids, and even at night it feels very safe. It's not crass like the big resorts (i.e. nearby Benidorm) and it felt like a real Spanish city, not just a tourist destination. George loved the castle and the boat trip to Tabarca! I was pleasantly surprised at how much Spanish I could still speak & understand, even after all of these years (my last Spanish class at UW was in about 2006?!).
The Royal Wedding landed on the same day as the annual Otley Show. Since we were keen to do both, we went out to Otley early in the morning, went around part of the show, then took a long lunch break to watch the wedding at Wetherspoons, and went back to the showground to see the rest of it in the afternoon. We loved the wedding--very sweet and personal, and they seem like such a well-matched couple. My favourite part was the choir singing "Stand By Me", and seeing them smiling at each other throughout the whole ceremony. George mostly played with toys around our feet while we watched, but he did take an interest in the wedding cars and the horse-drawn carriage.
Firsts this month:
First trip to Spain
First beach holiday
First Royal Wedding
