Torrevieja in winter - Torrevieja, the market and Camino Quintin and San Pedro del Pinatar

On Thursday our train from Toledo to Atocha is on time and the next train from Madrid to Alicante leaves from the same area, planta baja so it’s easy. We left over an hour between trains, just in case, and we spend the time having the sandwiches I prepared in Toledo, and a coffee. The journey to Alicante is equally uneventful, we get the C6 bus from Avenida Salamanca in front of the station after waiting less than five minutes (pensionistas get a substantial discount). This takes us to the airport, where we have to find the ‘mobile office’ of Neptunohires, the car rental people (don’t ask). But in the end that too is easy, the people meeting us speak Italian, nice for a change, everything is as planned and we are soon driving through the dusk, the sun setting over the salt lakes,  towards Torrevieja.

After leaving our stuff in the apartment we go to trusty Mercadona for shopping and have a late supper. The apartment has a fantastic sea view and that’s all I can say for it. There are lots of useful and many unnecessary gadgets, the latter including a TV as large as a bed, all of which stop working if I try to use the induction hob and the kettle at the same time. The instructions to the induction hob are hidden in between the spices, I discover, after asking the hosts on Whatsapp how to get it working. There’s also a booklet of other instructions, none of which say not to use more than one electrical appliance at once. It’s also not very warm. I juggle the hot air heater with cooking and boiling water for a hot drink and then we head for bed.

Friday morning in Torrevieja is market day, so we go. Some of the cheapest clothes, both new and second-hand, that I’ve ever seen, unfortunately with quality to match, except for the second hand, but I haven’t got time nor space in my luggage so we stick to fruit and vegetables which are excellent, fresh and cheap. We buy two heads of broccoli, three lettuces, a kilo of rafa tomatoes, a bag of artichokes, bananas from the Canary isles, a few potatoes, two leeks, some asparagus and chimaroya and return to the car loaded down and pleased.

We cook, eat and rest and then head for San Pedro del Pinatar on the Mar Menor, famous for its therapeutic mud baths and the salt pans. I’ve been curious about this area for the last 6 years so just the fact of actually being there is fascinating. It’s an easy drive from Torrevieja, although there’s a lot of traffic through the centre. When I later check, I realize that Torrevieja is not a small resort but the third largest town in the province if Alicante, which explains the traffic. We park near Molino Quintin and get out of the car, but there’s a gusty wind and it starts raining so we retreat back to the car. After about 15 minutes the sky seems lighter and a guy wanders by just wearing a pullover so we make a second attempt. The heavens open after three or four minutes, on Mr pullover too. We take refuge in a cafè in the hope of hot chocolate but are presented with hot milk with a faint chocolatey hint. Oh well, it’s warming, indeed it’s boiling, so by the time we’ve managed to drink it the sun really is winning.

It's now a very pleasant walk to Molino de La Calcetera along Camino Quintin -  a paved walkway with plenty of space for walkers and cyclists, at least late in the afternoon on a belatedly sunny Friday in January. The ‘sea’ is incredibly calm, calmer even than a lake. We see some flamingos and a few other birds and it’s a relaxing walk, if a little longer than it seemed. In the distance we can see the tall apartment buildings of La Manga.

We stop at the Consum supermarket on the way back. Not as good as Mercadona, although we get some fish and also a pint of John Smiths and Guiness. They’ve got a lot of expat stuff. Back at the apartment it still isn’t very warm, but we juggle heaters and cooking, and eating plenty of our vegetables and fish and the sea view console us. 

On Saturday we walk north from the apartment towards La Mata beach. It’s a walkable beach, the sun is shining , the sea is blue, a few people around, but not many. After the walk we go to Mercadona for fish and meat. 

In the afternoon we drive a little way towards Torrevieja and then walk along the Paseo. Temperatures have increased and I don’t need my jacket, although I cautiously brought it in my rucksack. There are a few people on the beach. One or two even in the sea, although the car thermometer showed 16°C. There’s a wide promenade which is pedestrian for a couple of kilometres, as far as the street market where there’s also the Casino, in Andalusi style. 

We look inside and then continue through the shopping area to the square where there's the church, pretty with cyclamens.

Clouds are coming up so we decide to go back to the car. There are lots of people of all nationalities strolling or sitting and eating or drinking. There are even some Spanish people around. Anyway, it’s a relaxing day.