In search of the November sun, time out in Santa Pola, 50 years since Franco died, Spain's Attorney General guilty in tax fraud case, home again and other stories of the week.

 Home again, Madrid, 23rd November, 2025

Bliss, coffee in the sun on the beach in November

Good morning readers and friends. Thank you once again for reading my blog. It's quite amazing to think I have been writing once a week for 20 years. This week I looked back at a post of our trip to Nepal from India in 2009 and boy we looked so young. I started writing this blog in my 40's and now I am  in my 60's and beginning to feel old. I wish I had begun much earlier to include my beginnings in Spain. This week marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Spain's dictator, Francisco Franco who died in 1975. I was just 18 but remember it very clearly, as do many Spaniards who were young then too. But ask young people here  and they generally don't have much of a clue. I mustn't diverse and will return to last Sunday. 

That was the day we left for Santa Pola in search of sun and to escape every day minutiae. After my operation a month ago, every day seemed like Groundhog Day and I was in need of a change of scenery. As the saying goes," a change is as good as a rest" and that's what we needed.

We left shortly after Suzy went to work and hoped things would be ok for her in our absence. We stopped for lunch at the Parador in Albacete and arrived mid afternoon to 22ºc sunshine. Oh what bliss in November. I really understand why so many pensioners from the north of Europe flock here in the winter. It wouldn't be a bad idea to live in the area because of the sea and the climate.  This was the view that greeted us, a view I never tire of.

The view from our apartment, one I never tire of

The place was spotless thanks to Gina's cleaning efforts - she is a treasure and such a help - and we soon settled in. I read on the terrace and Eladio watched the top two tennis seeds, Alcáraz of Spain who is number one and Sinner of Italy who is number two, compete in the ATP finals. The Spaniard lost to the Italian who is generally more consistent although he lacks the Spaniard's flare. I can't watch Alcáraz play as it is too nerve racking so, instead, I read on the terrace but of course with one eye on the match.

I slept dreadfully that night and my sleep was worsened by a dry eye syndrome or irritation that has been plaguing me for a while.  I could neither read nor look at any screen. Thankfully I got some drops which have helped. I think the condition comes from tso much lack of sleep and too much smoking. 

Monday was ours for the taking and mid morning we headed to the beach for a walk in the sun. To our delight, the "chiringuito" (name for beach bars in Spain) was open so I could have my morning coffee in the sun. What bliss and how good it was to be back. I took lots of photos to remember the moment and to share with you. Here are two of them.

Our "chiringuito" on the Playa de Carabassi beach.  It was great to find it open in November

I took a photo of Eladio next to the sign advertising fresh grilled sardines as he loves them. I sent it to our friends Kathy and Phil who were here in September with us and are now probably deep in snow in Keighley, West Yorkshire. Both Phil and Eladio enjoyed sardines together in the same place.

We then walked to the end of the beach from where you can see our apartments and the Island of Tabarca on the horizon. "Our rock" was occupied by a large beer bellied man so we had to sit on another rock before walking back. People were bathing in the sea, sunbathing, others were walking like us, some were naked and some wore jackets or coats. I could seriously have gone into the water but never thought to bring our swim wear as I couldn't imagine it would be warm enough. That's climate change for you; being able to sunbathe and swim in the Med in November in Spain. Ah, but it was lovely to be there.

Before heading home for lunch we went in search of a new stand up lounge lamp to replace the very old and dilapidated one we inherited from the Norwegian couple who sold us the apartment in 1999. We found one and at the same time came across a wonderful Danish household goods store called JYSK. It's like a mini Ikea and in many instances is even cheaper. Here is Eladio coming outside with the lamp.

Shopping at JYSK for a lamp on Monday

He came out smiling because he got it for 20 euros instead of 46 which was the real price. It was his lucky day.

We came home to have leftover lamb casserole which I think ate for 4 days running but I love it so don't care. 

The highlight of the afternoon was my weekly Facetime call with my oldest friend, Amanda. Amanda and Andy were here in the spring and I wish they had been with us this week. Maybe another time. In any case I will be soon be with them next month.

 I slept better that night and woke up feeling new on Tuesday morning. The main news that day and for the last few months, as well, was  release of the so-called Epstein files in the US. They are files related to the criminal charges of sex trafficking against former predator Jeffrey Epstein who has links to the former Prince Andrew, other celebrities and possibly Donald Trump. This week the house voted for them to be released and Trump signed the order. What will be released we don't know or rather what won't be released.  This is a hideous case of sex crimes perpetrated by very dangerous and powerful men and they must be held to account; all of them.  I am still trying to read Virginia Guiffre's biography and finding it very hard reading. Those men ruined so many young girls' lives just for their perverted pleasure and because they thought they were so powerful they could get away with it. 

But we weren't thinking about any of this as we planned our morning. We went down to the beach again in search of more sun and of course coffee at the "chiringuito" where we whiled away the time and walked to our rock and back, which was not occupied this time. This week's feature photo is of me on Tuesday morning enjoying my coffee. And here are some more photos of that morning which no doubt in a few years time I will be reminded of by my Samsung phone and I will realise how much older I am. My phone does that every day and I get to see  photos from 15 years ago with a bit of nostalgia. 

On the beach on Tuesday enjoying the weather and our time alone

We decided to have lunch out that day and drove to the port in Santa Pola. We chose La Sal where we have taken our friends many times. I love that place because of its location and the food is pretty good too. We had the menu of the day which included a rice dish - a sort of paella called "arroz señoret". It wasn't bad but I've had better. My daughter Olivia always reminds me that paella is only really good in Valencia and maybe she is right. But this area does make a lot of rice dishes too. Here I am enjoying the moment the dish arrived.

Lunch outside at La Sal in Santa Pola on Tuesday

Things have changed a lot in this area I have noticed recently. When we used to come in the early 2000s in the late autumn and winter, there was hardly a soul around and restaurants were empty. Not so now but thankfully no over tourism; just pleasant retired people, like ourselves (hahaha) and from all over Europe. 

My lunch was interrupted by an Airbnb issue which in the end wasn't one but had me scared. For some reason my property register numbers had disappeared from all my listings. Putting them back was to be quite a task and took me a long time. Added to this scare was a rumour from a friend that I needed another sort of new number and if I didn't have it, my listings would be removed from Airbnb. In the end it was just a rumour but it did actually spoil my lunch and the whole of my afternoon.

Who was having a great time that day was another powerful man who I can't stomach. Mohammed bin Salman, the PM of Saudi Arabia was in Washington that day to meet Donald Trump. Honestly? He is highly suspected of ordering the killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Embassy in Turkey. The poor man who went in to renew his passport, was killed and cut into pieces and never seen again. This is information from the CIA. However, Trump who is more interested in Salman's possible investment of 1 billion dollars worth of trade with the US, than he is in human rights, answered a journalist by saying "these things happen" or something similar. That makes me cringe. Creepy men they are. 

Meanwhile, in Madrid, Ukraine's President, war weary Volodymyr Zelensky met with Spain's premiere Pedro Sánchez. From what I read they agreed on a 615 million aid package which will be like a drop in the ocean for Ukraine which continues to be bombed and attacked by Putin's Army. When will this stupid war end? I don't like Washington's latest peace plan discussed so far only between the US and the Kremlin. If they had it their way, Ukraine would shrink in size and abandon all hopes of joining NATO: and Russia would be reinstated financially and socially. On Friday Zelensky addressed the nation saying they had a very difficult choice: either losing dignity or risk losing the a key partner, the US. The leaked 28 point plan is supposed to include a clause whereby the US will defend Ukraine if Russia invades again but there is no guarantee. Another clause is that Zelensky would have to call elections within 100 days of signing the treaty. Sounds like a time bomb to me. 

We had a quiet afternoon and it must have been the sun and the sea breeze as once again I got a decent night's sleep, decent, at least for me.

On Wednesday we headed for Santa Pola. On our way we stopped at an ironmonger for items needed to fix little problems in the apartment. There is always something to fix or replace there and we are a bit like ants building their homes or birds building their nests; always buying something we need for the apartment. Rare is the day we don't. We got what we wanted and drove to the car park by the castle. Our destination was my favourite cafe in town, Choco&latte in the main square. It is one of my happy places of which I have quite a few. We were a bit naughty and I ordered an "ensaimada" pastry with my coffee and Eladio had a cup of chocolate with a croissant. I ended up eating his crossant and he had my pastry, hahaha. 

Indulging ourselves at Choco&latte in Santa Pola on Wednesday

To work it off we walked along the promenade on Avda. Santiago Bernabeu. If you are familiar with the Real Madrid stadium you will know it is called the Santiago Bernabeu. Bernabeu who was a football player and President of the team for three decades from 1943 to 1978, was born in Santa Pola and is probably the town's most famous citizen.  I have to say the promenade is marvelous as are the beaches in this little known seaside town. I often wonder why there are so few hotels here. It could easily have been turned into a Benidorm or Magaluf but thankfully has remained a quiet seaside town.

Lunch was bits and bobs and I spent the whole afternoon watching a hospital series on Movistar Plus which I felt a bit guilty about.

Thursday was our last day there and it was another sunny day. It was also the 50th anniversary of the death of Generalísimo Francisco Franco who I imagine needs no introduction if you are middle aged or more. He was Spain's ruler and dictator after winning the bloody civil war in 1939  in which from 500.000 to 1.000.000 people were killed or lost their lives. The war divided Spain and in my opinion the country is still divided today. Franco ruled with an iron fist and will go down in history as a fascist dictator although he still has his fans. He died on 20th November 1975 when I was just 18. I was in London on a bus with a Spanish friend, Ana, a cousin of my then Spanish boyfriend, called José Francisco. Her family must have been very pro Franco as when we saw the Evening Standard bill boards with the words "Franco is dead", she began to cry, saying "pobre Franquet". I wasn't really sorry and read that many Spaniards had been waiting for the moment with champagne in their fridges. But many others were worried about what would happen next. Franco had appointed the young Prince Juan Carlos as his successor, bypassing his father Don Juan, but restoring the monarchy. 

The future King of Spain and Franco together shortly before the dictator died

Today the former King of Spain is disgraced for his financial scandals and lives in exile in Abu Dhabi. But he had a huge role in forging democracy when he took over from Franco. The transition was exemplary and all political parties were made legal, including the communist party and from then onward Spain grew to become the steady democratic country it is today. Spain is not without its problems today but I prefer to be a woman in today's society than during Franco's times. When he ruled, women could neither get a passport nor open a bank account without their husband's permission. Divorce and abortions were prohibited as were many other things. Today is a much freer society and we are better off with democracy.  The next day there was a commemoration of the 50 years of monarchy after Franco died and when King Juan Carlos took over. Rightly or wrongly he was not invited although the former Queen was. He must have felt estranged but probably enjoyed the private family lunch the next day in El Pardo Palace (where Franco lived) where the whole family gathered, including all his grandchildren. No photos have emerged. 

Thursday was also the 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg trials of  Nazi criminals after WW2 which deserves a mention here. That famous trial is said to have been the precursor of international law as we know it today and is considered the most important legal trial in history.  199 Nazis were tried by an international tribunal. 161 were convicted and 37 sentenced to death. I find those numbers rather low considering the scale of the Holocaust where. 50 to 85 million people lost their lives in WW2. Of those, Hitler is directly guilty of the death of 6 million Jews but also of many other millions of people: Soviet prisoners, gypsies, Poles, people with mental and physical handicaps and many others. He killed himself before he could be tried at Nuremberg. Many other Nazi criminals fled the country and it seems the vast majority of those involved in so many deaths, made their way to countries in South  America. Damn them. May we never forget.

It was a historic day for Spain and not just because of the anniversary of the death of Franco. For the first time in Spanish history  an Attorney General was to be on trial. Attorney General, Alvaro Garcia Ortiz, appointed by the governing socialist party, was found guilty in a politicised tax fraud case. His crime was to reveal confidential information when he leaked an email to the press which included a plea for negotiating tax evasion by Alberto González Amador, the boyfriend of PM Sanchez's arch enemy, Isabel Diaz Ayuso.  

Spain's Attorney General found guilty!

The announcement, prior to the sentence, was made by the Supreme Court on Thursday. García Ortiz has been suspended for 2 years from public service which means he will have to be replaced. He will also be given a fine of 7.000 euros and will have to pay Alberto González 10.000 for damages to his reputation. The government has insisted on his being innocent and the news this week of Ortiz being found guilty will not sit well with them. Honestly, it is about time that Pedro Sánchez resigns. His government is paralysed, his wife and brother are on trial as well as former members of his cabinet for large scale kick backs in exchange for public contracts. He cannot go on. This last news should be the nail on his coffin but I doubt he will call elections and Spain's soap  opera will continue as he tries to carry on governing. 

Life continued quietly for us on our last day in Gran Alacant. It was sunny once again with temperatures reaching 22ºc, while the north of Spain was on alert for snow. 

Before heading for the beach, we visited the Danish Ikea type shop, JYSK, again to get some bedding we needed at home as well as a bath mat for our apartment. I do like that shop but refused to be tempted to buy anything else that I'm sure I didn't need.  What we do need though is a new front door as the one we inherited has been battered by the sea air and needs replacing. Eladio wanted to find someone to mend it but it is beyond repair. That day we found a local carpenter called Mauricio who is actually from Venezuela. We spoke to him while having coffee on the beach and he came later in the day to see the door and come to an agreement with him to change it. Hopefully he will do a good job. 

We went on our last walk on the beach after talking to Mauricio and once again people were sunbathing and just a few were swimming in the sea. What a lovely time we have had on what I call "our beach" but all good things come to an end and we had to go back the next day to be with the girls and the kids this weekend.

Our afternoon was quiet, just interrupted by Mauricio and soon Friday dawned, the day of our departure. We left at around 10.30 and as we drove north it got colder and colder. We stopped for lunch at an expensive place called Essentia in Tarancón and were home by about 4. There were Tana  and Pippa to greet us. Tana later went off to enjoy her weekend. Suzy was around but busy preparing for work on Saturday and Sunday. We didn't know it then but that evening, our son-in-law, Miguel, broke his elbow bone (the radial head) while doing crossfit.  He is now out of action and cannot drive or go to work. As Elliot says, it's Mummy who is doing everything now. He must feel very frustrated. 

It was cold in Madrid but good to be back and inside it was very warm and cozy. We had to wait up that night for a new guest, Paula, who didn't arrive till 11.30 pm. I hardly saw the other guests at all and thank my living stars we still have guests in November.

Saturday came and it was just 3ºc at 7 in the morning when I got up. What a difference from Santa Pola. I did the online shopping and then got well dressed up for the cold to shop to fresh stuff; fruit, veg, meat, fish, etc that we don't order online.  There was time for coffee at Alverán and I came home to cook lunch for the three of us. 

Today is Sunday and Oli and family are coming for lunch. I am taking the easy way out and making spaghetti bolognese which the kids usually love. 

It's late now as I write, so I must sign off to get on with the day. I trust you all have a good Sunday and will be back next week.

Cheers till then, 

Masha