February...

The Madrid Hash’s annual trip to Javea on the Mediterranean coast between Valencia and Alicante takes place each February (except last year when we went to Cordoba!), and is a chance to get away from winter and enjoy some warm weather and sunshine.

This year the almond orchards were in full blossom and the orange trees were laden with fruit - magical!  We drove down on Friday evening (about 5 hours) and enjoyed dinner with Singapore Colin (British) and his wife Barbara (Singaporean!) who now live in the Pyrenees and were two of a large number of visiting Hashers from all over Spain.  

On the Saturday afternoon, we headed into the Jalon Valley and set off on a magnificent 10km run up and over the coastal hills including a section through a former leper colony.  The views to the sea were spectacular with the whole area drenched in sunshine and almond blossom.

Sunday morning saw us on a slightly shorter run up and back down the coastal cliffs, whilst Yasmin played on the beach (a good excuse for So Young to stay there also), followed by the biggest paella I’ve ever seen.  Then it was back to Madrid and the cold...