The future is bright....

...It's Fiesta time in Benidorm. This means lots of tourists from the UK and over Europe and a lot of Spanish visitors too.

Yesterday I met Pete and Dave in the marina bar. There were people in I knew up and down the bar and at the far end was Andrea and her mum Margaret, or "Margret, Margret" as we call her in deference to Matt Lucas in Little Britain.

At first, as the bar was so full we each stayed put at our allotted tables but as the afternoon grew cooler, people left and Dave in his inimitable gentlemanly style yelled across to Andrea and Margaret "..Oi you lot get over here and join us, I can't move I'm an old man" And so they did without much ado too. With them was Michael who works at a restaurant in town and his friend and I hope he forgives me because I have forgotten his name. So we turned into one rowdy group. No longer had we reassembled ourselves when friends of Pete and Dave arrived and sat behind us.

A similar grouping happened the day previously but it was minus Dave and Pete who were having an alcohol-free day, and plus several others Mike and Gary, Graham, and a couple of Graham's friends. They had come over for the Fiesta. However, Gary and Michael, hadn't had much food in the previous 24 hours since they arrived, having decided to hit the town big-style on their arriving night and partied until 6 am that morning. Such was the lack of provisions in their larder, breakfast for Gary was a Magnum! So they were determined to go for something to eat, which happened to be the restaurant Deja Vu 2.

This left Michael and his friend, Andrea, "Margret, Margret" and me. And we had equally consumed enough falling down water to be well on the way to merry. Margaret and Andrea have started to do every lottery they can get their hands on since a Medium said they were due a big win. I think the Medium was a representative of Lotto HQ and on commission, but that's just me. Margaret was convinced the medium was spot on because when she did a reading the first thing she did was tell her about the past. The Medium's view being if I can't see the past how can i see the future? "..And she even got it right about my school days, she told me I hated going to school." Now call me a cynic, but if the Medium is half intelligent and a bit of a social studies enthusiast, it wouldn't take much to work out that most 50 something year olds hated school. But to Margaret bless her it was a sure sign of clear seeing ability. Now if you use a fair deal of odds and intelligence and get the past sort of right, the future is your oyster, because it hasn't happened yet and no one can say you are wrong. So she proceeded to to tell Margaret about her fortune in future gambling opportunities.

Now from the belief in occult we moved on to Barrak Obama being President elect. See how easily we slide from one subject to another seamlessly. And his odds of surviving the days leading to him being Installed President, let alone his future in the hottest political seat in the world. Which of course expanded into a debate about Tony Blair and George dubbaya and their ill-fated war in Iraq, we were on a roll now, and so we had to move on to religion, I may have answered a little flippantly saying "...thank god I am an atheist" which isn't my stance but allowed a little humour on this solemn subject. We all believed in something whether it be a Power of nature, or a God, or whatever. So we then decided to keep clear of religion and politics and go back to small talk.

Anyway, yesterday different group and different issues but nearly all to do with eating and meals we've had in and around Benidorm. The friends of Dave and Pete had on their recommendation gone to Paneils for dinner last Saturday night and were extremely impressed with it. Also he mentioned another restaurant close by which is near the Bulgary restaurant. But I got the impression that the thing Dave and Pete's friend likes the most is quantity, whereas I much prefer quality. Still each to his/her own. One common view was that the Spanish restaurants in the bay had become expensive and of poor quality. The best one by far was Mitico at the top of the road. You are served quality at a reasonable price and it is well presented.

We all noted the cost of things is now becoming relative to our British income. As we are nearly all paid in sterling via pensions, the real increase in rent is a combination of Spanish inflation plus weakness of the pound making our rents up to 150 euros per month dearer. The Spanish have not really grasped this and they are putting rents up encouraging many Brits to seek cheaper accommodation or even returning to the UK. Also bar prices are now becoming equal to UK prices because of the euro/pound exchange. So instead of going out for a drink, people will start to buy drink and stay home especially in winter when its colder, and the Spanish need the all year round custom to survive the low season.

Still this apart, we were having a good time and wouldn't let that phase us for the time being. Andrea was telling us of an impending audition for the Queen's hotel, and had her fingers crossed for resuming her Monday and Friday night at the Marina. By this time the gas heaters were out, the awning down and the side screen in place and we were all beginning to feel our fingers once again. And as things started to quieten down, "Margret Margret" said to Andrea "....come on lets get that winning lottery ticket bought"...