We have been allowed to move to Phase 1 of the de-escalation of the Coronavirus lockdown. Now we can get out to do a few much-needed errands, for example Cindy got her hair cut and I got a new set of tennis shoes that I thought I’d be able to get just after we arrived, ha. We had a new set of keys made for the house. I got some contact cement to re-attach some trim to kitchen cabinet doors. You know, all of the little things that used to be routine.

Outdoors dining is also allowed. That means the little cafe directly below us is now open for breakfast and lunch.

Right under our window.

Since we’ve been able to get out and about, I’ve grabbed my camera to do a little photo safari of the neighborhood. Come walkies with me.

Proper social hygiene is important

Evening strolls can be amazing. The light is so warm, as is the air. And few darn tourists to battle.

Sunset street scene

Turia paths from Pont dels Serrans

Plaza de la Virgen, where they demonstrate proper social distancing

Neptune and his buddies, splashin’

Daylight hours can be fun too though.

Nearly any unoccupied wall gets the graffiti treatment.

The Romans left behind some junk. Stencil may have been added later however.

There are little hidden gems like this all over. I’ve seen the fountain in the center of the pot and on the other side (not shown) running; it’s quite pretty. Very Moorish although this park is in the plaza next to a Catholic university building.

Neptune and his buds from another angle.

And now I’m going to go all Marlin Perkins on you (kids, ask your parents). Across the plaza from our window is a church. Because it’s a medieval church, it has flying buttresses on the walls, and these buttresses channel water from the roof away from the church. Some pigeons found a place in one of these buttresses to make a home.

They worked hard to make it homey; Mr. White plucked branches from the weeds growing in the walls to help Mrs. White make a comfy nest for their coming brood. All appeared to be going well; it’s been this way for the whole six weeks we’ve been living here.

Well, things have changed. Yesterday as we were getting ready to go out for our evening walk I noticed that Mr. White was being challenged by a certain Mr. Grey.

You’ve got it, I want it.

Notice the observers, there always seems to be somebody ready to watch other people fight.

The conflict went on for ten, maybe fifteen minutes. They mostly just pushed against each other although I think they might have grabbed each other by the beak to gain an advantage. In any case, there were several rounds of Mr. Grey jumping down into the entrance and Mr. White pushing him back out again.

This was not friendly horseplay.

Much to my surprise, after several rounds of White successfully beating back Grey’s advances, White gave up. I’m guessing he got tired; Grey was remarkably persistent. It’s worth noting that this is prime real estate; there are no other little nooks like this on this side of the church. At any rate, there’s new ownership up in here.

New neighbors

It will be interesting to see how brooding goes for the new pair.

We remain healthy and are getting happier. The soft Mediterranean sunshine is warming our bones; we spend most of our days barefoot and in shorts. This is starting to feel like more of what we were expecting.