Finally, I had a free day!
I don't want to complain, but the fact is that it didn't happen for a while to be able to spend a whole day outdoors. Even on weekends, it is just half of the day that I can spend in nature. But today my mind was more than happy as we had a day off. A perfect opportunity to go out and feed the soul with the chirping of birds, the greenery of the surroundings and the blue of the sky.
We woke up at 7 a.m., packed the equipment and food and were ready to go to the mountains, more precisely to the shore of a lake that can be found there. My boys took the fishing rods and they settled themselves by the water but I made my small "camp" in a flat area, close to some ruins of an old house.
The lake was not here forever. It was just a valley with a tiny river and a few houses around. In the 1950s, a dam was built and the river became an artificial lake, which provides water to the surrounding towns. That is now called the lake of Guadalest. The stone houses that were here became just ruins.
So, I had a shelter, the backpack with the food (the most valuable item hahaha) and a rag rug.
In a few minutes (and with a little bit of magic) the small shelter tent was ready. Usually, I read (or sleep hahaha) there and then I leave the camp and go hiking, mushroom hunting, or just wandering around. The air is sooooo different here, you can feel how fresh it is and believe me, it brings you genuine happy feelings.
To do a different hiking route this time, I decided to take the blue pathway that leads to a nearby village, Benimantell. On the map, you can't actually see that this is not flat terrain, but believe me, it was all the time uphill :D
It took me a bit more than 30 minutes to reach the village. To be honest, a bit more as I saw so many nice things so I had to stop at almost every shrub, flower, mushroom (yes, I found a few of them 🤓) or berry. The coming back went much quicker, as it is obvious that I walked faster going downhill.
Just right after the board with the map my hiking adventure started. Let's go. I had to remind my legs many times not to give up. Luckily, they listened to me and led me to the destination.
The path was well-marked with signs so I felt safe and not worried that I would get lost. Just some years ago the routes were not marked in this way, but just with small blue and yellow lines painted on the stones.
In the meantime, my eyes sabotaged the walk. It is unbelievable how many small daisies can be seen around, and we are already writing the first day of November in the calendar. Seems like spring, but it is autumn on this side of the globe.
Berries. I would not try any of these as I am not sure whether they are edible or not. The same happens with mushrooms, if I am not sure if they are edible, I don't pick them. Not that I usually find many of them, I am just bragging here right now as the consequence of finding them in my wood adventure 😁
This already looks more adequate for autumn. Although I don't really know which this pant is I know that these are the seeds, attached to fluffy, light threads. They can be carried by the wind, which helps in seed propagation.
I found more of the fluffy seeds, but from a different plant. They were so smooth.
A shrub with very green and prickly leaves also crossed my path. It was beautifully adorned with acorns, some of them still green and others already of brown colour. If someone knows the name of this plant, please feel free to write it in the comment section. It is never late to learn something new ;)
In the middle of the path, I found one more treasure. It was a hidden sign between the leaves of a fig tree. It kindly informed me that I can arrive at Benimantell in 15 minutes... if I don't stop and get distracted with the gifts of nature every minute...
Ok, I stopped just once as the flowers of the loquat tree showed themselves in the full blooming outfit. The scent of it is characteristic, it reminds me of a plum, but it's not the same. The fruits of it will come in spring.
But just a few moments later the village was conquered - I reached my destination!
I made it! However, this is a post about nature and my day spent outdoors so the streets of Benimantell will come on another occasion. Maybe sooner than later, but not today :)
Going back to my little camp went quickly - as already concluded. My legs felt light while descending this path!
And what about your day spent in nature? If you want, you can share with us your experience of any of your free days spent outdoors.
This is an Acorn, an oak tree.
There are many types of them, but I don’t know which one, it looks like Chestnut Oak.
In childhood, we made people, animals, etc. out of these acorns.
They turned out very beautiful!
Your photo of this tree made me nostalgic...
Your photos are great!
And rest is even better!
We also made little figures but not from acorns (there were not many around) but from chestnuts. It was almost mandatory to do it very autumn ;)
And we ate chestnuts, we had a different "building material" 😊 😊
Those photos are amazing. Lovely details on everything you saw during your hike. So, that's why you're so busy. It must be a wonderful experience!
So glad to see all these amazing places around Hive. It is cheaper than traveling. Not as satisfying, but I must say I love to see others doing their lovely routes and showing a glimpse of their experiences.
When I read the lake thing, I thought about the other lake you never reached. 🤣🤣🤣
This time the lake wasn't a lie. 🤣
Hahah, so you remembered the other post.
But hey, the lagoon was there, it's not a lie!!! I just didn't reach the shore of it... :p
You see, Hive gives a lot of benefits. You can travel for free and go hiking and all. 😁 I just can't give you stamps in your passport 😅
Ha, ha, ha, ha. That lagoon posts is a running hike on my brain. I know it was there, but you never reached it. It sounds like an idea coming out of a myth.
Indeed! Hive is great there's a lot to see and do around and learn. And well, the stamps will come once the coin reaches a good value.
I'm totally jealous of your day.
It's been forever since I took a day off in nature like that.
Real food for the soul. It looks like a magical place 🌸
I so much like this valley and the lake. There is a long route, all around the lake and it takes between two and three hours.
We used to go here much more often but lately I got to work every day in the week, teaching and gigs... I really needed this day off and I just can't believe how it affected my mood 🤩
Must be the mixture of all of it - nature, fresh air, all the little flowers and the fact I detached my mind from work. So liberating 😌
I hope you can also get a day off in nature soon 🍀🍀🍀
If I say I'm working on it does it make any sense? 😆
I'm glad you filled yourself up. And yes. It definitely is the exchange and absorbing of nature's energy I believe.
It's very "grounding". Physically and mentally both.
Vital for a happy mind.
We're busy trying to find a place like that to settle down. On the journey...
Posts like this one remind us of what's important so thanks for this. I'm slowing down today and spending some time with nature 👍
It actually does make sense :)
You are already a step closer to it now 😀
hahaha 😂
Uphill ofc, hop-hop-hop... :p
Free day, that's what I call a day OFF and OUT, any buggers made you company while sleeping?
Lol
If only it was hop-hop-hop... The lack of physical activity let me in dying condition while climbing 🤣
Soon and this is just a nice memory...
Tomorrow whole day work 😬
And the day after tomorrow too 🤦🏻♀️
I can feel you, each time I'm going upstairs...😂
Yeah, I'm also waiting for that magnificent moment when we won't have to work.
(praying silently)
Predivne fotke. :) A posebno mi se sviđa ovaj hrast...
Mislim da je u pitanju Quercus ilex.
!LUV
Hey @dzoji , puno hvala :))
I checked now quercus ilex, it indeed resembles but the plant I found today is not a big tree. It's just a bush, so I searched from your suggestion and came to Quercus coccifera . Also the map (with distribution of it) shows Spain, so maybe it is this version. Thanks for your help 😃
Žao mi je što nisam mogao pružiti pravu informaciju. Po listovima sam mislio da je ilex.
Ilex aquifolium ima slične listove pa me sve navodi na ilex. :)
U svakom slučaju odličan post. 😃
Zapravo tvoja informacija me je dovela do te druge opcije, tako da hvala jos jednom 😊
And what a great freeday it has been!... Excellent article, with wonderful pictures that speak of a pristine air and wonderful weather to go outdoors!... Thanks for sharing @mipiano friend!
!PIZZA
The weather was perfect, well, while climbing it was too warm 🤣 but by the lake it was a bit windy. I really enjoyed this day off in nature 😊
Thanks for your kind words @jlinaresp!
Yay… you got out onto the nature and mountains and lake. Hope no migraine was accompanying you.
Such a beautiful walk… and do I hear / read that right. You found mushrooms 🍄 😳 wow… that’s great news. Did the 👽 bring some back?
Yes, I know the air is so much fresher… happy to hear you enjoyed it. Looking forward to seeing more from this day off and walk and 🍄😉
Have a wonderful evening @mipiano 👋🏻🤗
Yes, imagine that! Finally hahahaha
Believe me or not, the day started with a painkiller 😒 but I was healed out there (and the pill also made the effect, so all went good and more than good :)) )
Do you hear... yes, you hear that!!! Found them :D
Wasn't easy but ... well, you will see :D
Thank you @littlebee4 , have a good day today 😇
I’m happy for you. Sounded you really needed that 😎😁
Oefff but great it did go away and you were able to enjoy it fully 🥰
Yay 🥳🎉 that’s sooooo cool, will be looking out for your post 🍄🍄🍄 I can imagine it wasn’t easy.
You are welcome, have a good day too @mipiano 👋🏻☀️
It's indeed the journey! What a beautiful sight everywhere.
That's true, that is exactly what I saw today - beauty everywhere 🤩🍀
This is another evidence that nature is indeed beautiful...amazing shots from you...thanks for sharing..
Thanks for your words, nature is amazing, so beautiful indeed, and we just have to see it 😃
Yeah sure..
I missed hiking 😭.
Btw, was your camera fully charged this time? Haha
Haha, just the phone again 😁
Waw, this is really a real world paradise, it's a pity that we don't have a place like this in my country, and yes I saw the top photo for the first time, isn't it squirrel food in ice age anime😅
Lol, yes that is the thing (the acorn) that the squirrel in Ice Age is chasing all the time 😂
🤣, That's so cool, there is no such tree in my country
The place is magnificent, and anyone who will go there will surely have a great time unwinding. A perfect place to release all the stress. If this is the definition of heaven, I will probably ask Lord to bring me there hahaha.
The berry looks like a duhat here in my country. It's sour and has a bitter aftertaste.
Very close to that, maybe this place could be considered heaven :)
Unwinding is the best word to describe the day I had here. It's true, as I felt so good being there and the whole evening at home. 😇
The berry - could be sour indeed, but I didn't try it :D Maybe I would not write now this comment from this worlds if I did hahaha
Hello dear, since you share your free day with us I find It is the dream life for those who want to escape the environment of the city. As for me, I feel calm while reading your post.
It is possible to choose a calmer lifestyle, and be surrounded by nature often. There are three little villages, that surround this valley and lake, I guess those who live here can enjoy this landscape and tranquillity much more often than we who have to drive a bit to arrive and struggle to find a free day. But then when we experience this, we appreciate it a lot!
I am glad you also found calmness here 😇
Thanks @ackhoo 🍀😊
We should spend time with nature photography is really excellent
We should :)
It's like charging our energy levels 😉
What a peaceful and a beautiful place. I can really see that you enjoyed your free day.
That peace became a great joy. Amazing how nature can transmit tranquility and happiness through its beauty.
Thank you for the given place where I could share this little adventure 😊
You're welcome.
Beautiful place to camp! Thank you for sharing.
I agree, for the place for camping, but it can be done just during the day. Staying for a night in a tent is forbidden there... :/
What beautiful photos! The ones I liked the most were the acorns, where I live they don't exist. I imagine you relaxed with so much greenery. Thanks for sharing such a nice walk.
I did relax and at the same time I recharged my energy batteries to full 🙂
Beautiful nature and surrounding made the photos appear in a nice way 😉
Wonderful wandering around the creations of God. Nature indeed a relaxing view @mipiano
It was wonderful, I agree with you. I couldn't spend that day in a better way 😇
What a stunning hike! The perfect way to spend a free day, out in beautiful nature!:) Loved these pictures so much, it all looks incredible :) glad you had a great day and thanks for sharing it with us all!:)
Thank you @sunsethunter, without any doubt, it was a great and perfect day. It gave me a lot of positive energy 🌟
Perfect! The day is just so fine and bright and right for your free day.
Well, the weather was indeed a good match with my free day. If it would be raining or bad weather (which is rare here but can happen) I would probably stay at home.
Congratulations @mipiano! You received a personal badge!
Wait until the end of Power Up Day to find out the size of your Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
🥳
Thank you for participating in the PUD @mipiano. 💪🐝🌹
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
I gifted $PIZZA slices here:
@jlinaresp(7/10) tipped @mipiano (x1)
Send $PIZZA tips in Discord via tip.cc!
Hiya, @livinguktaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest #1686.
Your post has been manually curated by the @pinmapple team. If you like what we're doing, please drop by to check out all the rest of today's great posts and consider supporting other authors like yourself and us so we can keep the project going!
Become part of our travel community:
😌 I appreciate the support 😇
Congratulations @mipiano! You received a personal badge!
Participate in the next Power Up Day and try to power-up more HIVE to get a bigger Power-Bee.
May the Hive Power be with you!
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
Check out the last post from @hivebuzz:
up hill and shots nice a wonderful place