Alicante

This is a city that is working hard to transform itself from a busy seedy port city to a major destination. It doesn’t have the population of Barcelona or charm of Valencia but it is a very livable city and it's clear to see that the image transformation is working. If Phoenix was situated near a sea, that would describe Alicante – dry, hot, desert like but with the sparkling Mediterranean on one side. Alicante is well known for it’s unmistakably Spanish nightlife that doesn’t get going until way after midnight and I understand that if you show up earlier than that you’ll be dancing by yourself. I may have to have a siesta and a few sangrias, to venture out and see if this is true.

After a quick lunch and a walk around the city center yesterday, I took a short siesta and then headed out in the evening to explore some more. I ventured toward the water and came across the promenade which is beautiful with many palm trees, vendors, restaurants and bars and during the summer there are different concerts offered several evenings a week. I happened on one of the concerts last night and it was lovely feeling the breeze of the sea, listening to the music and watching the people. This is one of the things that traveling is about – nice surprises.

I have learned in Europe when someone says, it’s only a short distance, it could be one mile or it could be several. I asked the proprietor of the guesthouse if the Castillo Santa Barbara was near. He said, “oh, it’s not far" and gave me directions. I ventured off first hitting the two story Mercado Central and flower mart and then set out for the Castillo. The city’s castle was originally built as a defense look out, under Moorish rule and donated to the city in the early 1900’s and looms over the city. As I walked at least 15 minutes I could see the Castillo high above me and could see there were cars going up but no clear signs of which way to go. I saw some steps and since you all know how I love doing steps, I thought, “it will take me a while, but I’ll get there.” I ventured up about 100 steps to a brick path that went in two directions. First direction was a dead end into a basketball court so I went the other way and that dead ended into an overgrown path. Since it was about 90 degrees and humid, I was in no mood to get lost so I walked back down to the main drag and figured, “maybe I’ll just catch a bus to the top.” The bus came by, driver said, he had no idea other than to walk or drive how to get to the top – so much for that. So I kept walking until I found the vehicle entrance and once I found the way up, all that was between me and allegedly great views was 166m (approx. 500+ feet). I ventured up and true to it’s description, there are stunning views of the city, the hills and the sea. The walk down was so much easier and quicker and I grabbed the bus back to the hotel.

So much for my first couple of days on the Costa Blanca.