From Croatia to Alicante, Spain, our flight took us from Zagreb to Amsterdam and then to Alicante. The flight into Amsterdam was especially frightening, as the plane bounced around in the sky. But we did land safely. Amsterdam had suffered a major storm during the night, and the wind was now at 33mph. As we walked the short distance from the plane into the airport, the wind nearly knocked us over. Happily, the flight from Amsterdam to Alicante was much more comfortable. We welcomed Alicante’s bright sun and warmer climate as the taxi took us straight to our AirBnB apartment in the center of town.
We have long anticipated spending time in Alicante along the Costa Blanca (White Coast), but this trip is special because we are joined by Emily & Van, our great friends from Nashville who have since moved permanently to Braga, Portugal. We expected them to arrive before us, but they missed a train from Barcelona and wouldn’t be in until around 8:00. This gave us time to settle in, to grab a bite to eat, and then walk up to meet them at the train station.
Sara and Evan took the room with two twin beds and slept very well all night. Van & Emily took the room with one queen size bed, but they didn’t sleep so well. In the middle of the night, their bed broke. The slats supporting the mattress gave way and fell to the floor, not once but twice. This led to a lot of teasing that people their age should not be jumping on the bed. But our host, Jose-Maria was very responsive and fixed the problem that day. We all slept well from then on.
Castillo de Santa Barbara sits atop a small mountain in the middle of Alicante. With Van & Emily, we took the lift / elevator up to see the castle on a lovely clear day. It’s a particularly large castle with three or four levels and amazing views 360°, over the Mediterranean Sea and all around town. We hoped there would be an open café up there, and we were reassured by the literature, and by all the guides working there. But the only café area we saw was never opened, so no, there was no coffee break for us at the top.
Walking the Old Town: The Barrio de Santa Cruz is a labyrinth of narrow streets and stairways through this part of town, climbing up the mountain toward the castle. Most buildings are whitewashed with colorful shutters decorated in blue and green. The narrow streets are clean white stones. Occasional trees and large potted plants line the street, and colorful flowers dangle from window flowerboxes. It’s quite beautiful.
Walking the Promenade: Along the large harbor is the Explanada de Espana, a beautiful promenade: wide, with a colorful mosaic walkway, lined with palm trees. To the south is a wide path for runners and bikers. To the north, just above the palm trees, is another wide walkway lined with cafes, restaurants, gelaterias and shops. Further east of the harbor, the walk continues along the beautiful Playa del Postiguet (Postiguet Beach). The sun was bright despite the cool air, so we had to doff our shoes and wade in the water.
Enjoying our time with Emily & Van: After cooling our feet at the beach, we found a recommended spot along the harbor for dinner. We all shared a wonderful Paella filled with seafood. Sara and I seem to have succeeded in convincing Van to appreciate a good Gin & Tonic as well.
Alicante is a wonderfully walkable city. From our apartment on Calle del Teatro, right near the Theater, we can reach the harbor, the beach, the Mercado, the train station and the Castle, all within a 15-minute walk. And the city is full of squares and parks, usually well shaded by palms or other huge shade trees. Outdoor seating for restaurants and café-bars lines in these parks and the many pedestrian walkways. We so enjoyed stopping for coffee and visiting with our friends. Sometimes each day seemed to be about walking, stopping for coffee, walking, stopping for dinner, walking, and stopping for a drink before heading home. And those times catching up with each other, sharing our travel stories, and just being together were perfect.
Day Trip to La Vila Joiosa: We learned the tram system and took a tram up the Costa Blanca to the town of La Vila Joiosa. We had never heard of it, but it was recommended by some of our Camino traveling friends. It was great fun. First, a coffee break along the Riva, looking out over a beautiful large beach. Next, a walk through the “Old Town” of narrow streets with facades painted in pastels. Then a stop for lunch along the shore again. After lunch we meandered through some more narrow streets of town before returning returning to Alicante.
Our Private Film Festival: Like us, Emily and Van enjoy movies, so we spent our evenings sharing some new and some old. Emily & Van recommended Only Lovers Left Alive, an unusual vampire film that didn’t quite work for Evan and Sara, but we will always remember that classic line, “She drank Ian!” Then we went for Oscar contenders: we watched and loved Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, but we watched and hated Licorice Pizza, and wondered how on Earth that was nominated as a Best Film of the Year. After Emily & Van left, we also watched CODA which we also loved and would recommend.
Archeological Museum of Alicante: As recommended, this was one of the best archeological museums we’ve seen. Displays are rich and beautiful with lots of engaging media. When we visited, the museum offered a special collection on The Etruscans: those who lived in Rome and to the north before the Romans became dominant. Because the Etruscans were sea-goers and had contact with eastern Spain, there is a logical connection to Alicante and the Costa Blanca. And this one inspired Evan to read D. H. Lawrence’s last travel work, Etruscan Places.
Les Fogueres Museum (Museum of Bonfires, Alicante): Every year from June 20-24, Alicante celebrates a festival in honor of San Juan (St. John the Baptist). The festival goes on for days, including music and celebration in all the districts of the town. Each district prepares an elaborate artistic display, or monument. During the festival, the people vote on which display is the best. The festival’s culminating event on the “Night of Saint John,” June 24, is La Crema, when bonfires take place all around the city in which these monuments made of wood, cardboard and cork are torched. The Museum of Bonfires is titled rather ironically, for it is a collection of those monuments which were voted the best and hence were NOT burned in La Crema. The museum is free, and the displays are enchanting, fun, and beautiful. Click Here to Learn More.
Day Trip to Altea: After Emily & Van left, Sara and I decided on a second day trip up the Costa Blanca to Altea, known here as Spain’s Santorini. We started early since the train ride each way would approach two hours. The Old Town area of Altea climbs from the sea up the mountain where a lovely church sits. Whitewashed buildings are trimmed in blue and green. Once there was a castle atop this mountain, but that was destroyed centuries ago. Today the top features a lovely square around the church of La Mare de Deu del Consol (“Our Lady of Solace”). After walking the Old Town and checking out the quirky shops, we enjoyed a great lunch on a patio overlooking the town and the sea. Our friends Julie & Rick had been here just a few days before and recommended the Restaurante Casa Vital. The proprietor was friendly and engaging, and quite proud of his delicious blue wine. We finished our visit with a walk down to the beach and a drink at a beachside café. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Altea.
The Red Corner: A nearby pub, with a name that would never work in America, was a great place to enjoy wine (Sara) and a Guinness (Evan) while watching a football game – that’s soccer, “The Beautiful Sport,” for you Americans. It was Liverpool vs. Chelsea in the League Cup Final with a tie score at the end of the 90 minutes, and still a tie after two, 15-minute overtimes. So the winner would be determined in a sudden death shoot-off of penalty shots. It was Liverpool 10 and Chelsea 9 as the Cheslea goalie had to beat the Liverpool goalie to even the score. Another viewer got up to leave, sure that Chelsea’s goalie would never score so the game belonged to Liverpool. Sure enough, the goalie kicked high of the goal. Game over. Evan loves an evening like this.
