Travelogue, continued!
On Tuesday we took Renfe (a high-speed train) from Madrid to Alicante, which is on the Mediterranean Sea on the southern coast of Spain. It’s about a 2 hour ride, at speeds up to 300 km/hour (190 mph, thanks Siri). Very comfortable. Bev & John’s apartment is a 15 minute walk from the train station, easy!
Their 9th floor apartment is on the top floor of the building on the Calle del Teatro. The apartment’s wraparound deck looks down at the Teatro Principal which dates to 1847.
Castillo Santa Barbara is on Mt. Benacantil behind the city, right up the street. And I do mean UP!
We went to the Convistas bar in the very tall Hotel Gran Sol for drinks and views.
Such a pretty esplanade, and palm trees in February!
Paella for dinner that night, and then a nice meander back to the apartment.
On Wednesday we hiked to the Castillo/Castell Santa Barbara, 166 meters up. (Castillo is Spanish, Castell is Valencian, and signs use both.) The views of the coastline and the Mediterranean Sea are spectacular. Definitely a great place for a lookout, so you could see your enemies coming. The origins of the castle date to the 9th century.
Just imagine!
We walked back down through the old town.
Loved the art and poetry on this house. I guessed that it was a Time Flies/Tempus Fugit theme, but needed some help. And may I say that Google Translate with Google Lens is a very handy app? Here’s what the house says:
Pretty sure that’s months, not head of cattle, but the paint was slightly illegible on that line.
Sweet!
We visited a modern art museum, and then walked on the iconic esplanade.
It was very disconcerting to walk on; it looks like it undulates in waves from left to right. Can you see it? DH doesn’t see it in 3D, but it still makes me slightly dizzy!
There are a lot of gelato shops in this town. We only sampled two in our four days here. How virtuous!
Pizza at Scighera: Mozzarella flor di latte, chopped pistachios, bologna mortadella, burrata, pistachio sauce. Pistachio is the flavor of the moment in Spain. We had it in croissants, gelato, chocolate, pizza.
On Thursday we took a bus to Altea, a neighboring resort town.
We walked up to the square at the top of the town to see the church up there.
So much public art, and such beautiful views of the sea. Look at those blues!
Of course I had to dip my toes in the Mediterranean Sea
And also knit a few stitches there.
A late lunch including the beverage of the week before heading back to Alicante. The weather was so nice the whole time we were there; this was late February and no jackets needed.
Friday was my last full day in Alicante, so we explored the town a bit more.
We visited the Mercado, which is a beautiful 1921 building with 290 stalls of the most beautifully presented wares.
Oh, jamón! The Spanish love their ham, and it is delicious. Even the Mercadona grocery store had a display like this.
After the Mercado, we wandered through town back down to the waterfront for a walk along the beach.
So much public art and beautiful architecture.
Even down to the faux needlepoint on this restaurant, where we had a very nice dinner.
Saturday I took the train back to Madrid, because it was time to go home. Brandi Carlile and the Rose City Yarn Crawl were next up on the agenda!
I’d love to visit Spain again. I think DH would love it. Someday?
PDXKnitterati 