If you're thinking about visiting Alicante, living here already or are you just interested in seeing what it's like to live in another place, here is what I come across while living in the Spanish city of Alicante on the Mediterranean coast.
It's trivial but it is a dilemma many of us living in Alicante have. On one hand, the pool option means you don't bring a pile of sand into your home or have a lingering taste of salt water in your mouth. But, depending on whether you have your own private pool or live in an urbanization with a shared one, you will encounter your neighbours in their swimwear. I enjoy using the swimming pool because it's on my doorstep and I can dip in and out of the water without worrying about my belongings. Unlike at the beach, whereby if you want to jump in the sea with your mates, someone has to stay behind to look after everything. The great thing about going to the beach though, is that there's so much going on. It's quite sociable and you can usually benefit from a nice shore breeze. And on my local beaches of Postiguet and Playa de San Juan there are chiringuitos, or beach bars, where you can stay and chill out after the sun sets. The chiringuitos stay until the end of September, I think, as the weather is still lovely that month. Just in case you were wondering, as some friends of ours who are moving over to Spain from San Francisco asked recently, dogs arent allowed on beaches in general, especially in the summer. There are some, or parts of some beaches that do allow it. The one nearest to us in Alicante is in El Campello, pronounced "El Campeyo" (as the double 'l' always sounds like a 'y' in Spanish). Unfortunately, I dont have any time to go to the beach during the week as my shop is open morning and afternoon. Some businesses close in the afternoons during July and in August some just dont open at all! To be fair it is very hot and most Spanish people use July or August to take their holidays all together (as well as a healthy spattering of fiestas and puentes during the rest of the year!). So which would you prefer going to - the beach or the pool?
Just a quick post... I was chatting to a foreigner (as in non-Spanish person) the other day about the festival of San Fermín in Pamplona and it's famous daily event of running with the bulls.´ I was surprised to realise that this person didn't know the reason for this activity, especially since she was 'anti-taurina' (against bullfighting). The encierro (closing in) of the bulls takes place at 8am every day from 7th until 14th July every year. (Like with most Spanish festivals it is the date that determines the festival period, not the day of the week). It consists of leading the 6 bulls (and 8 'cabestros' or bulls of a type of race who are not used in bullfights but guide the 'toros') from the pens where they spent the previous night through the narrow streets of the old part of Pamplona to the bullring where they will be 'fought' later in the day by the bullfighters... and consequently killed. There is a long history associated with this and is worth looking up if you want to learn more about this and the festival in general. The person whom I was speaking with was under the impression that it was just a fun activity for brave people who wanted to have a go at running with bulls but there is a whole lot more to it than that. Also, the festival in itself hosts many traditional events and activities apart from the encierros. There seems to be much misinterpretation about it because in the 2010 film with Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz called Knight and Day, a part of their chase through the streets of Seville featured a load of bulls running and people dressed in the traditional white and red of the San Fermín festival ending up in the bullring. But this activity never takes place in Seville, which is over the other side of the country to Pamplona! There are bull-related activities that take place in various towns and villages in the north east of Spain which I really don't agree with and think are awful. The worst is the 'toro embolado', which consists of tying flammable materials to a bulls horns, setting them alight along with some fireworks, and letting it loose through barricaded streets at night during the festival period. People run in front of it and jump over protective barriers, they pull the bull's tail and just generally torment it. It's just not nice. Look it up if you want to inform yourself because I just don't want to write about it. I will write about something nice like the weather in Alicante next time...
I just have to get this off my chest... Every day that I use roads to get from A to B, I risk my life a little more. I shouldnt say that just about roads in Spain, however for some reason the Spanish have a lack of understanding of how to navigate a roundabout.
Roundabouts are a relatively new thing over here and with the construction boom where more infrastructure was required quickly they just popped roundabouts in everywhere instead of 'give way' junctions or traffic lights. I dont know if they are taught how to use roundabouts in their driving lessons over here but they certainly do not practise it. I have to pass around quite a few of them on my way to and from my shop and I could have had many accidents if I myself had not been prudent and vigilent. They just pull out in front of you even if you are indicating to leave the roundabout. And im probably going to make myself extremely unpopular by saying this, but the women are the worst!!! (Especially by not stopping for pedestrians at zebra crossings). But then there are the inconsiderate drivers (usually male) who think that by gaining one or two car lengths by cutting you up or trying to nip into spaces that just dont exist will make their journey (and that of their fellow road users') easier. Shame on you. Just be careful out there people. Rant over. ;-) I will post about something a bit more Alicante-related next time. I promise.
Alicante was invaded yesterday in true Star Wars style. Legion 501, the Spanish Garrison, celebrated their tenth anniversary with a parade through the town after an invasion of the Santa Barbara Castle where there is currently a Star Wars exhibition. You could get up close and personal with the super fans dressed as their favourite characters from the saga. The costumes were really quite good.
Here is the promotional You Tube video of the exhibition in the Castillo Santa Barbára:
The exhibition, hosted by the castle, displays over 20,000 objects and figures collected by Gabi Navarro over some 35 years. Some figures are arranged in battle scenes...
and you can also imagine yourself as an action figure! (Thanks to my brother-in-law for this photo.)
The exhibition finishes next year to coincide with the release of the newest Star Wars film.
