The Alicante coast in 1958

I came across this video on the local newspaper's website (diarioinformacion.com) and it's shocking (good or bad... I'll let you decide) to see how, in a little under 60 years, the Alicante coastline has changed in terms of development.

Maybe I'll take some photos of the views featured and do a 'before and after'.  Those of you who are familiar with the beaches and coastline of especially Calpe, Benidorm and Playa San Juan will be left gobsmacked.

It is a short 10 minute film from 1958 where two ladies visit the Costa Blanca from Denia down to Alicante.  The narration is in Spanish but the images speak for themselves. 

Here is the link to the page where the video is featured:

http://www.diarioinformacion.com/multimedia/videos/alicante/2016-05-02-101181-costa-blanca-antes-urbanismo-depredador.html

Thanks to the Filmoteca Española and RTVE.es these videos can be appreciated now and for many more years to come.

Warning: the 'jealousy' alarm just may go off...

I saw this post on Spanish BuzzFeed about Alicante and when I saw the photos, I realised that the title was merely sarcastic.  If you can read Spanish then you will understand the irony otherwise just enjoy the gorgeous photos showing the Alicante province.

Click on the link further below to go to the post.
(Sorry, wonderful couple from Newcastle/London, you know who you are... I know you are going to be angry with me for posting photos like this hahaha... and thank you for the Marmite.  Please come and say 'Hi' again soon.).

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alfredomurillo/razones-para-no-visitar-alicante


I will say that I have been to almost all of these places and seen these sights with my own eyes and they are as true as you see.  In some respects, its even better in real life because you get the whole panoramic vision, feel the climate, taste the wonderful cuisine, experience the atmosphere, etc.  But to bring you back down to earth, nothing is perfect for everyone.  Maybe there are sounds or smells you don't like, maybe the people are not as you thought, maybe you can't get on in a culture with another language, maybe... there are a whole lot of maybe's.

Alicante isn't for everyone and I understand that as I have my own moans about the city too.  So for now lets just enjoy these sights of the city and the province but keep posted if you want to find out the good, the bad and the ugly sides of life in Alicante city.

Happy May!

Winter sun warning

Happy New Year to you all!!

I think its important to mention, especially for any of you who are planning a trip to Alicante this winter (or are here already), that the winter sun can be dangerous.

It's not a cloudy place at all and we enjoy very clear, blue skies most days - actually I met a lady a few days ago originally from Cape Town and she compared the bright Alicante sky to her home town.  As the sun is quite low in the sky during winter, you should be prepared with some sunglasses and a clean window screen on your vehicle.  It can also reflect off the road and blind you if you are not careful.  The wife of one of my dad's friends unfortunately died many years ago now as she accidentally drove off a hillside road as she turned a corner and was blinded by the low sun.  Just be careful out there.

Inland Alicante

As it is a fairly dry climate it's great for motorbikes.  It's my vehicle of choice I use to get to and from the shop every day because parking in Alicante can be very complicated (people live in flats and the buildings are quite close together and there aren't underground garages in each building) and with one I can park virtually anywhere.  They are also great for outings in the hills around Alicante so we go often with friends and stop en route for a drink and tapas.

panorama shot Alicante

Motorbike buddies

In the hills around Alicante

If you can, don't just limit yourself to visiting Alicante city... take a road trip around the outskirts of the city and in the province where there are interesting walking and hiking routes too.  

Have you been in the hills around Alicante?

Snapshots of the Hogueras festival 2014

The night of the 24th of June marked the end of the Hogueras de San Juan festival in Alicante with the huge palmera firework lighting up the sky at midnight from the Santa Barbara castle indicating the start of the lighting of the more than 180 bonfires around the city streets.

So as not to bore you with an explination of the events and activities during the annual Hogueras festival, I will just post some photos of from this year.  

The winner of the best bonfire (hoguera) this year went to...

PAN'S LABYRINTH BONFIRE

The Pan's Labyrinth Hoguera won in it's category.  It was so amazing to see in real life and a shame that burned to the ground like all the rest.

Here are just a few of the other large bonfires:

on the Rambla

in the Plaza de la Montañeta

the official bonfire in front of the town hall

These are the 2014 'Bellesas del Foc' with one part of the flower offering in front of the co-cathedral St. Nicholas.

Here are some photos taken from the Castillo San Fernando in Alicante at about 2am during the fiestas where you can see the city lit up by the various barracas.  It's a shame there is no sound with these photos because its quite bonkers... you can hear the different music from the dozens of party zones and the general fiesta ambience which goes on until 4.30am.  After that time the party does continue for some people but the music has to officially stop at this hour.

And finally a couple of photos taken from the other side of the San Fernando castle at 2pm during the Mascletà...

I hope you enjoyed the fiesta!

Alicante Timelapse

I would really like to share with you a time-lapse video for Alicante Turismo done by the very talented photographer Javier Guijarro.  Below, I will tell you about the places featured.



Video turismo Alicante Timelapse from Javier Guijarro on Vimeo.

-Firstly, Javier shows us a sunrise starting over the Cabo de la Huerta and then the swimming pool of one of the hotels in the port area with stunning views of the Mediterranean Sea.

-The high-speed train service called the AVE (Alta Velocidad) now arrives at Alicante from the capital Madrid and the station has been enlarged to accommodate it.

-Alicante receives many visitors from the cruise ships on the Mediterranean Sea who arrive at its special dock and ferry terminal.

-The new airport terminal on the outskirts of Alicante (about 15 minutes from the centre of the city by car) was completed a couple of years ago and is a light and airy glass structure, pleasant to arrive to and depart from.

-The part-underground, part-overground tram service connects the very centre of Alicante from the stations Luceros and Mercado with many neighbourhoods in Alicante and beyond like the University town of San Vicente del Raspeig, running along the huge Playa de San Juan and further afar like El Campello.  The connections go through Benidorm and all the way up to Denia.

-The port area is a great place to stroll along and the new development now holds the Volvo Ocean Race, its offices and its own museum.  The space also regularly holds concerts and markets.

-The beach in Alicante is called the Playa de Postiguet.  It has a nice promenade with cafes along it open all year round.  It's very close to the centre, meaning it's a popular beach in the summer or whenever the sun shines!

-The beach of San Juan is 7km of uninterrupted sunbathing space with chiringuitos (small beach bars) set up on the sand in the summer, restaurants and bars on the promenade, beach volleyball courts all year round and fantastic views always.

-The famous wavy 3-coloured marble esplanade next to the port is always a pleasant stroll, whatever time of year lined with cafeterias, restaurants and market stalls.

-Next we see Javier taking a boat trip to the small island of Tabarca a few kilometres off the coast of Alicante.  The waters around are a natural marine reserve and you can go snorkeling or diving to appreciate the sea life or go for a day trip to bathe in the rocky waters.  Lots of people go to sample a local paella made from locally-caught fresh sea fish.

-The castle in Alicante, Castillo de Santa Bárbara, is the most dominant feature of Alicante sitting on top of the huge hill next to the sea.  The views from up there are stunning.

-The town hall (ayuntamiento) building is a beautiful baroque palace which was started in 1699 and finished some 80 years later.  The bicycle that the woman is riding in the images is one that you can rent from the special roadside bicycle stands with the system Alabici.

-The auditorium is a relatively new building that holds regular events, concerts, plays and is situated right next to the bullring.

-The 5-star hotel Amerigo is featured, which is just along from the town hall, and another local hotel's accommodation.

-Local wines and paellas demonstrate the wonderful local gastronomy, but there is a lot more to try.

-The area is excellent for cycling with many bicycle lanes through the city and special routes beyond.  Outdoor sports in general are possible all year round with this climate and sports in general are very popular, especially water sports, beach volleyball, golf, tennis, football... well just about everything!

-The fiestas are great here, especially the Hogueras de San Juan that I wrote many posts on last year.  The flower offering during this fiesta is shown in the plaza in front of the Cathedral... and my friend's bar and restaurant Piazza is on the right hand side.

-The theatre is shown which is near the Rambla, and then the contemporary art museum which is near the beautiful Basílica de Santa María.  The archaeological museum is shown outside and in which has a very interesting permanent exhibition of artifacts and descriptions of Alicante through the ages.  It won and award for the best European museum a few years back and is well worth a visit.  There are also temporary exhibitions of a variety of subjects.

-The year-round outdoor lifestyle of Alicante is second to none with the possibility of eating and drinking outside day or night.

-The huge pirate ship (I call it a pirate ship but its not really) is a museum and cafe and is permanently (for the moment anyway) in the port.  It's great to look at and fun to be on.

-The video closes with some views of Alicante from some of the few tall buildings in Alicante.  (There are not many thank goodness and the ones that were constructed are from the 1960s or 1970s).

I hope that you enjoyed the video.  It's a good summary of what Alicante has to offer... but I do hope that you still keep reading the blog for my personal insight into this enjoyable city.  See you soon!

Rice at Ros

Whenever we get visitors who want to go to a restaurant to eat rice from this area, or a paella (three syllables pronounced 'pa-aye-ya'), we usually take them to Restaurante Ros.

I like this restaurant for various reasons - the do really good, freshly prepared and cooked paellas and rices, the nice view out over the bay of Albufereta towards Alicante, the service is good and it is very reasonably priced.

The view from Restaurante Ros, Albufereta, Alicante

The restaurant is situated within the Club Náutico Alicante Costa Blanca (Nautical Club) of Albufereta and you have to make a reservation.  The decoration inside is not the most modern but the view and the food make up for it.

What we usually order

To start with, we usually order some slices of toasted fresh bread with crushed tomatoes  a and garlic mayonnaise (pan con tomate y aioli).  You spread them both on the toast and its a really tasty combination.  Then a house salad (ensalada de la casa), with the basic Mediterranean ingredients.  To lots of you, the tomatoes may look green and under-ripe but that is actually how the salad tomatoes grown over here are at their best - and I guarantee you they are nicer than your regular tomatoes you buy from the supermarkets in the UK.

Ensalada de la Casa at Ros

We also order calamares a La Romana (squid rings in a light batter and fried) to share.

Calamares a La Romana at Ros

Paellas and rices have to be ordered for a minimum of 2 people and we always order 2 different types of rice: one with meat, specifically pork, and vegetables (arroz con magro y verduras), and the other with a liquidy fish stock (arroz a banda).  Arroz a banda is a typical rice dish of Alicante which originated from when the fishermen sold off their best catch and kept the leftovers to make a stock to cook the rice in for themselves.  It is cooked in a deeper paella pan and is served with the garlic mayonnaise called aioli, or spelt here quite often as alioli.

Arroz con magro y verduras at Ros

Arroz a banda at Ros

We usually have some of both types of rice on our plates...

I saw someone else's rice just come straight out of the kitchen.  This is a seafood paella with mussels, prawns and langostinos, which are like crayfish or small lobster.

Finally, we have helado de turrón which is ice cream made with pieces of the nougat-type confectionery especially from this area of Spain called turrón de Jijona and is made with honey and almonds... and a coffee.

Price per head

This is around 22€ per head for what we had with our drinks.

Views and activities

It's a relaxing place to be and you can watch people taking out their boats, learning to sail, navigate and row amongst other activities.  I'll leave you with some photos I took of the view.

  

September Start

I always get a pang of disappointment and depression when the first day of September comes around.  For me it means the end of summer and the special atmosphere that fills Alicante during the days, evenings and nights of June, July and August. 

However, living in a city which is a tourist destination, with the lovely, mild climate that Alicante offers is like being permanently on holiday... sort of.  We are usually in t-shirts until November time and although the sea and the swimming pools are a little chilly to go for a dip in after mid September, the afternoons are still very warm. 

It is always so noticeable after the last weekend of August, when the holiday-makers from Madrid leave their summer apartments, the Playa de San Juan feels a little more empty.  The city, however, is buzzing still.  Just walking through the streets today, I heard many different accents of people from other countries.  Soon, the University of Alicante will start its new term and there will be an influx of young people that help keep the social scene alive.

People are usually going 'back to...' something in September.  But for the millions of unemployed here in Spain it's unfortunately just 'business as usual'.

Lagarto in da house!

I've had my annual visit from the lizard.  I see it a few times during the summer hanging around my plant pots on the terrace and running up the walls.  But I got a good look at him yesterday, with his little slitty eyes and alligator-style body.

For me, the lagartos (lizards) are not scary at all.  This one is only about 12cm long from head to tail.  He blends in with the colour of my tiles and wall.  But they are quite common over here and I have seen ones with black spots or more green ones.  I don't know if he is the same one I see each year or a different one - I doubt that they live for a long time.  

I don't have any pets so he is the next best thing.  I think I'll call him Lenny.

Summer moon over Alicante castle

It is a relatively fresh night here in Alicante giving us respite from the long, hot days.  So we just went out for a ride on the motorbike and ended up at the castle overlooking Alicante city.  The sky was cloudy for once and looked quite moody so I got my camera out.  Is it a full moon tonight?  It looked quite 'round' to me.

The castle in Alicante (Castillo Santa Barbara) is free to get in and there is parking at the top so if you fancy just heading up there to sit at the bar and check out the views, then it's a great thing to do.  If you don't have transport then there is an elevator that takes you right to the top but you have to pay for the service.  You can also walk up but it's a very steep climb and certainly not recommended in the midday sun!

I will post more about the castle, its history and what you can do there another day but for now I will just leave you with some photos I took from the castle this evening.

August fiesta day in Alicante - Asunción de la Virgin María

Today is a holiday or fiesta in Alicante which commemorates the day that the Virgin Mary died and rose to heaven.  (You can read more about it in Spanish here).  I'm pretty sure that years ago there were processions through the streets and special events happening so that the devotees could honour the Virgin and there may well be some going on in some other parts of Spain.

But nowadays, as people go to church less and less, and many people do not follow the Catholic religion as strictly as before, this fiesta day today, in the middle of August, is mostly an excuse to close up shop:

and go down to the beach:

This was what people were doing in Alicante today.
The photo above is of the beach of San Juan, or playa de San Juan. It's a wonderful beach that is 7km long which is why there is space for everyone to place their towel on the shoreline.  It looks empty in this photo but it is just so long.  I will devote a post to it soon because there is lots to say about it.

Misterí d'Elx

The Elx Mystery is a play held on the 14th and 15th of August each year in the Basilica de Santa María in the city of Elche commemorating the Assumption of Mary.  The origins of the play date back to the 15th Century and in 2001, was declared by UNESCO as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.  FYI, 'Elx' is Elche in the Valencian language.

Nit de l'Albà

One of the other attractions of the fiestas at the moment in Elche is the Nit de l'Albà (the night of 'white' or 'having a white colour') which takes place on 13th of August each year. From 11pm until just before midnight, palmeras (big fireworks that look like a palm tree when exploded) are set off from various points of the city.  This idea started in the Middle Ages when each rocket was an offering to the Virgin Mary for each child in the family.

unknown source

Just before midnight, all the firework activity stops and the city lights are turned off ready for the moment of la Gloria. The hugely enormous white-coloured palmera de la Virgin is fired into the sky above Elche from the Basilica lighting everything up for a few seconds.  When the lights come back on, a small Virgin de fuego can be seen in the tower of the Basilica while the locals sing from their balconies and terraces.  Then the night is ended for some by eating copious amounts of watermelon!

For others, the guerra de carretillas starts and goes on until the early hours.   All you safety-concious ('normal') people run and hide because in this 'war of wheelbarrows' a dedicated area is set up where a number of people dress up in special jumpsuits protecting their faces, hands and feet and throw crazy fireworks at each other!  Yes, you read it right.  They THROW fireworks at each other!  Wheelbarrow is the name of the type of firework.  People get injured every year with burns when some fireworks get caught in their clothing.  Not surprising.

I don't know what it is with the Valencian community but they absolutely LOVE fireworks. The louder, the bigger and the more dangerous the better.  Any fiesta there is around here is guaranteed to include a firework display.  Every now and again I hear fireworks and firecrackers going off randomly in the distance and know that someone, somewhere is having a fiesta!