Alicante, Spain

Alicante, Spain by Sharon Page

If you like deserted white sandy beaches with small cafes and bistros then Spain should be a place to visit. Most people going to Europe often forget or think it is to far out of the way to visit. Spain is a mixture of the old and the new that blend well into each other, like stepping into an Ernest Hemmingway novel.

A place to start is on the East Coast of Spain on the Costa Blanca. You can fly into the old Roman town of Alicante, which is fortified by the Castillo De Santa Barbara (castle) and looks over the Mediterranean Sea. In the eighth century the Arabs called Alicante “Al Lucent” meaning “light”, which if you find yourself wandering the side streets during the mid afternoon siesta the sun is at its brightest. A place to go to get some shade will be the Expanada De Espana, which is a boulevard along the harbor front with interesting mosaic walkways. Other walks in the late afternoon is to walk up to the Castillo De Santa Barbara and watch the sunset settling over the Mediterranean or you can hike into the down town area of Alicante, where the local farmers come and set up there fresh produce for the day. Alicante also has a small but good art museum not far from the Castillo De Santa Barbara. Some art works include Miro, Dali, Frances Bacon and works from local artists.  

 If you want something a little more adventurous, then day tours to the surrounding countryside are ideal to visit. Traveling along deserted roads with no clouds in the sky and the smell of lemon trees certainly is refreshing from the fresh sea breeze. Along these old roads you come across small rural villages that are great to stop and have a cold drink at the local cafe and take in the Mediterranean Sea. A lot of people are unaware that Alicante is known for its vineyards and are great to visit and taste the local wines and food.

 Other place of interest is to drive up the coast towards Calpe, along the way there is a small town called Villa Joyosa. This town is not on any tourist map but it is an old traditional Spanish town with small side streets that steepen and narrow has you make your way towards the beach. As you get to the beach unlike Benidorm there are no fancy hotels or sunseekers, just a small cafe to spend the afternoon away with the only sound of the swishing of the sea hitting the beach.

 Spain is a place of wonder and beauty, a place to explore.