Dearest Readers,
The wait is over! I am back from Spain with many a story! I arrived in Alicante around 10 pm and was met at the airport by my best friend. We hopped on the C6 bus and headed into the City Central. Despite what I expected, Alicante was bustling with activity. We walked along the center and caught up. I couldn’t help but ogle at the beautiful architecture and tourist stands. They sold everything from jewelry to clothes and assorted knickknacks.
My hotel was decent enough for a place to stay on a budget, and its location was perfect! It’s just the right spot to be able to walk all over the city. The next day we set out to walk around and see the city. Much like Budapest, the number of stairs in this city should be illegal. Despite my steadily aching legs, it was my breath that was taken away when we finally reached one of the most gorgeous neighborhoods I have ever seen.
My friend said it was called ‘the door with the blue pots’ which is quite fitting considering the multitude of blue pots surrounding a door. The view of the city from this vantage point was insanely beautiful, and the weather was perfect! Not a cloud to be seen, just clear blue skies over the crystal-clear Mediterranean Sea. This trip will certainly make my top ten experiences in Europe, not only did I get to see my best friend, I was able to experience the beauty of Spain!
Something unexpected that happened on this trip was that I was invited by my friend’s host dad to come along and see a battle reenactment in his hometown. We drove 45 minutes outside Alicante and I was not expecting to see what we saw. Every single person was in costume, and carrying around these huge muskets (a type of gun). The host dad went on to give us a tour of the town, and what I thought was thunder turned out to be the aforementioned guns shooting blanks into the sky.
Have you ever smelled gunpowder? Because let me tell you, it smells abominable. If you mixed sulfur, smoke, and cigarettes you’d get pretty close. On top of that, the smoke left over from the blanks is so thick that it burns your eyes. Needless to say, the smell wasn’t my favorite, but it was fascinating to see battles that happened being played out in front of me. It felt like I had traveled back in time, like Outlander but without kilts and Scottish people. Overall, this was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced, making it even better that it was unexpected.
I loved my time in Spain, and I can safely say that I would go back in a heartbeat. If you’re ever planning on traveling on a budget, this is the country for you. Flights were cheap, the food was incredible on a budget, and transportation never cost more than 2 euros here. Add Alicante to your list if you like the sun, culture, food, and great nightlife!
That’s all for now,
Toodles!
Abby LaBuhn