Alicante, June 2-9, 2014

June 2 – 9

ALICANTE

We are very excited to be at the Mediterranean shore, at last. Our bus ride was pleasant enough, taking us through landscape that reminded us very much of Nevada with olive orchards.

Alicante is a mid-sized city, about 300,000 in population, with an important port that, this year, is the starting point of the great Volvo Yacht Race. There is a medieval castle on the rock hill overlooking the city and the bay that is its signature monument. Our hosts, Jose and his wife, both professionals here, meet us and drive us through the city streets to our apartment, which belonged to Jose’s parents, and where he actually grew up. They are reluctant to sell it in the current market, so their teenage son hooked them up with web rentals so they can pay the taxes with the rental income.

We have an entire floor of the building to ourselves. The place is sprawling, four bedrooms, two bathrooms, three balconies. There is real furniture, a marble coffee table, mahogany armoires, built-in bookcases with books, a working fireplace. It’s a real Spanish home. We wander around losing each other in the space. Fortunately, there’s a little tea trolley in the pantry that we can use to wheel our meals from the kitchen at the one end to the balcony on the other. It’s a long, long walk.

About this time, Bob has developed a persistent earache. He usually treats this with a mixture of alcohol and white vinegar, but this time he has found a remedy on the internet. A clove of garlic in the ear will act as an antibiotic. It can be a little harsh on the skin, so rubbing a little olive oil with it will act as a salve. So he’s sitting at the table, smelling like a salad himself. I say, “You have garlic in your ear!” “What?” he says. “You have garlic in your ear,” I repeat. “I can’t hear you,” he says. “I have garlic in my ear!”

We take a walk to the harbor, enjoying the grand promenade, a colonnade of high palm trees over a beautiful mosaic walkway of wavy stripes in black and almond and terracotta stones. At the harborside, along with the restaurants, casino and replica tall ship, we find the Volvo Ocean Race Museum. One of the actual racing yachts stands on its keel at the entry. The museum is free, basically a promotion for the race, but it’s still really interesting and well organized.

There are displays telling the history of the race and the story of some of the notable yachts and sailors. We enjoy a large-screen video game where we can pilot our own yachts against each other. The actual racing control room is in the museum, NASA-worthy technical stations follow every aspect of the race. The walls are lined with amazing photos, showing some of the beauty, danger and drama onboard. Then, we sit mesmerized and watch a film documenting the race activities, interviewing the sailors and telling the story of the race - nine months on a course that circumnavigates the earth. Boy, are we pissed when a guide comes through and tells us that it’s closing time! We could spend several more hours here.

There’s a small island just beyond the harbor bay that makes for a popular day trip. We get tickets and hop on the tour boat. It’s all looking very pleasant until a couple of busloads of teenagers board with us, probably on an end-of-school trip. They’re all very lively, running around punching at each other, hanging off the railings in a death-defying way you would never get away with in the U.S. When we reach the island, we find the beach area completely full of kids, mostly about nine to twelve, in groups with one or two teen leaders, who have found that screaming contests are a great way to dissipate excess energy. There’s a ring of beachfront restaurants, but nothing too tempting, especially in the heat of the afternoon sun. We walk on to the “old town,” a more residential neighborhood with remnants of a fort and a stone church. Here we come upon a not-so-authentic site: a giant tent full of people wearing bright blue polo shirts, watching a big screen covered with pie charts, with the unmistakable blaring crescendo music that accompanies a motivational sales presentation. So we have the great good fortune to arrive at the confluence of Every School’s Holiday Trip and the Annual Sales Awards Weekend. The island is quite small, but we manage to find a nature trail along the perimeter that’s very enjoyable.

There is a beach in the city of Alicante, always crowded of course, but Jose has recommended that we take a 20 minute tram ride to the beaches to the north of the city, and he is right on! The beaches here are spectacular. Wide stretches of white powder sand, bright blue waters and mountain views in the distance. There are not many shops or restaurants, just a few snack shacks on the beach, But we can rent our chairs and umbrellas and buy a couple beers, so we are good to go. The water is beautiful and clear, a little calmer than I like, but just gorgeous.

We spend one afternoon making a long walk for the obligatory visit to the castle, which is fun enough, great views all around, but for the next three days, we are just happy at the beach.

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