After a wonderful stay in Liverpool, my husband and I hopped on a quick 2.5-hour flight to Alicante, Spain. Alicante is located in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Upon landing, we immediately recognized the difference. Our initial panorama indeed provided us a striking change of scenery from England.
As you can imagine, our first day in the city was again spent looking for a laundromat. The struggle with traveling light is real! Unfortunately, their laundromat there was totally robotic with Spanish instructions. Since neither my husband nor I speak Spanish, we had to literally grab people off the street to help us make sense of their machines. Sometimes our pleas for help were met with trepidation.
First Impressions
- Alicante was stunningly beautiful! Majestic gray mountains provide a dramatic backdrop to the glittering Mediterranean Sea.
- English language was not widely spoken there. We got by using my broken Spanish (some words I recognized from our Tagalog words), exaggerated gestures, theatrical facial expressions, sometimes clunky translators, and if nothing worked, we just gave up and looked for the next victim.
- We were there during the peak of winter, and while there were days when there’s a lot of sun, do not expect it to be warm. You still need your puffer coat because mornings and nights can be brisk.
Top Attractions
When visiting Alicante main center, make sure to drop by the Postiguet Beach and its neighboring marina. Wander along its beautiful explanada which is surrounded by boutique shops and restaurants. If you have time, make sure to also try their local dishes. Be sure to sample Alicante’s famous tapas and paella dishes. The imposing Santa Barbara Castle, one of the largest medieval fortresses in Spain, is also located nearby, and all you need to do is look upward, so make sure to also include it in your itinerary.
Travel Reality Check
Traveling is fun, and I hate to be a buzz killer, but, I must admit, there’s something overrated about it, especially if it means crossing country borders and continents in anything but trains. Sometimes we are made to believe by the glamorous travel photos we see that traveling is all rainbows and unicorns. Unfortunately, perfect social media shots only tell half the story. Sometimes the other half is a saga of frustrations, if not epic fails. And, that was exactly what happened to us while traveling to Alicante.
Despite staying across from the spectacular Playa San Juan, we didn’t get to enjoy much of the place because of days of rain and diving temperatures. It was hard to enjoy the beach with the freezing cold and gusty winds; even a short walk was a struggle. So, as much as we wanted to stay longer, the off-season climate was not what we expected. Nonetheless, Alicante still revealed its beauty, and we hope to return one day in summer to better experience its exquisiteness. Adios for now. Hasta la vista!
“Great things never came from comfort zone.” – Anonymous
See you as we continue our slow travel adventure.
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