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Published: July 13th 2019
Today we spent our time in the "best place in the world". We're not kidding - that's the city motto of Alicante, the city we explored today.
We began with a walking tour, starting outside the marketplace: one of the few buildings to survive a devastating bombing in the Spanish Civil War. Our excellent tour guide, Maria, told us about this war and other conflicts in Alicante's history to show us how Alicante got its reputation for being a resilient city against all odds.
As we walked through the market towards the old town of Alicante, Maria surprised us with a taste of turrón, a traditional food from this region. Turrones are made from almonds and whatever ingredients the maker chooses. It's also a great ice cream flavour!
After getting us hooked with the food, Maria began to teach us the history of Alicante, beginning with a stop in the old neighbourhood of Santa Cruz. This area has small homes made for the fishing families from early in Alicante's history. We learned about the first inhabitants in the region with the Carthaginians and then Romans establishing the colony of Lucentum a short way up the coast. Alicante itself
Day 5: Alicante 2
Disembarking in Alicantewas founded by the Umayyad Caliphate expanding their territory from North Africa into the interior community. They brought with them the advanced technology - especially water management - from the Middle East and for 500 years in Alicante, the city generally flourished.
It wasn't until Ferdinand and Isabella began the reconquest of Spain that the Catholic section of the city we saw today was built. We visited the Cathedral of San Nicholas and the Church of Santa Maria - something local Alicantan would never do as the two churches have a historic rivalry.
To conclude our tour, we learned about the devastation wrought on each of these churches during the War of Spanish Succession. Maria proudly remarked that the cannon balls lodged into these buildings still is a sign of how Alicante survived nonetheless. At the port, we learned about how the Republican Alicante in the Spanish Civil War saw around 30 years of hardship as the closed borders prevented this merchant city from trading. We finished here on the beach learning about how tourism in Alicante had brought the city back to a state of prosperity.
We then started our tourist activities. We went to the
Day 5: Alicante 3
Outside the market in Alicante beach for hours tanning, playing football, and volleyball. The beach was crowded but beautiful and a lot of us got too burnt including me... reapplying sunscreen is key!! The water was beautiful and the atmosphere was wonderful. The people were very friendly with everyone happy to share this Mediterranean scene.
A group of us also ventured up the long elevator trip to the Castillo de Santa Barbara. The stunning views of the city were worth the (clearly very difficult) trek up the mountain.
We are now back in our hotel after a wonderful beach day, ready to return to Valencia, well rested and very tanned!
By Rhianne & Irene
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