No Salida, We Sleep Here

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We arrived in Alicante after a short train ride from Barcelona. According to our books and fellow travelers, Alicante is a lesser known stop along the Southern coast of Spain. Hoping to relax a little after our times in Barcelona, our first impressions of Alicante were optimistic. Arriving on a Sunday, the streets were unusually quiet. We were surprised to see a variety of float-like statues erected amongst the streets of the city. Although odd, we figured something was just a little different in Alicante. We didn´t have a reservation and settled at Pension Popeye (A portent of things to come). We spent a little time at the beach and got ready for dinner.

A cute Spanish waiter served us Paella (a massive rice dish with a variety of different vegetables and meat), which both Em and I had a crush on - his accent was nice. Figuring the night would be complete with a bottle of red, we set out to find a pleasent view point. However, the quiet sunny village we had first encountered had transformed into a mecca of spaniards and tourists alike. Shoulder to shoulder throughout most of the streets, we struggled to find a table to sit in. On a sidenote, every restaurant regardless of its size has a patio in Europe. Yes, even Burger King and McDonalds have sidewalk tables set up for weary travelers to enjoy the fine cuisine of North America - because we all know it just doesn´t compare to spanish cooking. We later found out we arrived on the cumulation of a festival in Alicante that lasts for a week. The strange statues were burnt as effigies and later extinguished by fire-fighters who proceeded to soak the crowd. We only got a small taste of this tradition as we decided we deserved an early night after all the eating and beaching we had done in the day. With enormous stages and bars set up on the street itself, we slept through most of the strange techno remixes of our favorite songs. However, in the early hours of the morning, we were awoken by a loud jingling. Suddenly, we heard a key slam into our keyhole (Pension Popeye did not have the most up-to-date security measures) and begin attempting to open our door. Springing out of bed, I (Kevin) asked the man what he wanted. After a banter of spanish which I sadly did not understand, I picked up the word ´Salida' meaning exit. I told him 'No Salida, We Sleep Here' and asked if he spoke english. He asked for Julie (Or maybe it was jewelry) and wished us good night. This abrupt interruption put us in a near panic. I was pleased that my experiences at Blockbuster paid off as I remembered cheap action heroes putting chairs against doors to prevent them from being opened and copied this tactic. It worked quite well and we eventually slept, although a little more lightly.

We awoke, anxious to retreat from Popeye and found paradise in Pension Versalles. We met a friendly dog named Lolly and an easy-going man named Miguel at the front doors who introduced us to a plush terrace covered by an all-encompassing tree. We did not waste too much time and made off to Alicante´s famous Alcazar - Spanish fortress. We soldiered up steep stairs to find our climb had only begun, as the elevator leading up to the acropolis was out of comission. The fortress was pleasant and, most importantly, free with our student cards. The views of the city were fantastic and, despite the rather mediocre presentation of the fortress, we were pleased to have seen our first authentic Spanish stronghold. That night, we slept MUCH easier and, after chatting with a couple friendly fellow travellers (Both American army boys stationed in Germany), discovered we would have some friends in Granada. They happily showed us movies and pictures of their Bull-Fighting experiences, which I will gladly not share. Needless to say, we won´t be cheering on any matadors. In the end, we were extremely happy to find the correct Salida out of Alicante and venture to Granada.

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Photos

Castille Alicante
A view of Alicante from up top the mountain and fort

Comments

[Auntie Marlene]

Soooooooo Nice
Hi guys, Kevin your commentary of your day is very good. Enjoyed your story. You two are quite brave and especially Kevin with his chair trick. I was impressed. lol. Thanks for your blog. Love them and look forward to each and every one. Love Auntie marlene

[Aunt Barbara]

Trip
Am enjoying traveling Europe with you. Have not been to the places you are visiting. Like your descriptions.

[Mom]

Typical Mom comment, but it might be a good idea to always put a chair against the door! View of Alicante beautiful, and Lolly adorable. Looking forward to the next adventure. Love you, Mom.

[I.Ow]

Sounds like fun
Hi Em and Kevin: All the experiences you're having make for great memories. Make a lot more memories so you can share them with us all. I'm sure enjoying your messages and look forward to the next. Lots of Love I.OW xoxoxoxo