we travelled from Norway to Alicante, Spain for a few days before and after Christmas day. i posted earlier in this winter challenge featuring the fabulous street lighting but here i want to give a much broader impression of this wonderful getaway trip. the photos are presented in chronological order, starting on Dec 23
after resting and freshening up at our hotel we ventured out in the evening to take in the city. on the first streetcorner we came to was this quaint old shop selling a combination of porcelain and herbs. i don't know how long this shop had been in business but the building was from a time when street art was an integral part of the design but sadly all the surrounding buildings were built in a much more modern time
the city was clearly in the Christmas spirit. this was one of the few decorations that portrayed a more northern theme with reindeer and snowflakes. thankfully we never saw any tacky displays such as Santa Claus playing a saxophone and the likes
up early on the 24th, out walking around Santa Cruz, one of the older parts of town
we climbed the hill with the intention of going to the Castillo de Santa Bárbara. it was quite a climb but when we got to the outer port to the castle we discovered it was closed for Christmas. that is one of the disadvantages of just wandering around without knowing much about your destination. so while we were disappointed about not getting inside the castle we still got great views of the city and the Mediterranean Sea
as well as the natural surroundings beyond the city limits
on the way down we roamed the alleys of followed the signs to the monastery where there was a great view back up to where we came from and the castle above
though there were roads most of the way up the hill almost the entire area was for pedestrians only. we saw a couple of parking lots but there were far more residences than there were places to park a car. indeed many of the residences were bult along stairways not steep roads. while that may make it challenging to live here for us as visitors it was slendidly peaceful and relaxed. like hiking up a mountain but instead of trails there were stairs with houses on both sides.
after dark we went out exploring along the harbor and the esplanade where we happened upon a gigantic Christmas bulb, like the ones use to decorate a tree but huge, free standing and all lit up with stars and stuff
you can walk through it and view the globe from the inside
of course there were stalls selling a variety of wares, mostly gift type items, arts and crafts. here the stall offered carved stone and minerals in all different shapes and colors
the esplanade is paved with waves
at one end is the world's tallest nativity with the Virgin Mary with child and the three kings bearing gifts
it's an amazing scene with lights continually changing color
and the size of the figures is quite impressive indeed
closer to the cathedral there was a golden conical tree with it's own programmed light show
as we were searching for a restaurant to get some dinner we stumbled upon San Francisco Street better known as Calle de Las Setas, the mushroom street. what a great street. apparently the area was recently in decline economically and some creative soul(s) came up with this brilliant idea of how to attract people back to it. and it's become far beyond successful, it's now one of the main attractions of the city.
while wandering around on Christmas Day we came across this mural in a different part of town, maybe somebody wanting to attract a little attention here as well
our destination was the old bullfighting ring, Plaza de Toros. there haven't been any bullfights in recent years though there is a museum of the history. the ring is now a popular roller skating rink and it being a holiday lots of folk were enjoying it inside the famed walls
outside in the plaza here is a fountain
and a sculpture of bulls being led into the ring by a picador.
there is greenery pretty much everywhere along the harbor and separating the beach from the busy road along the water.
in the marina there were boat tours available but we chose to sit and watch the birds and locals on the dock trying to catch the small fish that came to the surface when the people threw some bread crumbs in the water.
other birds preferred feeding on the date trees along the edge of the beach
a banana flower gives the area a feeling of the tropics
back again around the cathedral the buildings are very prestigious and historical, whether they are governmental or church related.
we had been walking most of the day so it was time to sit and have a meal. it being Christmas Day most of the restaurants were closed to our surprise so there were only a few to choose from and after 5 in the evening very few remained open.
the castle was open again on the 26th so we got an early start to beat the heat for the climb to the top.
the views from inside the castle were even better than our previous time here.
there was a nice history museum inside the castle with remnants all the way back to the Roman empire but frankly we were more interested in the greenery
which there was plenty of .
making us feel like we were in the tropics
in several of the parks back down in the city there were huge impressive Moreton Bay fig trees imported many years ago from Queensland, Australia
in the afternoon before our last night here we revisited the mushroom street. we are both avid fungi foragers so this must be the funnest street we have ever been on
in the evening we searched out a couple of Christmas markets. lots of activity. even though it was Dec 27th Christmas celebrations were still going strong.
we had an excruciatingly early flight the next morning and this was a wonderful way to conclude our trip
Bon Nadal is Catalan for Merry Christmas
i wish everybody a PEACEFUL AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
)