Beyond Benidorm we found that many culturally rich places existed past the 'Brits Abroad' establishments, challenging the unspoken words to be 'unapologetically Spanish'. Trading the ALSA bus, we took the 'TRAM d'Alacant' from Benidorm Station to (Alicante) Luceros in the heart of Alicante's bustling city center. After 21 months of waiting, nothing could spoil Alicante!
After breakfast we made our way from our Benidorm hotel along 'Carrer Gerona' all the way to the 'Avenida de Europa', from there we walked to Benidorm's own tram stop near the main bus station. The Alicante Tram pulled into that Mercadona facing station stop bang on time, making the most of the day we ensured that we started our day early. Heading along the coast in a westerly direction towards Alicante, soon after our Benidorm departure the landscape changed fairly quickly from the high-rise hotels to small homesteads, which were by the Mediterranean Sea in clear view from the tram. Passing through 'La Vila Joiosa', 'Cala Piteres' and 'Poble Espanyol' before arriving at 'Luceros' terminus. The whole journey from Benidorm to Alicante on the tram provided a scenic scenario with views that impressed me much! Ditching the bus never looked so good with those 'Costa Blanca' sights passed along Line 1 of the Alicante Tram!
Enough about the journey from Benidorm, as we ascended from the underground terminal station at Luceros, only then we could start our Alicante adventure! Alicante's Plaza de Los Luceros was a buzz with life and love, no pandemic had not stopped the city folk of that Valencian city from getting the best of the day! In that moment that unknown square/plaza had me staring at the 'Fuente De Levante Monument' with much curiosity. People have been carrying on like normal in the UK regardless of the pandemic but in that corner of Spain, things felt a lot more orderly whilst people went about their lives. With a rough plan for the day, we headed towards the marina to get our bearings. Making a quick stop at the 'El Corte Inglés' for the toilet, during that pitstop I went into the department stores own supermarket where I found a bottle of Fanta Limón, being a holiday drink! Get me to the 'Casco Antiguo-Santa Cruz!' Now!
Walking along Alicante's 'Avenida Doctor Gadea' allowed us to meet up with the port-side 'Parc Canalejas' before it navigated us to meet the 'Esplanada d'Espanya', the weather was a sensible temperature as the afternoon greeted us in Alicante. With the port looking like any other port, we decided to bypass that marina-like location for the historic core. Making our way beside the marina did have some benefits such as the fresh sea air, how our lungs thanked us for breathing in that air! Alicante served something special, proving to be a pint-sized wonder of a city, we were in good hands without a doubt! Taking a known left hand turn, my updated location on my iPhone map had us walking towards the city hall. 'Plaça de l'Ajuntament' had been one of my researched places for that Alicante visit, within that square close to the city hall had me feeling thankful even if the 'Navidad' decorations were still in center view. Alicante sure looked lovely!
Captured above is the 'Plaza de la Santísima Faz', that smaller square caught my eye much more than the council's own square because the rich architecture served a certain warmth with those yellowish tones. There was a certain buzz within that secondary square, no Christmas decorations stood present in that second location, adding that extra Spanish quality as the palm trees dominated the space. Entering what was called 'El Barrio' or the Neighbourhood. Another location researched had been snapped in real time motion, those Alicante boxes were being ticked with absolute precision. After waiting for two years for that day out in Alicante, nothing nor nobody would be able to stand in my way because I meant business! Feeling peckish? Not quite, we swerved lunch for something more liquid like but I'll get to that part when the time feels right. Miss Omicron, who? That devilishly timed trick wasn't going to ruin our day! ¡Salir!
Alicante's own castle and fortress had me thinking about Puerto Rico's 'El Morro', sure the 'Castillo de Santa Barbara' almost transported me back to the Enchanted Island! Looking up from ground level suited me just fine, from that standing view below I did notice the window-like lookout points because they resembled El Morro's for sure! Holding that Puerto Rican thought for one moment longer, the Casco Antiguo-Santa Cruz had me feeling as if I was back walking along 'Calle Fortaleza' in that protected UNESCO Spanish colonial style setting. Maybe Alicante's Santa Barbara Castle held the blueprints to what was then built in Puerto Rico? Now, those distant island thoughts had my mind wondering! Need I explain what 'El Morro' in full as it is formally referred to as 'Castillo San Felipe del Morro'. Even if there's no existing connection between the two structures, it was nice to reminisce. No, we would not be climbing to the top!
The time spent walking around the historic core within Alicante's Casco Antiguo-Santa Cruz area allowed us to be in the shadow of the Saint Barb. The winding incline had us walking up some seriously steep steps, that factor did not matter at the time because the character filled houses had us impressed. The restored detail had me looking for the 'For Sale' signs because that protected part of the city had me thinking about the future! Could I live in a place like Alicante? Absolutely, I could and with the uncertainty life continues to bring us throughout this virus, I have been looking towards Spain as a possible place to settle in the future. With the castle in view, those darling character filled houses looked mighty appealing to me! Standing within that myriad of culture at the foot of the castle had us quids in with those views from every angle, it was a treat to witness such sights! There's one more feature that needed to be discovered? Yes!
Before our January 2022 visit to Spain's 'Valenican Community', one certain street had been living in my head rent-free since January 2020. Those planning stages for that originally cancelled trip to Alicante had a clause that 'Calle San Rafael' had to be visited! Spain, I wasn't joking! Those white-washed houses with their azul blue painted door and window frames had stolen my heart during my China hotel stay, as the madness of the 'Coronavirus Pandemic' started to unfold. I had been directed to Alicante after checking out 'Channel 5's' hilarious docu-series 'Bargain Loving Brits In The Sun!' 2020 did me wrong with that Jet2 cancellation but with certain measures eroded, a path to reach Calle San Rafael had been opened like some kind of heaven-sent miracle! By some stroke of luck, we took a right turning onto that beloved Alicante street without realising we had done! Was I dreaming? No, I had arrived at my destination, Ali!
The character filled setting along Calle San Rafael took my breath away, the ascending stone steps had me gazing upwards at the brightly coloured flower pots with a sense of love and accomplishment in my heart! Not so many flowers were in bloom like they had been in that fateful Google Image but the winter sunshine had me appreciating that Spanish street with zero regrets nor reservations. Alicante's Calle San Rafael embodied the Spanish style that had got me through those months of Lockdown and uncertainty, plus with something European being desired it was a welcome break from Asia. To see something Spanish, something European had me feeling thankful to be back in Europe for once and I don't want to say that more than once! No! That magical winding street had me feeling very blessed, against all odds the plan came through for me, there were no mistakes! Alicante had me truly, madly and deeply in love! ¡Dios!
Oh, The Wine Tasted Divine!
Joseph Harrison
