Loca, I had not traveled all the way to Spain after having to wait for two years to then eat British food! Oh hell no, I made sure that we took our asses to Old Benidorm's 'Tapas Alley' because things had to be 'Strictly Spanish!' Ordering those dishes in broken Spanish had me on my toes, the owner of the tapas place thankfully understood me! Luckily, I remembered 'Buen Provecho!'
Leaving the 'Balcón del Mediterráneo' behind us, we found ourselves in the heart of Benidorm's Old Town. With the character filled alleys and narrow streets, with the brash British nature of Levante and Rincón de Loix out of sight, those views were 'Strictly Spanish' once again! Of course, I had had Benidorm's Old Town firmly set in my sights since 2020, even still I had originally planned to stay in a Hostal Pension rather than in the TV famous Benidorm hotel during that pre-Lockdown trip. To be honest, the fact that I was standing in the Old Town after two years of Coronavirus measures and travel bans meant a lot, regardless. Perspective had me feeling very humbled to be present in that Spanish moment, mind you I was getting rather hungry! Heading down 'Tapas Alley' had us gasping at those prices but not in a good way! Finding a bargain at 'Pintxos Aurrera' was the one! Now, I had to put on my Spanish hat, quick!
Those Lockdown recipes had hooked me up with those key food words in Spanish, as I made the order for the Tapas dishes I had to really think hard! Knowing the words 'berenjena' and 'queso' to name a few, I blagged our order with two beers to drink because that language exchange had me thirsty! The 'tapas' served at 'Pintxos Aurrera' had a different energy compared to the dishes that I had enjoyed in Cataluña and Andalusia, I loved that difference for sure! The energy within that covered alley in Benidorm's Old Town featured other 'tapas' eateries, the music and conversations had me feeling very much like I was in Spain for all of the right reasons! Proving that even in Benidorm it doesn't have to be British only fayre when it comes to food, we were in Spain so having a Spanish 'tapas' meal had to be done! We are most certainly not the usual 'Brits Abroad!' Getting that culture and food fix felt great, Old Benidorm served a whole different vibe!
Putting our best foot forwards, we said goodbye or 'adiós' to 'Tapas Alley' feeling full but with just enough room left for dessert! Meanwhile, the walk through Benidorm's Old Town had us both feeling as if the festive lights were shining just for us, sometimes you have to go with it ¿Dónde estaban mis ingleses? Sure, those Brits stayed well out of our cultural pursuit away from the Levante corner. Before that visit another YouTube personality from Benidorm had showed me around Benidorm's Old Town, helping me see that the COVID measures hadn't kept away the local Spanish people from the inviting streets in the Old Town. 'Benidorm By Ana' videos would always take me on a walkthrough the Old Town to see that even before the New Year, the local Benidorm people and domestic tourists made 'El Viejo Rincón' alive and kicking regardless of the mask mandate! Our actual view gave the sense life still remained for sure! ¡Gracias, Ana!
Of course, I wanted to 'ir a bailar' in the Old Town but I knew that I'd keep that energy for a different kind of nightlife but with a male focussed night-out during a future Iberian trip! That January evening had all the trappings of a cultural smorgasbord with Spanish style buildings in one direction and nocturnal conversations going on in the next sighting. Those two years of 'planning' and Lockdown had me appreciating the views, sights and sounds whilst we walked through Benidorm's Old Town, it was a whole moment! Serving up everything, there were no mistakes made during that first evening spent in Benidorm away from the usual British haunts. We were in Spain, I for one knew that the contents of the evening had to be 'Strictly Spanish' with not an English conversation in a mile radius! Old Benidorm impressed me, it gave me back my living life! ¿Comida inglesa en España? ¡No, no en mi reloj! ¡Vete a la mierda! ¡Yo dije eso!
For my birthday during the previous November, I had been treated to a Tex-Mex meal by my Auntie in Birmingham. For our dessert that evening at 'Perios', we decided to order the Churros. Those Birmingham made Churros tasted lovely, so when it came to my trip to Benidorm, Spain there would be no question that Churros had to be enjoyed the same evening spent in Old Benidorm. After scouring Apple Maps for the best 'Churrería' in Old Benidorm, I did not leave any stone unturned! 'Churrería Rafael' had to be the one, with their consistently favourable reviews on Google Reviews, that was the deciding factor! Grabbing some Wi-Fi on my phone in the street, I managed to guide us in the right direction to 'Avenida de los Limones', nothing would stop me from ending the foodie experience with something sweet and authentically Spanish! My Mum was going to learn fast that at 'Churrería Rafael' using English was a big, no!
Sitting down at a table would have been the natural thing to do when 'table service' is the COVID safe way of doing things, I had to be the cautious one to queue up like a true Brit! A young woman who was in front of me in the line said to me in English, 'you can sit down because you are dining in'. How stupid of me! Ordering a large plate of Churros with two cups of drinking chocolate was the right thing to do after that small cultural mistake. The Churros were the best, dipping each bite into the piping hot chocolate had us in foodie heaven! One hundred percent, the establishment felt very local with its 'Strictly Spanish' clientele! With that delicious conclusion to our time spent in Old Benidorm, it was high time we moved back towards the British corner. Damn those Churros and hot chocolate made me have the feels for Benidorm's Old Town, no doubt whatsoever! Full up to the brim, what had been served up was amazing, B!
Estrictamente Español!
Joseph Harrison