Alicante, Spain: Mostly a restful night with one odd issue. On either side of the bed, there are foot lights that pop-on via a motion sensor... like when you get up in the middle night. The light on my side of the bed went on and off (while I was in bed) for about an hour in the middle of the night, stayed on for 30 seconds or so, then shut off... only to blip back on a few minutes later, on and on, for about an hour. Mysteriously as it started, it stopped. Maybe there is a mouse under our bed? And, at some time my phone dinged with a message from our Ring camera that someone is at your front door. It was the HOA gardeners, but then I realized the wifi must be working, so... as long as I was awake, rose and posted my (ready-to-go) blog from yesterday.
We had a long day in Alicante, and am posting 30+ photos, so lots of captions today. Hope you enjoy. Alicante is simply marvelous.
The Explora II docked in Alicante, Spain around 9:30a and passengers were cleared to leave the ship soon after.
NOTE: The Explora II was the only cruise ship in port today.
passengers heading to town.
The weather wasn't supposed to be great today, with a high of 66 degrees and cloudy. That is how our morning started, but by mid-day, we removed our jackets and enjoyed the sun.
Quite fun walking along this esplanade - the tiles are places so the eyes see ripples and gutters, but it is completely flat. So clever. So many gorgeous apartment buildings, shops and restaurants along the tiled street.
They can grow to 50 meters tall and live 100 years.
This street was decorated with mushrooms in an odd nod to Alice in Wonderland to bring business to the shops. It worked.
Dave and I were slowly meandering our way to the 100+ year old Central Market of Alicante, just a few blocks off the ocean. It is built into a hill with the first floor selling fish and vegetables/fruits. Meats and cheeses have rule over the top floor. Pretty sure we saw every animal known to be eaten by humans today. Whole skinned rabbits with their eyes wide open was my "favorite" new thing to see. We also saw a tuna the size of a Volkswagen. Some photos:
This a busy market where locals buy their foods and most vendors wanted nothing to do with cruise ship tourists, nor their cameras, so I was very discreet. After the market (we were in there for over an hour!) we began walking to the old Santa Cruz barrio, a neighborhood built below the fort above the city. The houses are white, the lanes are narrow and steep (no cars), the houses are well-maintained, and decorated with colorful tiles and flowering plants.
We finally stopped for lunch at about 1p, dining at a little family-owned place in a pretty square. Would you believe we had patatas bravas AGAIN?
I had 12,000 steps on my pedometer so far (hahaha), but there was still one place we wanted to visit, the Santa Barbara Castle on top of Monte Benacantil - smack dab in the middle of old town. The climb would be super steep, so we took a flat detour to an elevator that rises to the top. Two euros, but free for seniors! At the top, we climbed around more to explore the castle and see views out to sea. Did not see any marauders today.
We should have walked UP and taken the lift DOWN. The steep walk down (no stairs) to sea level was brutal. (DT says it was free to go up to the castle, but it cost us our knees to walk down.)
giggle. Push a button and they wiggle.
GO DUCKS?
We reached the ship just as the sky opened. Thunder. Lightning. Wind. But in two hours, the storm had passed and we were in the Explora Lounge for cocktails. Our captain came over the speakers announcing her plan for our short sail to Ibiza... however with wild seas... so we will be taking the slow sail to the Spanish island. It may be rough, as she advised holding on to railings while traversing the ship.
Much later, we went to the Mediterranean Yacht Club (one of the "main" dining rooms where reservations are not required, but suggested). We were seated right away, but due to our big lunch, split one appetizer (beef carpaccio). And by "split" I mean DT had 90% and I had two bites.
Leo would have taken this entire plate DOWN.
My main was a grilled halloumi salad with grilled red pepper and zucchini. DT ordered the special sea bream with mango salsa. That was enough. Delicious.
Ibiza tomorrow. Weather permitting.
Pedometer: Winner Winner Halloumi Dinner: 20,193 steps. Too many steps.
Until my next update, I remain, your knee-icing correspondent.
LINKS:
Alicante Tourism Office
Explora II
Current Ship Location