My short break in Alicante [1] [2]
[3] [4]
[5]
Alicante Shopping
stores, such as Zara and Wallis/ Mango, and I browsed around, finding
casual shirts and pairs of smart trousers. I also came across an
impressive fashion store named Stradivarius, which sells everything
from stylish boots which look similar to ones of designer brands,
and clothing at reasonable prices. Buying myself a casual purple
dress, I left Stradivarius with a spring in my step, ready for some
more shopping. I had heard people talking of the large shopping centre
in the heart of Alicante, but it took me a while to find Gran Via,
which houses department stores and famous high street shops. I caught
a bus to the Plaza Mar 2 shopping complex, which has an array of
shops, including H&M and again Zara. Buying a pair of black heels
from the former, I decided that I had done enough shopping for that
day and besides, I had plenty more to see in Alicante yet.
Santa Barbera
Castle
Turning
towards the Benacantil Mountain, I gazed up at the 10th century castle,
which cannot be missed as it overlooks the entire city. I decided
to make my way up the mountain to see just what the castle held and
what was on the other side of its 10th century walls. I decided to
take the elevator entrance seeing as I had left my car on the opposite
side of the city. At once I decided that this was entirely the wrong
decision: a long, dark tunnel led straight down to the elevator and
it felt almost as if I was in a film, such as ‘Back
to the Future’ or ‘Labyrinth’. When I found myself
enclosed in pitch black, I began to wonder whether I would ever reach
the elevator or would forever be walking in eternal darkness. In
fact, had anyone ever been seen coming out of this tunnel? Apart
from some Spanish tourists behind me, the tunnel was empty. Thankfully
we eventually reached the elevator, a shining light at the end of
the darkness, and I almost believed that I had died and gone to heaven.
The
castle itself was splendid, with a palace room, original cannons,
dungeons, a moat and the ruins of a small church; but the views of
the city from the castle walls were spectacular. Overlooking Alicante
and parts of the Alicante-Elche region, including the sea and over
towards nearby El Altet, it seemed as though I was viewing the whole
of Spain just from the peak of this hill. I watched as a poor
bird with a broken wing had taken a fatal fall from one of the walls,
and found him lying on the ground at the bottom around forty five
minutes later. Not wanting to go the same way, I didn’t venture
too close to the edge, as the drop to the bottom was too much for
my fear of heights, but I was still able to take in the breathtaking,
panoramic views.
Alicante Old Town
Taking a tour through the back streets of Alicante,
I found it was quite different from the front, mainly because of
its small apartment blocks with Juliet balconies and huge air conditioning
boxes attached to the fronts of the buildings. It was almost as if
it were an entirely different city altogether. I walked on, finding
little restaurants selling traditional Spanish food such as paella
and tapas. Reading the menu, I was left amused by the way the ...
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