In this second edition of my trip notes from Spain, I muse some more on the Spanish and Spain itself, I have a splashing time at the Water Park and we visit the smart and sophisticated city of Alicante. Sun block and hats at the ready! Let’s go!
Monday
0057 CET Spain is an odd place. Everyone stays up very late, even on a Sunday night. Right now, I’m ready to turn in, yet down on the street, people are having lively conversation, cars drive past with music blaring and the bar/restaurant is playing music which is audible up here. For all you can critise Britain and the British for, at least it’s built into almost the entire population that make unecessary noise past 2300 hours is not cool. Only drunks break this rule. Everyone else tiptoes about as if it’s ilegal. Here in Spain though, it’s perfectly acceptable to play music in a residential area at 1 in the morning or have a fireworks display at 4. Thankfully, the bins are being emptied as I write this so at least I won’t be woken up by that like I was at 3 last night. Still horribly sticky tonight. The crikets are playing their soothing music. Aqua park after a sleep. Goodnight.
1836 Man am I beat! And also, man, am I burnt! Spent the day at the local Water Park, Aquopolis, with slides, flumes, wave pool, etc. Good fun, but rather expensive. Bit cooler today, helped largely by a steady breeze. Everyone seemed to have fun, even Jill who conquered her fear of putting her head underwater by going on a couple of rides. Near the end of our time in the park, I had a nasty reaction to the chlorine in the water and couldn’t keep my eyes open. Right now, we’re all shattered. Oddly, just mentioning my eye problem here has brought the pain back slightly, suggesting it might be partly all in the mind. Later, Jack and I prepare dinner; a tomato, rice, chick peas, spinach and chicken concoction. Mmmm. 2316 Dinner was a success! Really tasty!
Tuesday
1046 On the bus to Alicante. Hopefully it’ll provide an opportunity to experience some real Espagna.
1204 Really enjoyable journey. Now to see some sights.
1759 Wow! Alicante is nice! I thought it was a typical seaside town, but it’s actually a smart and sophisticated city with attractive plazas and squares, interesting architecture and lots of of attractions. We wandered the streets, visited the Castillo de Santa Bárbara (a castle) on Mount Benacantil and generally chilled out as best we could in the heat. The castle is well worth a visit. It’s surprisingly large for a free attraction. You can walk up, or you can pay a couple of euros and take the lift. Glad we came! Very hot today. Some temperature displays were indicating it was 36 degrees, although I doubt their accuracy and think it was nearer 30. On the bus back now.
2050 Nothing better than cooling off in a pool after a days sightseeing in the sun. Now, where’s my dinner?
Wednesday
1015 Well, that’s it. That’s Spain done and dusted. What did I learn? Well, the Spanish don’t clear up after their dogs. Spanish streets smell of urine. It’s mostly paralysingly hot. Spain can be generally pretty ugly. The Spanish are a noisy lot who don’t seem to need much sleep. But above all, there’s nothing like good friends. I came to Spain thinking this trip would be dominated by me trying to decide whether I like Spain or not, but in actual fact, it was about spending time with the people I care about and having fun. And I did. While Spain might not be my ideal holiday destination, I learnt that that didn’t actually matter. So long as I was with friends, I could have been in Baghdad for all it mattered. Sometimes, it felt a bit like I was in Baghdad too. So, as I choke back the tears, I’m pootling along the coast road one last time, en route to the airport.
1050 I swear I just saw a flock of flamingos grazing on the salt lakes. They were so pink and flamingo-shaped, they had to be flamingos.
1316 Alicante Airport is one of the best airports I’ve been to. Really big and cool with plenty of space and plenty of shops and comfortable seats. Because it’s so big, it’s very easy to find a quiet spot to write trip notes. Flight starts boarding shortly.
1340 Just finished eating a massive Valencia orange. Oranges really aren’t a good fruit to eat in public unless you don’t mind people watching you dribbling juice over yourself and over the seats and floor. What a mess! It was a delicious orange though.
1621 GMT Back in Britain after a mostly smooth flight. A huge jolt on the approach resulted in a few screams and messy pants though. Noticably chilly and fresh here. I’ve had to put a jumper on for the first time in days. Earlier, I did a really nice sign-off, so now I’ll do a nasty one in the interest of balance; that was Spain, now bog off!
In part one of my trip notes from my first visit to Spain, I discover that some Spaniards like A-ha, that Spain is a bit like Iraq and that no one seems to need any sleep. Oh, and I also come last in a Go-Kart. Phoar, is it getting hot or is it just me?
Saturday
0910 GMT “Sure, I’ll go to Spain with you guys. I wouldn’t go otherwise.” Will I live to regret saying this? I doubt it. It’s only for four nights and there’s plenty of fun things to do and interesting things to see. The only thing that may affect the outcome of this trip is other people. I’m going to the Costa Blanca region of Spain, a British holiday maker hotspot. Already in the terminal here at Luton Airport, I can see a group of women wearing pink cowboy hats who are almost certainly going to be on my flight. Unless of course, there’s a knees-up in Inverness or Krakow. Here’s hoping! Luckily, I’ve prepared for such an eventuality. I’ve loaded several films on my iPhone, so if there is any yeehahing and general Cowgirl behaviour on the flight, at least I can escape it by being on the run with Jason Bourne.
0910 The behatted ladies aren’t on my flight! They just stopped drinking for long enough to board their flight to Dublin.
1019 Still in the departure lounge. They appear to be playing birdsong over the public address system. Barely audible, but definately birdsong. Nice!
1410 CET In the plane, on the approach to Alicante. Just finished watching Yes Man staring Jim Carrey. Pretty good film. It did a good job of making me forget I was 39,000ft up. 30 degrees in Alicante. Great! I’ve got two buses to catch on arrival before I’m anywhere near where my friends are staying. On a side note, when it came to eating my lunch, I found my bag of crisps had inflated to popping point. I had to make a small hole with my teeth before opening in the usual way to avoid potato snack catastophe.
1430 Well, that was awful! Worst turbulance ever! The plane rocked, shook, swayed and dropped for all of the last 15 minutes of the flight. I adopted my unique safety position of clinging desperately to the tray table in front of me with sweaty palms.
1606 I’m on the last leg of the journey, the coach to Torrevieja. It’s absolutely packed, the back of my chair won’t stay still and it’s scorching hot. Still, could be worse. I could be in Fallujah. Actually, am I in Fallujah? It’s very desert like and run-down around these parts. Oh, Jesus! A checkpoint! No… Wait… It’s traffic lights. Going south now along a coast road with the med on my left with a single sailing boat on it. The sea really does nothing for me. There’s nothing interesting about it. I suppose the bit where the water meets the shore can keep me entertained for a bit, but otherwise, give me a mountain any day! Oohh wow! There’s a mountain!
1625 Coach driver is playing take on me by A-ha. Loudly! Good journey, running right along the coast of the med.
1943 Just got back from the pool. Very nice after a long journey and a long walk to the apartment (which will do just fine for four nights). First impressions of Spain; there’s no grass! Everything is sandy, brown or creamy brown or brownish. Like how I imagine Iraq to be.
Sunday
0016 Still out and about. Had a good meal of stone baked pizza in a restaurant right on the coast. Good value too. While we were eating, two chaps sang and played guitars in typically Spanish fashion. After dinner, while the girls were looking through the night craft market, jack and I enjoyed an outdoor natural history photo exhibition. Some stinkers, but also some amazing shots. Well worth a look. Off to the dodgems and to find a bicycle hire shop (for tomorrow) before turning in. REALLY tired!
0756 Got back last night at 0200 after a long walk back to the apartment. It meant a slept for longer than I probably would have done (because of the mugginess). Still didn’t get much sleep though. The heat was opressive so I slept on the sofa in the lounge with the patio doors wide open. That provided a bit of air, but it also provided a night time soundtrack of people shouting and talking, cars going past, crickets (which are still going as I write this) and the bin lorry emptying the bins at 3 in the morning and a large fireworks display at 4. Still, didn’t bother me much. I slept between interruptions quite easily and the interruptions themselves were actually quite entertaining. Today, we’re going to try and hire some bikes and then cycle to a go-karting centre. Fun!
0826 Still sat on the balcony in the relatively cool air and peace. Here’s another Spain observation; I don’t know why anyone would want to come here. I haven’t seen anything that’s impressed me yet. Everythings ugly. Horribly designed buildings packed into as small a space as possible. Areas of waste land running along parts of the coast. Everything brown or cream. The sea is nothing more than an expanse of blue below another expanse of blue. What’s to see? The streets were absolutely packed last night. Sure, there was a fun fair and a night market and plenty of restaurants, but you get all that in other countries. Why come here? I really don’t get it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible by any stretch of the imagination. It’s just not the best place in the world.
1519 At the go-karting track. Just did my 8 minutes in a 270cc kart. We reckon they go down the straights at 40-50mph. Good fun, although a didn’t feel like I was in full control of the thing. The bike shop was closed, so we walked here. It was literally miles and the heat made it a bit of a chore. Despite this, it was still pretty enjoyable. Off now for my second run around the track.
1827 Got a taxi back. None of us could bare walking all the way back. Go-karting the second time was better. I had a more responsive kart and more guts. Back at the apartment now. Just had another relaxing and cooling swim in the pool. Sorting something out to eat shortly before watching The Little Mermaid on VHS. Party time!
Carry on reading my notes from the Costa Blanca in part two of this series.
Later this year, I’ll be adding another country to the list of countries I’ve visited. In fact, I’ll be adding two countries, but this article is only about one of them. I already know a fair bit about Scotland. Technically, I live in the same country as the Scottish (The UK) so give or take an undecipherable accent here and sheep-stomach-based main course there, I’m not expecting to be challenged too much on the Scottish culture and identity front. This article then is about the other country I’m visiting. Spain. I can’t help but have my vision of what Spain will be like to be influenced by the Club 18-30 TV programmes that graced the tube in the late nineties and early noughties. These shows were fly-on-the-wall docusoaps which documented the Spain that I think I know. My preconceptions can be summarised as follows;
Brits Everywhere
According to ‘Club Med’, I should expect there to be several thousand noisy, anti-social and fat British holiday-makers with their noisy, anti-social and fat children in tow. I should expect these people to wear very little clothing despite the fact they really ought to. I should also expect them to drink vast quantities of lager and make idiots of themselves.
Everything With Chips
What with all the Brits, I should find it difficult finding something authentically Spanish to eat. Instead, perhaps I’d like to try fried eggs with chips, or sausage with chips or a burger with a side-order of chips. If I were to feel my chips needed a certain something extra, I needn’t worry. HP Sauce is in good supply.
Paella
If chips aren’t my thing, Paella is made around the clock and is eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everyone eats it all the time. Some people don’t stop eating it.
Siesta
The Spanish like to have a nap just after lunch. Everything closes and everyone goes to bed for an hour or so. This I can only assume is because the first five hours on the working day are always overwhelmingly busy and stressful and not because the Spanish are lazy.
The Beach
There’s really nothing to see in the middle of Spain. The only bit worth visiting are the beaches. Once at the beach, sit on it all day, surrounded by thousands of naked, sun burnt strangers. If you can get to the sea, wander around in it for a bit before wondering what the point of all this is. Don’t expect to be able to find your sitting spot when you’re done. It’ll either be lost in a sea of bodies or some Germans will have nicked it.
Sun
It’s pretty hot in Spain. No it isn’t. It’s very hot. Horribly so.
Dinner is Served… Eventually
As a result or nappy-time earlier in the day, it’s the custom to wait until as late as possible before eating the main meal of the day. Some people like to eat dinner just before they eat breakfast the day after to show off to their friends just how Spanish they really are.
Souvenirs
It is apparently customary after a holiday in Spain to go home with a straw donkey under one arm whilst wearing an enormous hat. The bigger the hat and the shoddier the workmanship on the donkey, the better. Am I looking forward to going to Spain? I am actually. As odd as it sounds after my sarcastic and baseless tirade, I’m eager to be able to challenge the stereotypes. I actually like being proved wrong. I’d rather know the facts then sound-off without them. Whether I find that I’m wrong or right, you’ll be hearing about it later this year. Even if I find that I am right, it’ll be good to be able to tick another country off of my list. Hopefully, by the end of the year, I’ll have visited 25% of the European states.
