Day 1.
Woke up late due to late night arrival previous night and barely made it to the not so great Breakfast buffet. Quickly thereafter we found our way to the Beach. I could almost hear the beach call put to me..
29 Deg C ambient temperature with 22 Deg C water temperature. What an awesome day !
Played with my 8 yr old daughter in the water for a bit and then enjoyed lying down on the beach with the cool breeze. I had been missing this feeling of joy.
We had zero idea about rest of the day's and so we went back to hotel for a quick shit-shat-shower and went to Alicante city. Needed to use the tourist office for details but first Paella time !
Quote:
about: Paella, in Spanish cuisine, a dish of saffron-flavoured rice cooked with meats, seafood, and vegetables. Originating in the rice-growing areas on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, the dish is especially associated with the region of Valencia.
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To crudely explain, Paella is Spanish Biryani and a local specialty.
The first thing we noticed as soon as we entered the city was the sheer amount of people all over the place and some interesting Sculptures.
We soon discovered at the Tourist office about the City-wide annual mega event called
Hogueras de San Juan which was from 19th - 24th June
Quote:
about: The Bonfires of San Juan, or “Hogueras de San Juan,” is an annual festival held in Alicante to celebrate the arrival of summer.
The festivities revolve around the creation and burning of large, intricate sculptures made of wood and papier-mâché, known as “hogueras” or bonfires. These stunning works of art often depict satirical scenes, celebrities, political figures, and local themes, showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of local artists. The festival culminates in the burning of these hogueras on the night of June 24, in a spectacular event known as “La Cremà.“
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We didn't hang around till the end of the event though but, seeing this video, it seems like the Bonfire was pretty spectacular.
Ate at one of the many restaurants on the Promenade which served Paella..
..and we started walking around town.
Most of the street were jam-packed with people and many other streets were barricaded. While some streets were blocked to be the path for the Carnival to go through many others were basically extended seating for Restaurants who set up Stages for Music.
The overall vibe was fun with pretty much everybody dancing and having a Gala time throughout the city.
We went further down to the Main streets of Alicante where bigger street parties were going on with DJ's playing the best of EDM/dance music. The one that made us stop was the biggest tent. It was packed to the gills with Drinks' stall and Dance floors. Took us back 20 yrs in our life reminiscing good time of younger days.
But then, isn't age merely a number? We decided to go in and have some fun like the days of the past. Unfortunately, with alcohol being served in the premise, we couldn't take our daughter inside.
However, Music is Music. What can be heard inside the tent can be heard outside too. turns out, 1000's of other revelers thought similarly and there was a bigger crowd on the closed off streets next to the tents !!
Voila.
Party mood back in place and we all had a great time dancing away. My daughter has been listening to EDM/Trance/Techno/Metal music all her 8 yrs of life and she enjoys it too. That helped greatly to keep up the party spirits.
When it started to get too late, we walked around back to the Bus Stop to take a 25 min ride back to the hotel.
What a day it turned out. Not the way we had set out but 2x more fun than planned !!