[14000rpm]

Mid Summer is a big deal in the Nordic countries. it is when the Summer Solstice, typically 21st June or thereabouts, is celebrated. The Celebration is not to be mistaken with revelry in the form of Carnivals, street dances etc.
No No No.
The Finns and Swedes run into their summer cottages leaving the cities empty.

There isn't really much to do those few days which is always a long weekend. We've taken to hiking during Mid-Summer earlier but chose not to this year and instead opted to fly over to Spain for the long weekend and picked the beach town of Alicante in the Valencia region.

Why Alicante? Well, Ryanair has a convenient and cheap flight from Helsinki to Alicante. That's pretty much the only reason we choose it as a destination. Oh, also, less crowded compared to Barcelona.




Our research pointed to San Juan as being the best beach.



8 kms of sand with shallow waters and subtle waves. Made our choice of hotel in the San Juan town within a 2 min walk to the Beach and a 20 min Bus ride to Alicante city. Yupp. No Car this time around. I was planning to be on a Liquid Diet on this trip.




Sigh. Reminded me of the times friends and I used to rent beach-side houses in Calangute beach in Goa and literally stayed on the beach all the time. Loved it. This hotel on San Juan Beach is not exactly the same but nothing can beat Goa anyway.

I digress.

Back to Alicante. It was meant to be a 4 day trip. 3 out of 4 mornings were planned to be at the Beach with some touristy bits thrown in.

1. Santa Barbara Castle
2. Charming Alicante Old town
3. Tabarca Island for its crystal clear waters to swim in.
4. Some shopping for the girls.
5. and a full day visit to Terra Natura -A Zoo in another neighboring city called Benidorm.




Solid plan for a relaxed holiday.

[14000rpm]

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 !

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.

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.

https://youtu.be/oCEcl4_f2Lo?si=HmNL8-6yZSOVJoAi

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

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.“

We didn't hang around till the end of the event though but, seeing this video, it seems like the Bonfire was pretty spectacular.

https://youtu.be/K_O4JZt8LMU?si=WpMwTdAul9PwWvwG

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.

https://youtu.be/WfM9cokbxsE?si=C6SRHJT5l1XhYQJC

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 !!

[14000rpm]

Day 2

Much like day 1, we woke up pretty late and just about made it to the still unimpressive Breakfast Buffet. Changed up to Beachwear and went shopping !

Well, we noticed what we didn't have and everybody else did - Beach Towel and an Umbrella. Located a shop nearby and brought what we needed to have an even better time at the Beach.

Spent some time everyday at my favorite 'Hydration Zone' on the Beach.



#Goamemories.

when we were done chilling out, Collecting sea shells for the little one and building Sand Castles, we went back to hotel for quick pit stop and went to lunch at a small neighboring beach-side restaurant that had very good fresh seafood. Over the awesome lunch, we decided to scrap the tourist plan for the day and head back to the same party place.

However, it was a tad too early in the day for it. What do we do?

Well, when in Spain, do as the Spanish do- Siesta !

Oh how I missed an afternoon nap after a sumptuous meal.
The Spanish folk are religious about this and make sure they have their Siesta. Is that their secret for Happiness? Coz that is what we noticed all over town - Happiness. People of all ages dancing, laughing, singing. There is something magical about it which even Disneyland cannot exude.

Anyhoo, after a solid Siesta, we took our bus-ride to the city and straight to a Cafe for spectacular Pastries.



..and then, headed back to the street party of the previous day. Thoroughly enjoyed this and, on our way back, decided to make this our daily routine for the next 2 days that we were to stay in Alicante. Scrapped all other touristy plans.





Days 3 & 4 were repeat of day 2. Why change whats going well.

Beach -> Siesta-> Rave -> sleep -> Repeat.

Day 5 was the reluctant travel back home. None of us wanted to leave the place.

¡Un lugar increíble, momentos increíbles, unas vacaciones increíbles!

Translates to - Awesome place, Awesome times, amazing holiday!

Alicante is not yet Mainstream like Malaga to its south and Valencia to the north. Hence it's beaches are not over crowded and therefore still a lot of fun.

We will certainly make another few visits to this place in the shoulder Season like we just did.

As for overtourism - well, nearly 100k Spanish folk came down to Alicante from all over Spain to celebrate Hogueras. Buses did get overcrowded and traffic was a mess. Since it was all part of the celebration, it's all good.

[Aditya]

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