Alicante | Cathedrals, Castles & Cervezas🍻

Modern Day Alicante ⛱️

Story time 📔

If I ever write a book about my life, the flight out to Alicante would require an entire chapter. The plane was full of rather unique characters & stag parties headed out to Benidorm. The lovely young chap beside me was having a meltdown because he wasn’t allowed to smoke. When I say lovely young chap, what I mean is he actually looked hard as nails. I did my best to avoid eye contact & pretend I was sleeping when he kept trying to speak to me 😂

On the first evening, there was a big football match on, the Madrid derby. I was walking down a street that had lots of seats outside bars/cafes with people watching. I decided to stop by for a beer & see if I got talking to anyone. I thought everyone was supporting Athletico, so when they scored I started cheering. Obviously I was wrong & they were all Real fans, leading to boos all round & I think someone called me fat ass. My attempts at diffusing the situation failed, “lo siento, estoy amigo” didn’t get me out of the pickle, so I had to relocate to another bar, I just kept quiet the next time someone scored!

I found a little bar that can only be described as a pathway to Narnia. It didn’t have a sign or name, it isn’t on Google maps & has a little board outside advertising 2 Euro pints of Guinness (which turned out to be lager in a Guinness glass 😂). This bar is the most wild place I have ever been in! The DJ (a barman with an AUX cord on his phone) was only taking requests for Spanish songs. I spent 15 minutes trying to convince him Take That were Spanish, so he would play relight my fire. He eventually gave in & played it, just to shut me up!

Within this bar there was a female birthday party, I think must have been between 50-60 age range & they were a very very rowdy gaggle! In hindsight, before going to the discos it may have been wise to ditch the kilt! As the only male customer in there, I was getting a lot of attention, which I was loving, I have to admit. It is hard to pin point at what stage in the evening the line between flattering attention became full on assault by these rowdy women 😂. There was only one toilet with no lock, which had a urinal & toilet seat in same room, which incidentally was where they stored the empty kegs (photo below). As there wasn’t many people in the bar, I thought if I was quick I could get a number 1 done without any interruptions. WRONG! In bursts one of the revellers & plops themselves down on the toilet (which is mere inches from the urinal) & proceeded to slap me on the backside. Having no idea what to say, I just spluttered “Feliz Cumpleanos” (Happy birthday), I don’t even think she was the birthday lady. This was around 10pm & nothing after 10pm makes the blog, so you will have to use your imagination as to how the evening ended!

Places worth stopping by! 🏰

There are so many amazing places that you really need to visit! Some of my key highlights were Santa Barbara Castle, the Basilica Santa Maria, Alicante Market, Castell de Sant Ferran, La casita de las macetas azules, Playa Postiguet, Paseo de la Explanada de España & El Carrer dels Bolets (the mushroom street!)

Where to eat & drink? 🍻🍽️