While lying in bed, dreaming and trying to figure out why Rosario Dawson didn’t meet me for lunch….all of a sudden I felt a bop upside my head and the person next to me screamed; “VACATION….I looked at her and said…. “OK” and rolled back over…..not the best thing to do at 7 in the morning because she bopped me again and said… “NOW!”
SPAIN…..COSTA BLANCA…,,Now sitting in the airport and waiting to board your flight you normally look around to see who is boarding with you,…..I looked and then I looked at Nicole…..leaned over and asked her, “Are you sure this is the right plane,…..because I’m the youngest senior citizen who will be on it?”……her being her normal self turned the page of the Yoga magazine she was reading and said..… “Yep!”……let me just say it took awhile to board because those in front of us were moving……slow.
SO….3 hour flight……half of a Lee Child book and Nicole squeezing the blood out of my hand because we had to bank over water in order to approach the airport..…air pockets and water for her…..not good..…not good…..anyway,..…we made it to ALICANTE..…which is a big airport..…went to pick-up our luggage and I’m guessing here but……I think they made us wait so the others on board could catch up..…it was a wait……sort of like a Roma, Italy or Atlanta Airport wait.
ANYWAY,…..Off to pick-up the rental car……which was cool because it was included in the package..…so…..we pick up the car…..see a little damage on the rear bumper (which they didn’t bother to tell us about)..…not with Nicole…..she went back to the office and said…… “YO!”…..that cleared..…and very quickly I might say…..so, out of the park garage and on to a highway with no lights and people driving like there was no tomorrow…..now when you see the signs telling you where to go or what’s the next town you realize they’re in two different languages.….Valencian and Catalan..…which wasn’t very helpful for us..…because we didn’t understand either..…what happened to Spanish since 89% of the population speaks it……as if that would have helped us…..anyway,…..good thing we watched the You Tube video which showed us how to get to the hotel……I have to say this…..Spain..…or at least this area..…you are in 4th place when it comes to the worse drivers…..Italy is 3rd….Sicily 2nd..…and New Jersey wins the gold medal….anyway,….
NOW…..After 16k’s, two tunnels and three right turns we arrived at..…PUEBLO ACANTILADO SUITES…which is a pretty cool joint…..they designed it to look like an old Spanish village and most of the compartments are either Suites or Apartments…..the people are nice, over priced restaurants next door and our room has a kitchen, balcony with a nice view of the mountains and the pool.…the first thing you need to do is figure out how the heat works because we couldn’t and froze our butts off.
Off to a quick dinner..…with a choice of three places…..Spanish, Italian and Spanish..…guess which one we chose..…yep..…Italian…..we took the Italian one because the guy was standing around with nothing to do…..walking about 400 meters up-hill back to your room will keep you in shape.
BREAKFAST…..was not happening….Nicole told the dude the eggs were cold…..he said, “No problem…I can put them in the microwave for you”…..those of you who have eaten micro-waved eggs raise your hands..…thought so..…anyway,…..we ate what could be identified and headed towards….
BENIDORM..…if you like the beach then you will be in heaven…..there were flags everywhere telling you, you couldn’t go in the water but the view was nice…..but what tripped me out were the older people..…by that I mean 70 and up…..they were sporting Nike, Reebok, Adidas…..sneakers, training outfits, exercising on the beach like crazy…..major props because if you were here to see them you would’ve notice that they refuse to let life stop them…..afterwards they enjoy a nice glass of wine or a cold beer…..Tapas bars were everywhere and the food was great…..much better than nuked eggs…..I’ve never been a Tapas fan but sometimes it’s nice to connect with the cultures and traditions…..sometimes you wonder if people actually have jobs..…because the city was packed….and yes there were “ANTS” visiting also….that’s what I call tourist because they can be a pain in the you know what..…Brits, Italians, Germans, Russians and a few languages I didn’t recognize…..some people blend and others stand out…..and my favorite part of the day was….
SIESTA..…I think “THAT” should become a universal law…..from 8-9 until 2 you work..…after that you take a 3 hour break..…see your family or friends..…close your shop and just chill.….and then go back to work..…I’ll tell you one thing business owners.….you would have a happier work force.
NOW..…Before I tell you what we did yesterday I would like to make a rebuttal to something I posted yesterday due to the fact it seems that someone thought I was being unfair or possibly a bit judgmental.
TOURIST..…I called them “ANTS”..…the reason I said this is..…it doesn’t matter if your Saudi, Japanese, American….the majority of the group will stay within the group and follow the person holding up a flag or a umbrella so you know which group you belong to..…except for Brazilians….90% of them love to party and have a good time and people basically flock towards them..…the reason I said 90% is because the 10% started partying earlier and are probably drunk.….anyway,…..most will not take the time to try and understand nor get to know the people or the environment they chose to visit….and will complain because this country is not what they’re use to…..be it food, cultural things, etc…..so they stay together and never get to know the locals..…I’m not saying everyone practices this type of vacationing..…but most do.
THE NEXT QUESTION WAS….WELL, ARE YOU LOCALS?….When Nicole and I travel we do our homework…..we look at or buy books about the region…..watch videos…..checkout TV shows….it doesn’t matter where we’re going (except for Roma, Italy.…I know that city like the back of my hand) we want to know where to go and what to do..…and we immerse ourselves into their culture…..into their traditions..…we interact with people living there..…we talk, sing, laugh with them and…..we listen and learn from them…..we ask questions…..who, what, when, where, how, why……we go off the beaten tourist path and into the small country side and have lunch with the ones who live there…..we’ll sit in cafes or restaurants and treat each other to drinks..…they share information about their country, the history….things you would never find in a tourist guide..…therefore, you asked “Are we Locals?”..…no, we’re not….but we sure as hell try to get to know them!
BREAKFAST.….For those of you who might have read how I described yesterday’s breakfast….we went shopping the day before, cooked it and sat on the terrace over-looking the bluest Mediterranean Sea I’ve even seen.
WHILE WE SAT….burping breakfast away..…we decided to plan our day..…since it was a beautiful sunny day….ALTEA, La NUCIA, POLOP AND CALLOSA D´EN SARRIA´ were the places we decided upon..…hopped in the car, dealt with the motorway…..and trust me..…you have to deal with it because I have yet to understand how you can be in such a hurry that you will pass a car on a curve…..anyway……
ALTEA..…Is a beautiful city by the sea.….surrounded by lots of hills and mountains.….I’m not even sure you can call them mountains because they are “HUGE”…..so we parked by the Marina and started walking..…up a hill..…and then another hill.….and another.….until I needed a beer…..once we reached the top the view was breathtaking…..in all directions.….and it was siesta time!..…I love walking down the little streets pass the shops and restaurants…..and the town’s major part is up on the hill…..which surrounds a beautiful church…..all of the houses were painted white…..I thought I was in Greece for a second….now comes the fun part….walking back down the hills….at an angle..…but it was worth it….and our next stops..…
La NUCIA, POLOP AND CALLOSA D´EN SARRIA´….Now remember those mountains I didn’t want to call mountains because they were so huge?…..the more we drove towards them the bigger they became..…I’m talking Volcano’s cousins….really!….the roads would wind up and down, around this way and that way…..it was so dangerous I didn’t see anything because I had to concentrate and try not to fall off the side of a cliff..…Nicole did her homework and bought a book about the region pointing out what we should see……this area is known for their orange, lemon and olive groves..…so up more hills and down…..around more huge rocks..…that’s the thing too…..you look out of your window and you see these little towns living in altitudes which weren’t made for humans to survive in…..beautiful but for me….NO!..…we didn’t realize exactly how high we’d driven until we looked out the rear window..…I swear I thought we were at least about as high as one quarter of one side of Mount Everest..…and there were more towns higher up on the rock..…I’m thinking to myself…..WHY?..…and the cars are zooming pass you and I’m driving as if my life is at stake because I don’t want to fall off the side of a cliff just because someone is driving up my butt and wants to pass.….and the lane I’m driving in is the size of a bicycle path..…we came around one bend and the road went straight up.….I mean up.….we said NOOO!….well, to tell you the truth..…we didn’t find one place the book told us to look for….BUT….it was worth it..…the view..…the scenery…the towns and small villages.….so beautiful…..I didn’t think “ROCKS” could look so wonderful..…the reflecting light, shape, texture…nature and civilization working as one….you have to see it…..but in reality..…if I were alive back in the day…with the mind-set I have now……when the conquering Moors had arrived and said..… “We are here to conquer your land”….I would’ve looked over my shoulder at all of those rocks and mountains and then turned to them and said, “Shit….you can have it!”
SORRY..…I couldn’t post this earlier..…because our internet decided to go on vacation.….so this is late…..just like the ones which will follow…..
WOKE-UP..…to a beautiful sunny day….a tad chilly but it beats the -4 in Hamburg…..we decided to skip breakfast and eat when we arrived in the town(s) we wanted to checkout….So…
OFF TO DENIA AND XABIA..…Since we’re so use to N-332 (that’s the highway) heading towards Valencia..…we stick with it..…and besides..…it’s a nice costal ride..…you get to look out over the “MED” and realize how big that sucker is.….and deep too!..…or we could take AP-7 (that’s the bigger highway…..with toll booths) but it’s kinda like choosing…..hummm..…do I take Interstate 5 from LA to San Francisco or the Pacific Coast Highway.….no brainer…..anyway;…..we had to drive through Altea again..…which is turning out to be Nicole’s favorite city…..and on the way out of it we notice we’re heading towards the Mountains..…or Hills…..or what I call them..… “Big Ass Rocks”…..where we have to go is on the other side of the rocks..…so Nicole’s asked me..… “Do we have to go up the rocks?….before I could say anything..…there was a sign which said…..Altea Hills.….she was not amused because the other day when we had to deal with the rocks, it was hard..…but this…..we had no idea!
SO..…When you first start up it’s not bad and you have a chance to see all the houses built on the side of this rock..…and a normal question you ask yourself is..… “Why would anyone want to live there and how do you get up there?”…..Nicole’s said those “Hillbillies” are crazy to build a house on the top of that….as soon as we started our climb up the rock she forgot all about those hillbillies..…man, this road lost its mind..…it went up, down, around, tunnels, big trucks, small trucks, buses..…and all the while, I was hugging the middle white line and trying not to get to close to the other one..…because if you did..…you better make your peace with you know who…..it was incredible.….it is one scary ride…..and you have to deal with people coming towards you and behind you who are use to it..…and they want you to drive faster because they’re in a hurry..…NO!…..and the funny thing was…..every time we came around a corner, we would see a woman sitting in a chair on the side of the road..…I was like…..ok, she’s waiting for the bus.….after passing about 6 or 7 of them..…I realized they might be waiting..…but it’s not for a bus..…anyway,.….we made it down..…which was just as stressful as going up…..I always thought it would be easier to go down..…the idiot that I am…..some of those curves are as tight as the bend in your elbow..…finally we had a chance to cruise through towns called Calp, Benissa, Gata de Gorgos..…and there’s a nice old man who sits outside a store and will sell you hand-made woven baskets.
FINALLY WE MADE IT TO DENIA….And the town is definitely a tourist spot..…filled with snobby rich people who live in fabulous houses and wear Gucci, Armani and Prada yada yada hanging from their arms, ears or whatever.….and very big yachts moored in the harbor…..and banks…..businessmen and banks….the town wasn’t all that and when I meet the author of the book who said we should go there I have a few choice words for him.….the one thing I did like was the colors of the houses..…terra cotta and lots of earth tone colors.
NOW ON TO XABIA.….Guess what we had to do?…..yep, go up another rock…..and this was the rock from hell…..if you’re not a religious person.….driving up this one will make you one..…I don’t know how many times I said, Oh Lord.….the driving lane was as wide as a goat path…..and a bus coming at you from the other direction will scare the hell out of you..…it kept going up, and around and the driving lane became thinner and thinner…..and Nicole was not helping because she was scared…..Just sitting next to me and laughing…..that scared laugh..…which didn’t help one damn bit…..she kept saying, “Slow down-slow down“…..I was saying to myself,..…“If I slow down anymore I’ll be going back in time”…..and that’s the first time I was ever scared while I was driving…..you go around and around and then every 50 meters you see a sign which says..… “PLEASE BE CAREFUL BECAUSE OF ACCIDENTS”…..well if you‘re so worried about accidents…..then blow this damn rock up..…I am not kidding you…..I was really scared…..you come around a curve and all you see is the drop off to your right and blue sky…..and you know if you mess up..…you are going to meet those who have passed on before you…..and how could I forget to mention the sun glaring through the windshield…..to the point where you couldn‘t see the white line in the middle of the road, the drop off the side of the cliff nor the on-coming traffic…..finally we made it to the top…..and we said “Thank You” to whomever was listening.….but a brain cell clicks in and said, “Aren’t you forgetting something…what goes up must come down?”…..this time I didn’t say “Oh Lord”..…I said “OH….!”..and it was just as bad…..but…..we made it and we got on each other nerves during that drive.….I’m convinced my wife suffers from “Hillophobia”…..because there were time when we would go up one rock and at the top you couldn’t see what would be facing you when you started your decent..…she would hold her breath and want to scream.….me too!…..I was saying to myself..… “Please let it be a Lego truck”..Xabia was a nice town with more hillbillies living on the side of a rock but it was Siesta Time..…I know I said it should be a universal law but if you’re a visitor it’s a drag.….because everything is closed and no one is around….I have to say….when I’m in Italy, the Italians have perfected Siesta….they disappear….gone!….and do you think our return trip was fun…..NO!…..because we had to do the same thing backwards…..the best thing about all of this is that Nicole and I agreed on what we will do the next time we want to go on vacation…. “WE’RE GOING TO A PLACE THAT’S FLAT!!!”…..and if you think we’re kidding about the rocks.….checkout the photos I posted..…then you will see what we had to go through…..still, it’s a wonderful area to see.….really beautiful…..and the people are so relaxed and friendly!…..and if you’re brave…..drive up the rocks!
MAN….I can get use to eating breakfast on a terrace.….bright sunshine, blue sky…..too bad in a few days we’re going back to grey skies and zero temp weather…but what the hey!
SO….We looked at the little book and decided wherever we go today…..IT WILL NOT INCLUDE ROCKS!!!!….so we headed south to..…
EL COMPELLO…..Doesn’t that name sound like a Mexican bandit in a Brando flick?…..it’s a very nice seaside community..…of course it’s off season but it’s well worth the trip…..and there are a lot of people our age.….by that I mean…if no one helps you to the toilet (unless you were really drunk) you’re good to go..…I wouldn’t mind coming back during high season….we took a few photos, walked around and checked out a few store and then headed towards…..
GUARDAMAR del SEGURA.….Which is supposed to have the highest amount of sand dunes and they planted pine trees, eucalyptus trees, and palm trees to make sure the dunes do not shift…..driving through Southern Spain is really nice.….beautiful colors, big rocks off in the distance (thank God) and you really don’t have to speed…..so you won’t miss some of the sights…..the only thing which started driving me crazy were.….the Rotary Circles…..they were everywhere…..you get up a good speed and then you have to slow down…..and do it over and over…..I guess they thought that was a better idea than traffic lights…..so we followed the signs…..and then we realized someone forgot to put one up…which was the one that would’ve told us where to go…..the last sign said it was 2K’s down the road..after driving 6 guess what.…right!….we drove down to TORREVIEJA (not because we wanted to…we couldn‘t find the sign for the dunes)..…which is famous for salt..…as if we wanted to visit a salt museum..…but they have lagoons which offer stopovers for over hundreds of different types of birds migrating south…..including Flamingos…..anyway,…..we didn’t find the dunes but the city is actually quite nice…..if you want, you can buy into a seaside time-share…..we took a few pics..…relaxed by the Med and then hopped back into the rental and headed towards…..
SANTA POLA…..which is a little port city and from there you can go to the island ESLA de TABARCA…it’s the first national marine reserve protected by Spain..…( in other words protecting certain fish)…..good idea…..but we thought eating lunch was a better one…..it was so cool seeing real fishermen sitting by their boats and mending their nets…..just like in the movies…..so off to..…
ELX/ELCHE.….Now we thought we were heading towards another small town.….we knew why we were going there but boy were we surprised…..the city is surrounded by 200,000 palm trees..…which were cultivated by the Arabs…..since the year 2000, this huge park was declared a national heritage park by UNESCO.….and when you see it you will not believe it…..ok you say palm trees.….whatever..…but just in case you did not know…..if it weren’t for the Spanish and Arabs….Los Angeles and Florida wouldn’t have any because they didn’t grow there until they brought them over…..anyway…..the best way to view the entire park is to pay 2 Euro to ST. MARY’S BASILICA and climb all the way up to the top of the bell tower…..don’t forget to duck when you enter the Basilica…..otherwise you are going to have one hell of a bump on your head…..no joke!…..anyway,.….in order to get to the top you have to climb over 160+ steps……and they get smaller and smaller as you go up…….don’t worry…there are 3 rest stations on the way up and you can read about the history of the church…..trust me, you will use one or two of them.….it is the fourth religious church to be found on this site……and this Basilica is the only temple in the Catholic world which enjoys the privilege of being allowed to perform within it’s walls, a religious theatrical drama called, “ELCHE MYSTERY PLAY” (13th-century)…..don’t know it?….GOOGLE!…..anyway,…..we climbed up…..and used the rest areas..…but when we arrived at the top…..two things shocked us…..one…..the city is huge…..and two.….I have never seen so many palm trees in my entire life…..they’re scattered all across the city and it’s beautiful…..definitely come here…..because after Siesta…..it’s happening!
TODAY…..We woke up early because we knew if we wanted to enjoy the city before Siesta sat in….being there when the stores opened was a good idea….so, off to….
ALICANTE….Which is a straight shot from us down A-70..…the fun begins when you start to enter the city..…yep, those damn Rotary Circles…..and signs disappearing when you’re trying to figure out where you want to go…..and looking for a parking spot in a busy city..…we chose a parking garage…..in the heart of the city…..surrounded by stores we went into in other cities..…and they were selling the same stuff..…I agreed with Nicole..…Alicante is a nice city but…..we liked the smaller towns better…..more closeness to the people..…anyway,…..when our favorite time was approaching..…we did what the inhabitants of Alicante do.….we had a Siesta lunch..…we didn’t mind it this time because we were done shopping..…and found a wonderful restaurant……thanks to the help of a very nice woman who could only speak Spanish and French.….and we couldn’t speak either…..called..…EL BUEN COMER….C/. Mayor 8 Alicante…www.elbuencomer.es..…and free WI-FI..…and it was absolutely great…..we had the Lunch Menu Special for two…..for starters…..Garlic Prawns..…Ham and Cheese (specialty from this region)…Calamari…..second course was Alicante Paella for two..…and for drinks I had a half liter of red wine and Nicole had a half liter of sangria.….dessert was Tiramisu…..all for 18.50 each…..and we couldn’t finish it.….oh, we tried but……we both agreed we weren’t leaving Spain until we had our Paella and it was worth the wait…..if some of you have never heard of the dish…..look it up and try to make it or find a joint in your city which does.….so
NOW CAME THE HARD PART…..Do we sit at the table and nod off because our bellies are full…..or do we attempt to walk it off……we walked to the car and drove back to our suite…..and got very comfortable on the sofa….until
A THUNDERSTORM…..Came out of nowhere..…lightening and rain…..I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the mountains when a storm hits..…trust me it hits…..the thunder was so close the windows rattles…..Nicole jumped up and turned everything off..…I counted the flashes to see how close the storm was..…3 was kind of scary..…but then it took a walk and 7,8 became the normal count…..so we’re in for the night..…the sky was so black the “Big Ass Rocks” and the Mediterranean Sea disappeared..…now….
THERE ARE A FEW THINGS I FORGOT…..To mention earlier…..when you drive through the “ROCKS” (which I will never do again-and don’t even think Nicole ever will)..…you will see a lot of cyclist riding or training…..I give them big ups because unless you are training or you’re a very disturbed health-nut you have to be out of your mind..…I haven’t driven through Pyrenees (and after driving through and over the rocks here, I never will) but they could move the mountain stage of the Tour de France down here.
NOW THIS WAS FUNNY…..You would see people who are taking their driver’s test in order to obtain their license driving over the rocks…..man, if they can do that..…as soon as they reached the bottom I’d reach in my back pocket and flip them their license because it isn’t easy.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…..The best store ever..…PLANET VINTAGE..…Conde de Altea 53 03590 Altea..…he also has a Facebook page (Planet Vintage)..…he had so many cool vintage things in his store and all I kept saying was..… “Damn, my bag is too small”…..check him out!…..and…..when we were coming down the rock we stopped at..…EL RASTRO..…which I guess means “The Rust?”…..because she had lots of stuff that was rusty but you had to be there to see it….an old staircase which would have looked wonderful in a corner with flowers pots on it….a sewing machine….gates….beautiful old doors….and you could imagine how they would look once they were restored….and again I said,..… “Damn, my bag is too small.”….I posted a few pictures…..and last but not least…..no matter where you travel in Europe…..no matter how big or small a town or city may be…..9 times out of 10..…you will find an Irish Pub!
AWWWW…..It’s our last day…..and we were lucky because it rained last night and off and on right now….hey, I can’t complain.….6 sunny days and only one rain day..…cool!…..I have to admit…..we did pick a nice place to say..…the restaurants are way over priced but it was fun cooking dinner and breakfast everyday..…our flight doesn’t leave until 7 so what do we do now?
CHOCOLATE!!!!!…..We decided to visit a chocolate museum in…..LA VILA JOIOSA/VILLAJOYOSA…..which is right next to the VALOR factory….and they deliver worldwide..…so down N332 again..…and we said “Ola” to “El Toro”…..El Toro is a giant billboard of a bull…which sits on a little rock..…you can’t miss it…..anyway,..…as soon as we enter the city…..rain…..and no umbrella….and no parking spaces….so we follow the signs to the museum…..and once again….someone forgot to put up the sign to tell us where it is…..this has to be a Spain thing…..during the summer they have a festival in the city…..and all the residents come and participate in a cooking contest of the local specialties..…and it’s called…..LA PEVRERETA…..tuna, green tomatoes, paprika and pumpkin….and they have one in August which is only chocolate…so,…..the museum was interesting.….they use 3 different coca beans…..Ghana, Ecuador..…and the third country I can’t remember…..anyway,…..it’s all automatic until you get to the packing…..the entire factory smelled like chocolate…..I guess it was wonderful for us but I think if you work there day in and day out…..you will probably hate chocolate….at the end of the tour we had a taste testing….pimple city folks but the chocolate was good….my favorite was “Puro Almendras“…..which means…..a wonderful dark chocolate with almonds..
AFTER THE TOUR WAS OVER…..We sat in the car and said where to now?…..that was when we realized we visited all the places we wanted to see..…saw a few places we didn’t and now we’re in a muddy parking lot trying to figure out what to do next……we headed to the airport early….
BEING AT THE AIRPORT.….4 hours early is a lot of time to kill…..you can only go in Duty Free so many times…..look at the same thing a hundred times……and try to figure out which fast food you want to eat…
SO…..boarding time….and yes..…I was the youngest senior citizen again…..man, some old people can be a pain in the ass..…pushing, shoving, rude.…..all out nasty!…..and we were boarding by sections and a few didn’t understand that C comes before D…..and then they had the nerve to get upset when they had to wait …..some men didn’t even want to sit next to their wives…..during the flight Nicole and I understood why……they were a nerving pain in the ass…..
FINALLY….After many pages of Edward Rutherfurd’s book Dublin….and if you do not know this author….his books are wonderful…..New York, Paris, Russka, Ireland Awakening, Sarum, London…anyway,….we arrived in Hamburg….hopped in a taxi….and it felt great to be back home….loaded the washing machine, turned up the heat and opened a nice bottle of red wine to celebrate a wonderful vacation and a safe trip back home….Nicole got on the phone…and I watched my sorry-butt Raiders lose to the Dallas Cowboys….Dallas of all teams!
A FEW MORE THINGS….It was great having a car..…if you do decide to visit Costa Blanca you will need one.….and we really did visit every place we wanted to see..…but the missing street signs and Rotary circles were driving me nuts.….it was a shame we had to throw away food when we checked out….I hate wasting food…..when you look at the mountains you see exactly how high the Mediterranean Sea once was…..scary…..there were many homeless people begging for money…..even one old lady was talking on her cell phone..…if you want a pair of Beats By Dre.….you can find some knock-offs in Benidorm for 10 bucks.….it was nice seeing parents picking up their children from school….and there were police on every corner making sure they were safe…..so that’s all folks…..I’ll let you know when we decide to disappear again!