Alicante, Spain

Those of you who know me or follow our blog, know that I'm brutually honest when assessing a city, a country, the residents, living conditions, etc. My expectations of Spain were jaded some time ago after touring Mexico. I/we fully expected to find many of the same conditions & scenarios in Spain since the cultures & language are so similarly connected. What a bogus assumption - totally wrong. I also assumed that Barcelona was the shining star since the majority of cruise ships frequent their port, and that the remainder of destinations would rank secondary. Another bogus assumption.

 Alicante, yet another of our stops in Spain, was absolutely breathtaking, and it began in the port itself. Impeccably clean - I'd eat off the floors. And just minutes away in the city itself...amazing! I love my country dearly and wouldn't trade it, but we can learn so much about quality of life, infrastructure, government, health care systems, & better, more affordable education if we'd only open our eyes a bit more. I humbly take my hat off to these folks...they're doing it right in literally every city we've visited. And the people - we've yet to meet a scowling cab driver, bus driver, or resident. Folks are friendly, helpful, accommodating, and very happy. And it's easy to understand why. They're created an environment, a quality of life that's invigorating and one to be very proud of. We're so impressed - I just can't say enough. We love Spain, and highly recommend putting it on your bucket list. We now expect to find much of the same as we visit Palma de Mallorca in a few hours.

But back to yesterday & Alicante. What first caught our attention in the downtown area were the number of palm trees and when asked, our guide said that just in that area, there were 22,000 of them - originally brought over from Africa. In total, he said the city has over 300,000. If you look at a map, Alicante is on the central east coast of Spain, and serves as a historic Mediterranean port, ranks as the second largest Valencian city, and is the country's eighth largest metro area. I also learned yesterday that there are 50 states (or provinces as they call them) in Spain. There are several miles of beautiful beaches in front of the city-center and again, lined with palm trees and a myriad of historical buildings. In the same area, or the central harbor area, you'll find what is known as Explanada de Espana - a promenade with 6.5 MILLION beautiful marble floor tiles which stretches for several blocks. It's mind-boggling! One of the most popular destinations is the Castle of Santa Barbara that sits atop the city on Mt. Benacantil - it dates all the way back to the 9th century during the period of Muslim control.

Would also recommend spending some time in El Palmeral Park - it features gorgeous walking paths, ponds, and if you bring young kids, very nice playgrounds. And for you architecture buffs, the Basilica of Santa Maria just can't be missed - it's the oldest church still in use to this day, and was originally built in Gothic style in the 14th & 16th centuries over what used to be a mosque, but displays a Baroque-style facade,. which really produces an interesting architectural meld. And there's all kinds of public transport available - the good 'ol Hop-on/Hop-off bus, city busses, trains, taxis...and very affordable. 

Late morning yesterday, we then headed to Guadalest - about a 45-minute drive east of Alicante on a beautiful, well-maintained roadway system. We wanted to see an example of an Islamic fortefied town. It's located in the oldest part of Guadalest, and you can only get there by foot...through a tunnel...cut into the rock! Then, several flights of cobblestone stairs takes you UP to the ruined castle. Not an easy walk if you have breathing issues like I do, but we took our time, shot lots of photos on the way...and well worth the sweat to get there. Our pictures really don't do justice - the structure itself and then the views from on top are amazing.

We were back on the ship by 4pm and had just enough time to shower and dress for dinner. I asked Cheryl not to tell any of the waiters it was my birthday because they always surround your table and sing - quite embarrassing - and she didn't - but because the ship's staff collects so much information from passengers to begin with, I had a big sign around my neck already. We were just getting ready to the leave the table (early) to head up for a Mariners reception and saw the 'gang' coming our way with a birthday cake in tow - oh geez...the singing started and I turned seven shades of purple. All in good fun, but glad it only happens once a year!

I've had a few questions from folks following our blog, some common questions, so I'll take the opportunity to answer them here. And by the way, thanks so much for 'following' us - our average daily 'hit rate' is just north of 3,000, and very much appreciate the kind words. We do it not only for you in helping plan your travel, but also for our kids & grandkids if you've read our "Dedication" page.

I'll speak briefly about entertainment this writing, and please realize I'm by no means an authority of any kind - just a very average passenger: I'd give it a 'C' - pretty basic. Shipboard entertainment these days doesn't have the level of talent & flair it had 10 years ago in my humble opinion. Please don't misunderstand - the featured performers are good - but they're not truly great. You wouldn't give them standing ovations...and if you did, they'd be headliners in Vegas, not on a ship. There was a charity event last week here on the Oosterdam featuring Keith Richards from the Rolling Stones. Feedback I've received...."interesting performances"...."not sure what he was smoking on the Lido deck"...."what was that all about". Hmmmm. Wish we would've been here to see him do his thing, though it sounds like it was pretty shallow. Holland America's Singers & Dancers are good - up & coming entertainers, though many of the gals have that high-pitched, nasal sound...like mini-mouse...like they have clothspins on their noses. A few are excellent. A few. Performances are well choreographed and creative, but seldom 'wow' you. We personally enjoy the comedians...the illusionists...the jugglers...the fun stuff - some of these performers have real potential to go farther, just waiting for that one big break. They used to have a regular game show titled, "The Not So Newly Weds" which was hillarious when you had the right passengers participating.

Now, I WILL say...there's one 'everyday' performer on the Amsterdam by the name of Debby Bacon. She plays the piano in...where else...the Piano Bar. Phenominal talent. She can not only play literally anything you might ask for and extremely well, but she sings beautifully, and can play several saxaphones & flute. She's a true musical talent and has several published CD's. The other aspect of Debby is that by the end of a World Cruise, she'll know the majority of passengers on a first-name basis along with their musical tastes. She packs them in every night, and Cheryl and I caught her performances whenever possible. Goose bumps with Debby, and a truly wonderful, very genuine lady.

I'll address the food and other questions as we go, and thanks again for following!

What a great day - and what a way to spend a birthday!