Castles and Beaches

"Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time."

Marthe Troly-Curtin

One of the best things about Spain is definitely how I spend my weekends. I arrived in Murcia at the end of summer and it was still blazing hot, so my friends and I decided to spend our days at the beach. The city is an hour or so away from the coast by bus. Every weekend we decided to venture to different beaches. Alicante was one of the main places we decided to go to.

Alicante is an old city and historic port in the east of the country. When you arrive at the train station you immediately feel that holiday vibe that you look for when spending the day at the beach. Although the city has been around for hundreds of years, it is modern and vibrant with many things to do and see.

What attracted us most comes down to two things: the awesome beach and the Castle of Santa Barbara that sits atop the mountain, Mount Benacantil, overlooking the entire city.

The castle overlooks the port

The bus stop is right next to the port. It's about a ten minute walk to the main beach. Along the way, I was bombarded by sound; adusting my hearing to other languages. Alicante is a hot tourist destination for many Europeans. I heard German, Polish, Dutch and English more than I heard any Spanish. Living in Murcia, not much English is spoken so it was quite nice listening to my native tongue outside my circle of friends but also a bit annoying because I prefer listening to Spanish when I'm out and about.

Wandering the streets

The beach is very crowded. Unless you're looking for that kind of buzz, I would avoid this part of the coast and travel further south. As it is everywhere in Meditteranean, the water is a gorgeous teal blue with palm trees and white sands.





The first thing you notice about Alicante is the castle on the top of the hill. The Castle of Santa Barbara dates back to Muslim control but is named as such after the capturing of the city on the feast day of Saint Barbara by Castilian forces. Not quite who those guys are but okay, job well done.





We got a bit lost trying to find our way to the entrance of the mountain so we found some typical Mediterranean homes up against the side of the mountain with the most amazing view of the sea. There's nothing better than losing your way in a new city and stumbling upon something you would never have found otherwise. I think that's my favourite thing about travelling.

 It's been open to the public in recent years but at one what time it was used as a prison.



The view of the city is quite astounding. All of Alicante can be seen; a full 360 degree view.


When summer returns I'll definitely be spending more Sundays at the beach in Alicante. In the meantime though, I'd like to go back to see more of the city itself. I've yet find its countless hidden treasures.

We saw the most amazing sunsets
on the way down the mountain

Road Trip Adventures

Good friends, great music and a solid few hours in a tiny car is the beginning of what every twenty something should experience; a road trip adventure.

And so our adventure begins

Anna, Tom, Alex and myself spent the weekend in Granada; one of the most breath taking cities I have ever seen, but first we had to get there. You see, Granada is a good 3 or so hours away from Murcia. This is our Spanish home where we all met in September, and it was time we went on a mini vacation.

We had a long weekend as the 6th of December is a bank holiday in Spain so we decided to visit Granada. We hired a car and rented an apartment, all thanks to Tom's mad bargain-finding skills, and off we went; galavanting into the sunset.

Mr Tom, our resident rock star driver

Our Fiat 500 

Tom drove, I put myself in charge of music (I have great taste) while Alex and Anna relaxed in the backseat, quite squished but none the worse for wear. Shakira, Foo Fighters and Aerosmith kept us company along the way.

Pit Stop = Food!

At about half way, we stopped for food and to stretch our legs. Pit stops are an essential part of road trips. It's not about how long it takes to get there but the memories made along the way. As cliche as it is, it really is about the journey and not the destination. Food, drink, a good stretch and a bathroom break later and we were back on the road.

There is always one :)

Conversation during a road trip is almost always about everything and nothing. I cannot remember what we spoke about in the car but I do know that I enjoyed talking about shit that seemed important. That's the thing about adventures like these; it doesn't matter what is said or done, it's all just part of being in the moment.

We arrived in Granada as the sun was setting. Our holiday had begun even if the road trip was over and it was the perfect way of beginning an amazing weekend; definitely one for the books.