Early morning in Marina Miramar in Santa PolaAs we were going to be in the marina for another couple of days we decide we would take the opportunity to visit the city of Alicante which is situated on the coast, north of Santa PolaCatching a bus to Alicante was an inexpensive and comfortable option of visiting the Alicante for the dayHouses and rice paddies snapped through the bus window on our way to AlicanteThere are long stretches of sandy white beaches along the Costa Blanca which is extremely busy at this time of yearWe arrive at the bus depot in Alicante, after a trip that took almost an hour due to slow trafficLeaving the bus terminal on foot we head in the direction of the main portArriving at the large port area of the city which has an urban population of around 330,000 people, we see a long waterside promenade and a castle on the hillThe Alicante port has several marinas that cater for motor boats and yachts of all sizes
Adjacent to the port, the very long promenade continues all the way to the beach which almost is in the main centre of the cityThe city which has a rich history has been inhabited for the astounding time of 7000 yearsAlicante today depends mainly on the tourism industry and has over the recent years seen much new development of hotels, restaurants and port facilities catering for the many cruise ships visiting every yearAs we strolled along the promenade by the port, Ric admired a Fleming motor cruiser berthed in the local marinaAn interesting sculpture in the water at the portNear the main city beach area another quite modern metal sculpture stands out above the crowdsBeach side restaurants are numerous here with outstanding views of the seaMost cities and towns along the Spanish coast have lovely sandy white beaches virtually in their city centresWe enter the old city beside the Alicante City HallCharming street side restaurants are full of visitors to the city
Concatedral de Alicante a San Nicolás de Bari, the main church of AlicanteLovely open air restaurants can be found in many small plazas of Alicante, such as this one beside the church
The Casanova Restaurant!!One of the main attractions to Alicante is the hilltop Santa Barbara Castle which stands high above the city on Mount Benacantil at 166 mAs we were unaware there was a lift built into the mountain to take visitors to the castle, we took a taxi (with a very talkative driver who had no English), as it was far too hot to walk to the top!!The Santa Barbara Castle dates back to the 9th CenturyThere are magnificent views over the water from the castleThe view over the city was quite impressive too!!In the other directions is the large port of Alicante
An old wishing well??Even the visiting Nuns to the castle enjoyed taking selfies!!The city’s bullfight ring can clearly be seen from the castleThe remains of another castle in the city of AlicanteOnce we head back down from the castle we pass the bull fighting ring
We then decide to go and visit the other castle in Alicante, the Castle of San FernandoThe view across to the Castle of Santa Barbara from the Castle of San Fernado is well worth the trip getting there
Unfortunately the Castle of San Fernando has become rundown and has not been made tourist friendly. Rubbish and grafitti can be seen in areas and naturally the radio towers are not the most attractive however the view from the castle is excellent.
The promenade Explanada de España, lined by palm trees, is paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles creating a wavy form and is one of the most lovely promenades in Spain. The Promenade extends from the Port of Alicante to the Gran Vía and ends at the famous statue of Mark Hersch.Hotel Amerigo, the luxury 5 star hotel in the heart of AlicanteTo quench our thirst after a lot of sightseeing, we stop at one of the cafe bars on the promenade and have a cocktailIt was time to head back to the bus depot in time for a bus to return us to Santa Pola
Should we ever come to the Alicante port in the future we certainly will try the Monastrell Restaurant
Back on the bus we pass many housing developments near AlacanteAlong the coast there are wall to wall hotels and apartment buildings
Arriving back in Santa Pola there were many people strolling around the promenades and market areasAfter a long day visiting Alicante, we cooked and thoroughly enjoyed our seafood pasta dish with a nice bottle of Spanish red wine
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