Elisa's Daily Scoop
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Tanya's Daily Scoop
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16 Interesting Facts About Alicante, Spain
Howdy Folks,
Wow! Is the rain coming down hard and the wind is surely blowing! I have a bunch to share with you today. First of all, I signed on to write my Scoop and saw that Tanya had already blogged. I was sad to hear that yesterday's weather (windy conditions) made it impossible for her to go get off the cruise ship to explore Alicante, Spain. My dear cuz was very disappointed as you can imagine. But, as I promised yesterday, I'm going to tell you some interesting facts about Alicante just the same. I know that Tanya will make it back there on her next trip to Spain. Oh, and before I forget, if you haven't already read our Guest Blogger article this week, written by Selina Chen from MyChineseInterpreter.com please be sure to do so! (just click the title). Top 5 Best Cities To Visit In ChinaWe also have an article published on Selina's site, Click Here to read more. Now for some cool facts about Alicante! 
Alicante, Spain (view from Tanya's Cruise Ship yesterday) (c) travelincousins.com
Facts about Alicante Spain
1. Alicante is a city and port in Spain on the Costa Blanca (the Mediterranean coastline )which is the capital of the province of Alicante.
2. The area of Alicante has been inhabited for over 7000 years and around 1000 BC, Greek and Phoenician traders began to visit the eastern coast of Spain, establishing small trading ports They also introduced the native Iberian tribes to the alphabet, iron and the pottery wheel. 3. During the 1950's and 60's, the city began to transform by the tourist industry with the construction of new buildings, and new businesses, restaurants, bars and other tourist-oriented enterprises, as well as a the then-new El Altet Airport, bringing tourists from northern European countries. 4. Ciudad de la Luz, established in 2005 and based in Alicante, is now one of the largest film studios in Europe. 5. Alicante Airport is among the busiest airports in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Málaga. 6. The Castle of Santa Bárbara, which sits high above the city, on Mount Benacantil, is a fortification in the center of the city and one of the most popular tourist sites. 
The Castle of Santa Bárbara (photo credit: spain-holiday.com)
7. The tower (La Torreta) at the top of Castle of Santa Bárbara, is the oldest part of the castle, while part of the lowest zone and the walls were constructed later in the 18th century.
8. One of the most lovely promenades in Spain is the promenade Explanada de España, lined by palm trees, and paved with 6.5 million marble floor tiles creating a wavy form. It is place for strolling the waterfront and a venue for outdoor concerts. 9. Barrio de la Santa Cruz is a colorful quarter of the old city, located on the south-west of Santa Bárbara castle characterized by its small houses all along the hill leading up to the castle, through narrow streets decorated with flags and tubs of flowers. 10. The city has two lovely parks enjoyed by locals and tourists. The first, L'Ereta Park is situated on the foothills of Mount Benacantil, on the way to the castle. It runs from the Santa Bárbara castle down to the old part of Alicante and consists of several levels, routes, decks and rest stops, offering panoramic views of the city. 11. El Palmeral Park is a favorite of Alicante locals, for its walking trails, children's playgrounds, ponds and brooks, picnic tables and a concert auditorium. 
El Barrio de Santa Cruz (photo credit: alicanteout.com)
12. Other city sites include the gothic Basilica of Santa María built between the 14th and 16th centuries and the Co-cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari constructed between the 15th and 18th centuries, both of which were built over mosques.
13. The defense towers of the Huerta de Alicante (15th–18th centuries), were built to defend against the Barbary pirates during the 15th through 18th centuries, with 20 towers still in existence to view. 14. The most ancient civil building in the city is the Baroque Casa de La Asegurada, built in 1685. Today it is home to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Alicante. 15. Tabarca island is situated only a few miles off Alicante in the Mediterranean Sea. Now, a beautiful tourist attraction, it was once a haven for Barbary pirates. 16. The most important Alicante festival, the Bonfires of Saint John (Fogueres de Sant Joan), takes place during the summer solstice. This is followed a week later by five nights of firework and pyrotechnic contests between companies on the urban beach Playa del Postiguet. What a lovely, historic city! I'm sure Tanya would have taken some amazing pics if able to visit yesterday! (boo). Ok folks, that's a wrap for today! -Travelin' Elisa xoxo |
Tanya Cruisin' Europe - Barcelona
GREETINGS from Barcelona once again!
We are back!!!
And heading on a day trip tour of Montserrat. It's a bit windy here in Barcelona and I'm not a fan of the wind, but that is certainly not going to stop us from having a great time. Speaking of the wind - boy oh boy was it windy yesterday. They were talking gale winds and I've always wondered "what exactly does that mean?" A gale is a strong wind, typically used as a descriptor in nautical contexts. The U.S. National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots (63–87 km/h, 17.5–24.2 m/s or 39–54 miles/hour) of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected. Well the wind definitely got in our way of fun yesterday... While at breakfast, the captain of the ship had made an announcement that we would not be going into port! Sheer disappointment was felt by every ounce of my soul. But this had happened to me before and these things do occur. This was the first time that Dave had experienced missing a port. We were totally bummed out, as we were looking quite forward to all that we had planned for in and around Alicante. But instead, it turned into a rockin' and rollin' day at sea. This was all we got to see of Alicante - 
(c) travelincousins.com
(c) travelincousins.com
I also can't say that I was a bit bored ... 
(c) travelincousins.com
Or that I got a bit silly ...
(c) travelincousins.com
I even got a bit woozy - but I didn't take any pictures of that!
Things happen. It's always better to be safe than sorry. We'll just have to make up Alicante on another trip! We're off now, until tomorrow, -Travelin' Tanya 
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