We bought our first set of wheels here in Alicante. No not a car but a  wheeled cart. These carts are very popular here, people use them for everything from hauling groceries to moving their pet around. You can take the carts into restaurants, bars and even on the bus. They are quite handy. We decided we would buy one to help us with groceries. We went to El Corte Ingles a local store and found a great selection of wheeled carts. Everything from a very basic unit for around 12 euros to one that folded with swivel wheels and did almost everything but drive itself for over 100 euros. We ended up getting one that was suitable for us and in the middle of the line as far as quality goes.

The use of these carts is very prominent here. In fact even in some store or grocery stores they have a specific area for the wheeled carts. When you enter the store you  lock up your cart with a chain and key.  It is similar to a key locker, you pay one euro and one end of the chain is released. You then put the chain through the handle of the cart and lock the chain again and take the key. It is really odd to see people chaining up their carts like a horse at a hitching post.

“Adios y que tenga un gran días”

Today we headed back into the centre of Alicante to do some banking and a little exploring. We finished our banking early and  decided to stop off at an outside restaurant that specialized in crepes.  The restaurant served amazing crepes and were very tasty. The meal included coffee and tea and was only $10 in total.  Away from the tourist areas things can be fairly inexpensive.

We then headed for a walk to the Castle of San Fernando which is located on one of the two major hills in the city.  It is also one of two castles located in the city of Alicante. We walked along trails which led up to the top. It was quite the steep walk and certainly was an exercise but the view was nice. Along the trail was a ceramic crest for the Castle of San Fernando.

When we were closer to the top we could see one of the guard pillars located at the Castle.

When we finally made it to the top the view was stunning.  We had a panoramic view of the city of Alicante. The view was worth the walk to the top.

Today we used pedometer again and in total we walked just over 13 kilometres. It was full day but very enjoyable.

“Adios y que tenga un gran días”

Another productive day in moving forward into our new “home”.
We headed into Alicante this morning early and attended Swiss Real Estate. That was the company that helped us with getting the apartment. Our contact person assisted us with the change over and connection of electricity and gas. The process took over one hour on the phone with the utility company. The process was not easy and even the person helping us was frustrated with the process. Thank goodness we had his help.

After the utilities were completed we headed to the shopping district. We walked around the area and found a travel agency. We decided to go in and got some info on the cost of cruises for the Mediterranean. Our plan is to take a cruise in the next few months and check out some key cities. We took our cruise info went to a local cafe. Sitting there enjoying our gelato and drink we reviewed the information.

We then walked to the bus station and headed home. Today we decided to bring a pedometer with us to see how far we walk a day. Today we walked a total of 13 kilometers. It seems like every time we head to the centre of Alicante we walk for numerous kilometers. That hopefully should help keep us in shape.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dias”

It has been a quiet couple of days here for us. We have been taking it easy and resting up and enjoying the beautiful weather. Daily walks and overall relaxation have been the norm these past few days. We sit out on the balcony in the mornings and enjoy the view of the sea. I didn’t realize just how much the view can change of the sea depending on the temperature and clouds. Each morning the view of the sea is slightly different.

Tomorrow we head into Alicante business area to arrange for the gas, electricity and water for our new apartment. I am curious how that will work out because the bureaucracy here is apparently a challenge. I guess we will find out tomorrow.

The internet in our apartment continues to be inconsistent and not very good at times. This has made it tough for us to do research or even maintain the blog. Most times the internet improves late at night when the bandwidth isn’t being accessed by as many users. Well, that is about it for now. “Adios y que tenga un gran dais”

It was a beautiful day today so we went for a nice long walk. We headed down the road and never thought about where we were going. After about a Kilometer or so we came across a religious alter with candles burning.

A little further on our walk we found a hiking trail called “Glot de Galvany”. We decided to take the trail and see where we end up. We did not plan for a hike in the hills and didn’t have any water or sun screen but we went anyway.

We walked along the trail for about two hours looking at the unique fauna and the palm trees.

The trail had many different paths and we could have easily gone for the full day. We met some hikers along the way but for the most part it was quiet and serene. We came across a small pond area and there were several people looking at the ducks. They seemed to be very impressed by the ducks. I guess they don’t see many ducks around here. We just walked on by, being Canadian we have seen more than our share of ducks.

We decided to turn back and maybe come back another day, prepared and then we will make it a full day hike through the hills of Alicante.

“Adios y  que tengas un gran dias”