One of the many unique differences in Alicante Spain is the lottery system. In Alicante there are individuals ticket vendors that bring a portable table and set up outside of busy areas of the city. Many people will approach the vendor and buy their tickets. You can also buy tickets at certain lottery stores and other locations, but the majority of people pick up their tickets at an outside vendor.

We have seen some vendors all over the city. Some of them pin a lottery ticket on their shirt as a form of advertising and walk along the sidewalks trying to sell the tickets. Other vendors set up at a stationary location.  Most of them carry their portable lottery stand with them on the bus to their particular area. I have seen people walk up to a vendor before they even get on the bus to buy a ticket. It seems that the lottery is very popular here in Spain.

The lottery system is called Once and it has been  in existence for over 75 years. The proceeds from the lottery go to help support social needs and in particular the blind. Apparently over 230 million euros annually are provided to social needs. There are different tickets that you can buy from scratch tickets to full lottery draws. They also have special lotteries that have large winning pots available. One of the special lotteries is called the “Dia de la Madre” Mothers Day lottery and is drawn on May 1st.

The ticket price for the special lottery of “Dia de la Madre”  is 5 euros. The ticket has a chance for one winner of 17 million and runner-up prizes of different values from $40,000 to as small as $5. euros.

I know some of you are avid lottery players, so I took a chance and bought a ticket. The vendor was happy to pose with me and my “tentative winning ticket” Hey you never know!

The ticket itself is the same size as a Euro 5 dollar bill. It is made of a thick paper and has a little image of the special draw on the front.

Lottery winnings are taxed in Spain and if by luck I win the 17.000.000 euro draw, I would need to pay around 3.5 million in taxes. (I am ok with that)

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

There are things that happen to us from time to time that make us laugh, or cringe depending on the situation.  I thought I would share an example that happened to us yesterday.

We went for a walk and stopped at a cafe for a coffee and a tea. The waitress asked for our order and  I ordered a “cafe con letche” and then Shelley ordered a “te minta” which is a mint tea. The waitress said “vale” which is ok and left. She returned a short while later with the order pictured below.

We enjoyed the ice-cream and carried on with our day. Communication is still a challenge from time to time.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

We booked a trip and will be heading next week for a 12 day excursion to the Madrid area. We have been doing some research and decided to take a trip to the third largest city in the European Union and spend some time exploring the city of Madrid.

After spending time in Madrid the plan is to take a tour of some cities in the area such as Seville, Toledo, and Segovia.

Until then we have been enjoying some down time. We took a walk along the beach on Sunday.  It was a beautiful day and we spent most of it outside walking around the old quarter of Alicante.

Yesterday we enjoyed the day relaxing and taking it easy. Shelley has started doing some creative relaxing with an adult colouring book. They are becoming quite popular here in Spain.

Today I am relaxing and doing the background research for our next adventure. When and where is yet to be determined. Overall a very enjoyable time.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

There is amazing fruits and vegetables in Alicante. We live approximately 100 meters from an indoor market which sells everything from soup to nuts (literally).

We go every second day or so to the indoor market for our fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. They have an amazing assortment of different fruits and vegetables.  We also buy our meats and cheeses at the market which have various vendors who specialize in specific items and products. The cost is very low for the produce because most of it is locally grown. It is also extremely fresh and plentiful.

The first time we bought celery we could not believe our eyes. The stock was over two feet long and was very fresh. This celery only cost around 1 euro.

You can get broccoli or cauliflower for under a dollar.

We go to the same vendors each time and have developed a report with them. Our favourite place to buy chicken and eggs is from a very friendly vendor named Christine.

We can get a whole chicken with or without the head.

The market is one of our favourite places to shop for groceries. We can get almost everything we need in the one market and we know it is fresh and quite inexpensive to buy.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

There are so many restaurants here in Alicante, it is hard too choose one to try. We decided to go out for dinner and wanted to try some thai food. After doing a bit of research on the internet we opted for a restaurant called ” Thai Corner”

It is located in the old quarter of Alicante. The owner was mentioned in Trip advisor and there was some really good comments.

We got to the restaurant around 8 pm which is quite early for dinner in Spain. There was only one other group eating when we arrived. We had an excellent choice for a table so we sat near the window. We ordered a glass of red wine and reviewed the menu, which was in Spanish and English.

We ordered spring rolls to start which came out with a wonderful sauce and a fresh carrot cut into a flower shape. I should of taken the picture before eating one of the spring roles. There were four!

Shelley enjoyed the “Pad Priew Wan” which is a stir fry with
a sweet and sour sauce with pineapples, tomato, onion cucumber, and peppers.

I ordered the Gai Pad Med Ma Maung stir fry. It had crispy chicken with cashew nuts, pepper, onion, mushroom in chilli sauce.

We enjoyed the meal and will likely be going back in the future. The meal was great, the ambiance was nice and overall an enjoyable evening.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”