Tag Archives: Alicante

Spain

A costal ride to Santa Pola

Felipe and Ray went for a drive to explore some of the area around Alicante. We went along the coastline towards the town of Santa Pola. Along the way we came to a small church which looked like something out of an old western movie. We decided to stop and check it out.

small traditional church on side road near Santa Pola
Felipe and Ray at the small church

The scenery along the coastline was great, with nice views of the Mediterranean Sea. There were bluffs of Santa Pola on one side and the view of the sea on the other. We could see in the distance the lookout near the lighthouse.

The Lookout of Santa Pola above the bluffs

We decided to go and explore the lookout and lighthouse of Santa Pola, which is called “Faro Cabo De Santa Pola”. The road to the lighthouse was long and narrow  with numerous potholes.

Road to lighthouse and lookout of Santa Pola.

There was a raised metal platform that went slightly over the edge of the bluff.

The metal platform overlooking the Mediterranean Sea

The view from the lookout was truly breathtaking with a great view of the island of Tabarca and the coastline of the entire region.

View of the Mediterranean Sea and Tabarca Island
Ray with view of the region of Alicante coastline

The views along the coast were beautiful with almost an amazing view around every curve.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

A true Spanish meal

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Ray and Felipe went to a small traditional Spanish restaurant called “To Bar”. The restaurant is in an old house which was transformed into a restaurant.

The owner “Geroni”, who knew Felipe, met us at the door and welcomed us into the restaurant. We sat down at the table and ordered the meal of the day. There was a loaf of bread on the table as well as a “Spanish Porron” with red wine.

A traditional Spanish Wine decanter called a “Porron”
Ray ready to enjoy the meal of the day
Felipe ready for the meal of the day

They began bringing out different tapas to our table.

Salad with bread slivers
Pineapple with a sweet sauce and octapuss
Pastry base with fish and greens

They also brought us a unique tapa which was in a bowl and had a herb burning in the sauce.

Tapa with burning herbs in sauce

This tapa was extremely tasty and the sauce was very good. The owner then brought us the main course which was a seafood mix.

Sea food main dish
Chocolate mouse dessert

After enjoying the meal the owner came and chatted with us for a while. He brought us a complimentary after dinner Spanish traditional drink.

After dinner Spanish drink

We paid our bill which was very inexpensive for the quality and quantity of food we had. It was a fantastic meal and a great experience.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Volvo Ocean Race headquarters command center

We had the honour and opportunity to have a special tour inside the Volvo Ocean Race Command Centre, which is located in the Volvo Ocean Museum in Alicante. We began our tour going through the administration area before heading into the command centre.

View of the support administration area for the Volvo Ocean Race command centre

We entered into the command centre which is located in a secure glass enclosed area. Inside the command centre there were staff monitoring the race 24 hours a day.

View of a section of the command centre of the Volvo Ocean Race

We gathered around the command centre while our guide explained some of the operations of the centre. They monitor each boat in the race tracking them in real-time by satellite.

Some of the overhead monitors in the command centre.

They are also in radio contact with each boat. During the race the boats make videos of their activities and send them back to the command centre.

Staff reviewing a video from one of the race boats.

The videos are edited and finalized in the command centre before being put online. There are stories about everyday life on the boat and stories of unique experiences they have during the race. One experience was a “ghost ship”, found by one of the Volvo Ocean Boats. They located an abandoned sailboat approximately 360 miles east of Guam on February 13, 2018. It was the SV Sea Nymph abandoned by Jennifer Appel and her crew member Tasha Fuiava nearly 3 to 4 months earlier on October 25, 2017.

https://youtu.be/L9OgNgiE2MA

We spent about an hour touring the command centre and learning about the logistical challenges of coordinating a world race. The race encompasses twelve countries over six continents and takes nine months to complete.  We found the logistics of coordinating the race very interesting.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Basketball in Alicante

We were invited to a local professional basketball game in Alicante. We were not aware that Alicante was the home to the “Lucentum” professional basketball team.

We arrived early to the game which gave us time to explore the stadium.

View of the one end of the stadium
View of the basketball court from the second level of the stadium

We found our seats and settled in to watch the game. The players came out and began to practice and warm up. We watched them do several different drills before the start of the game.

Players warming up before the game.

We had good seats and could enjoy a close up view of the game.

View from our seats of the basketball game

We watched the game go back and forth with a close score throughout the game. There were only a few points between the teams with only a minute and a half left in the game.

Scoreboard with only minute and a half remaining

We watched on the edge of our seat as the home team of Alicante won the game by one point. It was a very enjoyable experience and an impressive game.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Photo art show

We decided to go and check out the opening night of a local photo art show with some friends. It was a beautiful evening and we walked to the converted old tabacco factory which now is hosting the art show. The building and grounds were beautiful with palm trees and a very unique restaurant.

Sonja and Shelley on the walkway leading to the refurbished tabacco factory.
Entrance walkway into the old tabacco factory property

We walked up the long walkway towards the building and came across a restaurant.

Ray looking at the unique design of the terrace

The outside terrace area was uniquely designed with wooden slats.

Front entrance of the restaurant

The restaurant was closed but we were able to walk inside the terrace area and look at the design more closely.

Outside design of the lats on the terrace
View of the slats used to form the design

The design made for a very interesting terrace.

A side view of the terrace

We walked to the main entrance area of the large building. It was refurbished and was now used for special events such as the art show.

Front facade of the refurbished tabacco factory

Inside there was an area with a table set up for complimentary drinks and an area with information pamphlets.

Entrance area with tables and pamphlets

The photo art show  was officially launched with some key people speaking at the podium. We listened to the speeches before exploring the art.

Opening ceremony for the launch of the photo art exhibit

We walked around the exhibit enjoying the unique or different photography. Some of the photos were quite interesting while others seemed ordinary.

Different photos on display
Photo art displayed in the long corridor of the converted factory.
One of the photos on display

After spending about an hour at the exhibit, we enjoyed a nice leisure walk home. It was a great way to spend a beautiful evening in Alicante.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”