Arrived in Alicante

It’s beautiful here, mid to high 70s (but that’s actually hot for walking in the sun), lots of palm trees, and a castle up on a rocky promontory with views out over the ocean and massive, modern beach development all around.

The flight from the US was fine though it was a long day, and I had four hours in the Madrid Airport this morning. But it was still the most convenient way to get here, because the trains would have arrived even later than my flight

First things 1st – send a box of goodies (like canned pumpkin, vanilla chai, and Dentyne gum,) to my friends in Madrid. The line was long and it took me an hour. But then I went to the Vodafone store, and there was no one, so that even things out. I got my Spanish Sim card with 100 GB of data, unlimited Spain calls and hundreds of international minutes. All for a whopping €15 per 4 weeks. So much cheaper than in the US. A few more errands and then I checked in to my very basic hotel Cervantes.

After my shower, I hightailed it up to the castle, on a rock about 200 m above sea level. I walked around the old town after that, lots of pretty plazas and of course some old churches. I got my first stamp, so I am ready to start walking early tomorrow. But now I am ready for bed and hoping I will sleep well.Read more