The weekend after July 4, we made a trip to Alicante. Cindy planned this in May once we thought we could see an end to the lockdown. The hotel was offering a great deal, fully refundable, so what did we have to lose? We booked a 4-day stay.

As it turns out, we picked a great weekend to get away. It was just starting to get really hot in Valencia and we were definitely pretty tired of seeing the same four walls. Even the city was getting too familiar. We picked up our car at the airport and hightailed it south for two hours to Alicante.

Looking back at Sella from the trail.

Our first stop was a village called Sella (say-ya) just outside Benidorm. There’s a Britcom about Benidorm and the very middle-class British folks who spend their summers there. It isn’t complimentary and I can’t actually say how closely it hews to the reality; suffice to say we were happy to give Benidorm itself a wide berth. At any rate, Sella is a hill town located at the confluence of two rivers (“rivers”), the Riu Sella and the Barranc de l’Arc (“Ravine of the arch” according to Google Translate), which have allowed the valley to be irrigated and cultivated for over a thousand years. Evidently they used to grow grains along with fruit and olives at least as far back as the Moorish occupation. There was a mill at the confluence of the two rivers and terracing that allowed the steep hillsides to be cultivated.

Looking up the valley of the Barranc de l’Arc.

The terraces of course only went as high as where they could get river water, so there’s a very clear point where the cultivated land cuts off and the rest of the valley is natural. The location sits at the feet of steep granite (?) mountains and is very picturesque. The area is still actively under cultivation. We saw olives, oranges, lemons, limes and artichokes with our un-trained eyes.

We had a little difficulty finding the start of the trail in town. This may become a recurring theme, as the hike details were a little sketchy. Once we found it, it was great, with painted blazes at the key points in the hike and a signboard in town showing the route. I think the Spanish are very hiker friendly but we haven’t quite unlocked the code in the route descriptions.

At any rate, from town we dropped down into the bottom of the valley, eventually coming to the confluence of the two rivers.

Handy man special! You can put your own mark on this property with its fine bones. Seller motivated!

Riu Sella

Barranc de l’Arc comes in just a bit away from the Sella. The wall is from an old water driven flour mill.

We then climbed back up the other side of the river and followed the Barranc de l’Arc to where we could cross at the Font del l’Alcántara (“Source of the Alcántara”), a little spring, and then we made our way along the other side of the river back to town. It was a good walk and another little bit of insight into the country.

So then we hopped back into the car (A/C!) and drove down the coast to Alicante.

The town is dominated by the Castell de la Santa Barbara.

We stayed in a nice hotel, maybe a bit past its prime, right on the beach. We totally played tourist, sampling some of the good food that could be found in town, visiting the castle and hanging on the beach.

The castle was in continuous use from the ninth century through the middle of the seventeenth century. The location was first established by the Moors, then the Spaniards took over and added on after the Reconquista. It was kept in shape and upgraded to guard against the Berber Pirates until the time when modern weaponry rendered it indefensible. The city has turned it into a nice little tourist draw although many of the services were closed thanks to Covid.

Nobody going to sneak up by sea.

Totally dominates the coast for miles.

Crime is a little bit of a problem.

Did I mention the castle dominates the coast?

Remains of the old chapel. I thought it was interesting that the only things really still standing were the arches.

Nobody’s going to sneak up by climing either.

At the bakery / kitchen, among the grinding wheels. A seagull had a nest nearby and did not like having us around.

In town, behind the beachfront tourist area, was a typical Spanish city with maybe better ethnic food choices than we’ve found yet in Valencia. We found a delish gluten-free Italian restaurant and the next night we came back to the restaurant next door, Mish Mish, which serves a mix of middle eastern and Mediterranean food, with recepies that extend to Pakistan. Also with gluten free options and also delicious.

The waterfront promenade at night

Dramatic evening sky

And that was our weekend getaway to Alicante.