Alicante

After five days on the go, learning about many historic places, we were ready for a low-key day to unwind.

Another great aspect of a cruise compared to a land tour is that you can simply enjoy the luxurious comforts of the ship any time you like, and you still arrive at the next destination.  Just head out to your private balcony or a lounge chair by the pool with a book and cold drink to chill out.  If there is no sea day scheduled, simply call time out and take one anyway.

On a Mediterranean cruise, that time aboard in port often includes a fabulous view of the port city, which is particularly true on a small ship like Oceania Riviera, which can fit in some of the most beautiful harbors.

We took advantage of this opportunity to lounge on the Riviera like millionaires on private mega-yachts several times on afternoons, but we always went ashore for at least part of the day.

Alicante arrived to our floating resort at the perfect time for a laid back day.  A gorgeous sandy beach lined by occasional bistros and also a lovely shopping Esplanade are only a short walk from the port.

Julie and I headed off the ship with no particular plan beyond somehow getting to Santa Barbara Castle, an ancient fortress perched 600 feet above the beach.  It's possible to walk up there on a long and winding road, but there's also an elevator (for a small fee) that takes you straight up the cliff side.

When we saw a red Hop-On, Hop-Off bus with seats in the open air top waiting outside the terminal, we paid ten Euro each to take a lap around the city and see the highlights.

On this sunny day, we took seats on the top deck and waited.  And waited.  It began getting hot sitting in the sun, so Julie got off to wait in the shade while I held our seats.  And waited.  And baked.

Finally, enough seats filled to start the trip, so Julie re-boarded.  The bus started by driving up to the fortress summit, but we stayed on to see what the rest of the city had to offer.

It's a lovely Mediterranean city, clean and well-maintained, with lots of restaurants and stores. You could enjoy a nice beach vacation staying here.

The recorded English narration over our ear buds told us about the history and significant buildings, though often not perfectly in sync with what we actually saw, as frequently happens with recordings as opposed to live guides.

My biggest impression of Alicante was how much it reminded me of home, bringing to mind what my late mother-in-law Edna said upon returning from Malaga, Spain.  "It was nice, a lot like Newport Beach."

I'd say Alicante was more like Santa Barbara, but my impression was basically like Edna's.

While the founding of the United States has primarily British, Dutch, French and German roots, it probably goes without saying that California definitely owes much of its architecture and culture to Spain.

In any case, just sitting atop that bus on a sunny day, welcoming the shade of buildings and palm trees when we reached them, was certainly pleasant.

On the second trip around, which came around in less than an hour, we exited at Santa Barbara Castle.

The panoramic views of the Costa Blanca seaside and valleys were the main attractions, but there are other interesting artifacts.  Obviously, this was a military lookout, perfect for protecting the city from attack by Barbary Pirates or the British Navy, and as such there are a few antique cannons still in position.

The remains of an old bakery included stone mill wheels for grinding grains as well as stone lined holes that would have been ovens.  I thought they might be Roman, but reading up on them later, it seems they were probably from later than that, possibly the mid-1500s, as the actual castle only dates back to the 800's,  when Moors ruled most of Spain.  The Romans, however, probably used the summit for military purposes, as some artifacts of Roman and earlier eras have been found on the hillside.

Derived from the Greek name for a Carthagenian military fortress, Akra Leuka (white mountain), founded there in the third century BC, Lucentum was the name the Romans gave ancient Alicante.  There's an archaeological site in town of the original city walls and Roman ruins, with an entrance fee of just two Euro, but it closes for the season on September 15.  Regardless, it was never on our radar on this kicked back day.

While I was checking out the highest ramparts of the castle, someone handed Julie their tickets for the elevator, having decided to walk down, so rather than completing the bus route a second time, we headed literally straight down to the beach.

Once again, not unlike California at all, there were lots of sun bathers enjoying what we used to call "Indian Summer" when I was a boy.

The only difference was that tops for women were optional, though as often is the case, those going topless were not usually the ones you might want to see do so.  Of course as an evolved 21st Century man, I didn't notice.

There are without doubt lots of sumptuous meals to be had with terrific views in Alicante, but we nonetheless headed back to the ship for the buffet aboard Oceania Riviera, selecting delicious treats to enjoy at outdoor tables we enjoyed for breakfast most mornings.

After lunch, we had planned to go to the beach, but Julie opted to sit this one out.  We both put on our bathing suits, with Julie going to one of the plush padded chairs by the pool with a book and me going to the beach.

I hadn't asked our room steward Biyu for a beach towel yet, so rather than spoiling a towel not intended for that purpose, I went without one.  Actually, I prefer to travel light --- maybe not so light as not having a towel to sit on --- and it was nice not having anything in my hands, including a cell phone camera which I feared might get stolen when I went in the water.  I had snapped a couple of pictures while walking with Julie earlier, and I really didn't need any more.

Eventually I went into the surf, which was not big enough for riding but definitely felt refreshing.  I mostly sort of waded around in chest deep water, taking in the gorgeous views of the Castle and the beach.  Without a towel to dry off, I walked down toward a distant jetty, then turned around and walked back.  Before long, the sun had done its job, and I was dry.

I brought enough money for a cold beer at one of the bistros on the beach, which had been the original plan, but sitting by myself is never that much fun and sometimes downright awkward, so instead I walked over to the shopping plaza to check it out.

That didn't take long, as I am not much of a shopper, so I headed back to the ship, where another great evening of world class entertainment awaited as our ship took us toward our next port, Palma de Mallorca.