Gran Alacant

After a week in Barcelona we took a train to Alicante, and were picked up by our hosts, and then on to Gran Alacant, which is just down the coast. Gran Alacant seems to be mostly holiday homes. The fact that the Full English Breakfast is on the menu at a few local restaurants tells you that a lot of Brits spend time here! Gran Alacant is not a cultural centre by any means, but we were there for the beach. Perfect weather, a nice laid-back atmosphere, and our very first chance to dip our toes in the Mediterranean Sea. Alicante itself apparently has an old, historical part of town that is interesting, but we never got there.

I did our grocery shopping at the local Mercadona, which is a nice, clean, well-stocked supermarket. Just a note that you have to weigh and label your own produce. I was unaware of this, and I think I made an enemy for life at the checkout! It's interesting how slightly disorienting it is to grocery shop when almost everything is slightly different than what you're accustomed to at home (Canada, in our case). The milk was always in Tetrapaks for example, and what we use as coffee cream doesn't seem to exist in Spain. Not that it matters because café con leche is awesome!

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After a week of relaxation and amazing weather, it was time to head to our next stop, Granada. Because there is no direct train service from Alicante to Granada, so we had pre-booked a rental car with National/Atesa. We picked a great little Citroen Picasso and were on our way!

How to get around in Gran Alacant.

A bit of an English influence.

And a few pics of the local scenery.