Guadelest - Callosa - Altea - Thanksgiving

A 5 hour walk from Guadelest to (almost) Callosa. My feet ached afterwards but, aside from a little fatigue, I hardly noticed the time. The mountain scenery was amazing and every turn was a new vista. There were very few houses along the way, a few roadside restaurants. We took a break to eat tuna, stale bread, apples and drink a bottle of wine, which was totally worth carrying for 5 hours. I say almost Callosa because we started hitch-hiking just outside of the city. A couple of French expatriates, who live in Altea but have a farm near Guadelest, drove us to Altea. They were a very nice couple who had also been collecting the last of the almond harvest. We hadn't planned on going into Altea but they recommended it and dropped us off downtown, that's where I took these photos. It was Sunday evening, all the supermarkets were closed, and the train to Alicante was leaving in 15 minutes. I bought a 2 euro bottle of wine from the bar accross from the train station and it was my only offering to the incredible Thanksgiving dinner my Canadian friends hosted. I was planning on making egg salad for the first time, but I late enough as it was.

Guadelest

Here are some initial images of Guadelest and Benimantel. This area is only about a 1.5 hour journey by car from Alicante, but it is very distinct. It is in the mountains, as you can see, and the population is just over 500 people. I picked almonds right from the trees. More photos to come.

Castillo de Santa Barbara

This is the Castillo de Santa Barbara in Alicante. Originally a Moorish castle until it was christianized after the reconquista. Including the neighborhood built into the side of the mountain it takes about an hour to hike to the summit. You can also drive nearly to the top. Being Spain, there are three cafes in the castle.

Cartagena

When I got off the bus in Cartagena at about 9pm, I heard drums beating a march. I followed the sound into the center of the city. I soon arrived at Roman parade, part of a two week Roman festival in Cartagena. It seemed like everyone in the city and lined the street for the parade. Whole families set their dinner tables on the sidewalk to watch the parade as they ate. Bars, their patrons and their drinks, spilled out onto the sidewalks. The party dissolved shortly after the parade and I found a hostel. The owner slept on a cot behind the front desk. When you come in late at night you have to ring a buzzer that wakes him up so he can let you in and give you the key to your room. In the morning I toured the city and visited a Civil War museum inside of a bomb shelter. Cartagena was a strategic port in Republican territory during the war and was therefore heavily bombed by the fascists. I would have liked to stay another night in Cartagena (the festival was continuing that evening) but there are only a few hostels in the city and they are all expensive.