Weekend Excursions- Part 1

My first two weekends here in Spain I have had the pleasure of taking two different trips, both of which were incredibly enjoyable! My first weekend I went with two other friends to the island of Tabarca, which is eight miles away from Alicante. All of us had heard great things about Tabarca from our host families  from Marisa, the Assistant Director for our program. After a little research decided making the trip would be worth it. The three of us met at 10:30 on Saturday morning and walked down to the port together. The ferry company we decided to travel with was Cruseros Kontiki as they had good reviews and good prices, 19 euros including the return trip.

The ride out took about an hour and it was a little wavy, but enjoyable all the same. We got into the port and were directed by some locals promoting their restaurants to the town part of the island. It was maybe a two minute walk, as the island is fairly small. To get into the town we had to pass under a rather old looking arch that was between two walls surrounding the sity. The city itself was fairly small as well. The main street was lined with stores selling snorkeling masks and swimsuits, and there were also a lot of fishy smelling restaurants. When we made it to the far side of the island we got to see the very clear water that Tabarca is famous for. The water was greenish blue and we could see the bottom very easily even though the sea was rather wavy. On our walk we discovered a little cove area where there were people snorkeling and enjoying the water. At this point we were all rather hungry so we decided to go to the main beach to have our picnic. We ate quickly as the wind was blowing sand our direction.

After a hurried lunch we decided to walk around the non-inhabited side of the island. The sun came out for us, making the water even clearer,. There were some truly beautiful views of the sea that are definitely worth seeing. The one thing I will be keeping in mind for my next trip is to choose a less windy day. The wind on the island itself wasn't horrible, but on the ferry ride back it became clear how windy it actually was. Thankfully, I do not get seasick, but with the boat rocking from side to side like it did there were a lot of people who did. When we eventually made it to dry  decided we deserved some icecream after that trip! We walked up La Rambla, a main street in Alicante with a lot of restaurants, and stopped at Amorino for gelato! It was delicious and a very good end to our trip!

More to come soon on my trip to Valencia, Spain this last weekend!