Costa Blanca- Javea, Denía, Altea, y Calpe

The past two weekends USAC has taken us on day trips to the other cities along Costa Blanca. The first trip was June 2 and we went to Javea and Denía. Javea was first and it began with a hike up a mountain. As we got higher and higher, the world got smaller and smaller. When we got to the top we sat at the top with our legs dangling over the edge. Nicole looked at me and said "This is so worth $10,000." We all agreed. The bus picked us up at the top of the mountain thankfully, and drove us to Denía for lunch. Lunch in Spain is the biggest meal of the day. It usually consists of a couple courses and dessert. We all had lunch together because it was paid through USAC. It began with a salad of fresh vegetables, fried vegetables, and croquettas (which are delicious, but hard to explain so just look it up). We then had tortilla con patatas which is alot like a Quiche with eggs and potatoes. Then came the Paella which is a special rice dish in Spain and is very popular. The food was delicious and we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming and sleeping on the beach in Denía.

The next field trip was the following Saturday and we went to Altea and Calpe. Altea was first. It´s a sleepy little residential town with lots of stairs, white apartments, beautiful views, and sleepy little cafés. We spent about an hour there before heading to Calpe. Calpe was beautiful. It´s a great city for outdoor activities. We saw people scuba diving, rock climbing, sailing, and anything else you can imagine. It´s famous for the large rock in the middle of the town. We ate here and it was a very similar meal except it was the paella with noodles which I think is called fidaulla... or something. And again, the rest of the afternoon was spent swimming and sleeping on the beach.

And thus began the festival of the moors and the christians in Alicante:

These people know how to put on a show, I´ll tell you what. We went to the parade on Sunday night which was the entrance of the moors into Spain. The costumes were very elaborate, as you can see. There was a ton of detail put into each group of moors marching down the street. There were also camels and dancers and all sorts of amazing sights. They completely outdo Americans as far as parades go. On Monday night, we knew there was to be a battle between the moors and the christians, but did not realize what we were getting into as we walked up the streets and began feeling as if we were walking into a war zone. We were soon walking past spaniards stuffing cotton into their ears when we caught sight of a Christian holding a gun, suddenly he cocked it and a loud bang of fire and smoke ensued. The three of us screamed and jumped but the bang was answered by many more. So we stuffed our fingers in our ears and rushed down the streets. We soon realized one side was filled with Christians and the other with Moors and they were banging away at each other. It was so scary! But so amazing to see! So in some way weirdly fun!

Okay, that´s all for now. I´m loving it here! There are so many things to see and do, yet at the same time it is the most relaxed atmosphere I´ve ever been in in my life. I met a waitor who´s mum is English and his dad is Spanish so he´s completely bilingual and has worked in both countries. He told me he hated London because everyone is always in such a rush and so stressed out. Spain is completely the opposite. The environment is tranquil and the spanish take their time doing everything. They stop to enjoy life.

Here´s the link for more pics: http://unlv.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025070&l=e849d&id=23709871

Here´s the link to the video of the war zone I was in: http://s77.photobucket.com/albums/j79/LittleHazel/?action=view&current=S6300435.flv