A SPANISH PIECE OF HEAVEN!

*Another apology to all my readers I've had computer issues for the past month and haven't been able to do any blogging! How technology can be our best friend and worst enemy i'll never understand. However, here comes a whole lot of updates...Enjoy! xxx

Before my parents made their way back to the shores down under it was time for us to investigate the shores of Spain, as we set off on a holiday for 4 on the Spanish Riviera - Alicante to be precise. Never having been to Espana before I was ready for sun , sea and sangria...and the very good chance that there would be lots of annoying tourists invading my idea of a holiday. What I got (within the first 3 hours) were in fact the three S's (mentioned above) minus the annoying tourists......the beauty of Alicante is that , though it has its main strip of tourist attractions - think a Marina , the main beach and a strip of Palm Trees and market vendors - it also has its little unknown treasures waiting to be discovered. Our hotel , was conveniently located in a quieter part of town and only a 10 euro taxi journey into the main beach. Within hours of arrival we made our way to a private beach recommended by a local (they always know the best spots) and suddenly it felt as though we were on a planet of our own. A beautiful rock beach nestled in a corner of the hill with water as clear as crystal and apparently only the four of us......conveniently for us , above the mainland and up two flights of white conrete stairs sat a quaint little restaurant (the size of most peoples living rooms) with the best Sangria & Seafood Paella in Alicante. The owner spoke barely a word of english , however some how we managed to communicate and suddenly we had discovered a local gem! Sat outdoors, which allowed me to sunbathe and eat simultaneously (hey i'm basically british now and see very little sun) we feasted on amazing cuisine and drank probably just a little too much sangria combined with sun...What followed was 4 wondrous days spent with my beautiful family. We swam, we drank, we ate and we bonded! Highlights included finding a hidden little village with my brother after walking up the hills of the main part of town , what I found interesting was that as its a small town the villagers had to build houses up and into the mountains as there wasn't enough room on the main land. The result is beautiful and some what magical , the view from the top - breathtaking!
On the last morning of our stay my mum and I climbed up the Santa Barbara Castle which sits at the top of Alicante. From most parts of the town you can see it somewhere in the distance and whilst my brother and father decided to sleep in , mum and I were up at the crack of dawn (quite literally) to climb the beast! The result was well worth the effort and it was so beautiful to experience that together with mum , encouraging each other as we made the trek to the top...
Sad as we were to say goodbye it soon came time to leave Sunny Spain and head back to dreary London Town. The 5 days we spent together on the coast was such a lovely break , it bought back memories of family holidays we'd taken as children but now we're all mature adults and our relationship keeps evolving, they're not just my parents and brother any more they're my best friends and going away with your best friends is pretty special! xoxo Deni