Alicante

We weren't quite sure what to do in Alicante so we decided to ride the hop on/hop off bus completely around the circuit and then get off the next time around at the places that seemed most interesting. It was nice and warm and a beautiful day for riding on top and taking in the sights.  Vesta and Brenda above; Judy, Barb and Mom below.

After riding around, we got off at the Santa Barbara Castle.  It's one of the largest medieval fortresses in Europe and covers the summit of Benacantil Mountain. Originally built by the Moors in the 10th century, the castle received its name from the conquest of King Alfonse the Wise on December 4,  1248 -- Saint Barbara's Day.

Looking down from the castle to the city and water below

We did quite a bit of walking and climbing through several levels

Our friends Judy and Dennis (Dennis looks like he's doing a Steve Martin impersonation with an arrow through his hat)

Wall and icon

 Mom stayed below while the rest of us climbed, then we all joined her for a drink and a chat

Enjoying the sunshine!

Alicante was not our favorite stop but perhaps we didn't do enough research to find other interesting things to do.  Barbara and Brenda were fast walkers and liked to try to see everything so we split up and agreed to meet back at the bus stop.  At the appointed time, the rest of us got in line, the  bus came,  but I was reluctant to leave without them. What if they came after we left and then stood there waiting for US?  I am always a little overly responsible! We decided to stay till the next bus, though some of our party were convinced that Barb and Brenda had already left without us.  This is when you need cell phones that work in other countries!  Whew,  finally they came down the hill just as the next bus was pulling in.  We had thought about stopping in Old Town on the way back but we weren't sure where to get off and ended up exiting by the ship's shuttle bus. At that point, we were ready to return and call it a day!