We started the day along the coast, going through many different beach side communities. Some reminded us of beach towns in San Diego like Pacific Beach, quaint restaurants and shops with small cute houses, and laid back residents and vacationers that smiled and said Hola as we passed. Others reminded us of over-developed retirement communities in Florida, multi-story high rises and snooty folks that turned up their noses when we said “Buenos días” with uber touristy restaurants and guys hawking “Rey-ban” look-alike sunglasses. We eventually tired of fighting for space on the shared cycling/walking paths and headed inland towards Elche.
I’ve been practicing my Spanish as much as I can. I’m pretty confident ordering food and drinks at restaurants now, and today I successfully had two conversations with Spanish-speakers about our trip, explaining where we started, where we are going, our solar panels, etc. One was a life guard near one of the many beaches we passed, and the other was another patron in a restaurant, who said he’s also been involved with several bike tours through Europe and was excited for us.
We made a quick stop in Elche to have some ice cream and admire the famous palm trees. The main park is beautifully landscaped with palms and other trees.
One of the river beds was recently painted by a group of graffiti artists with some interesting work.
Steve and I have been collecting stickers on our bikes as we travel. Here’s what I’ve got so far.
That actually looks like sidewalk art done with pastels. Gorgeous!!!