One Day At A Time: Gran Alacant.
During the week I made a shocking discovery. Jennifer over at My Sardinian Life, a great blog which you should check out, asked me where my favourite place in the world was. Automatically I answered: my favourite place is where my family is. This fact wasn´t anything new to me, I have always been one to say that but, what was new, I discovered I have never really shared my favourite place with you. I spend all my time talking about all these fantastic places that I have visited yet failed, apart from the odd photo, to share the most important place in the world to me, shocking! So when I saw that the weekly image of life theme, on Island Travelers blog, was discovery I thought this was the perfect chance to allow you to discover more about my favourite place! So sit back and relax while I take you on a journey through a magical part of Spain: Gran Alacant.
Having made my shocking discovery on Wednesday night I decided to wake up early on Thursday morning and rectify it by going on a photo mission. I should really learn not to make plans; when I woke on Thursday it was raining! Good intention gone out the window, not one to let things get me down, I made the most of the day and spend it indoors relaxing with my family. That´s one good thing about Spain, rain will never get you down because you know it will never last too long!
I was right, I woke this morning to find the sunlight dancing through my bedroom window, fantastic! I told P and J my plan for the morning, I thought it would be a nice break for P to get out and about and the route I was planning on doing is one of his favourites, before he got sick he used to walk this beautiful route at least four times a week! So we made a morning of it!
Seeing as the route isn´t suitable for wheelchairs we drove, stopping every now and again to soak up the atmosphere and take some snaps on my phone, I feel I have been neglecting Fotoroom since I got it so figured I´d make the most of it today!
Gran Alacant is a beautiful area, it has everything going for it, with the best of both worlds: beach and mountain. If you want a commercial holiday its newly developed area has a variety of bars, restaurants, shops and nightclubs to satisfy all your needs. However, if you are like me and prefer something a little more original, then its protected area is what you’re looking for!
I remember when I first came to this area, thirteen years ago now, it was nothing like anything I had ever experienced before. As we drove down this extremely narrow roadway, the scenic road from Santa Pola to Gran Alacant, I must have caught at least a hundred flies with my mouth, it was so wide open with surprise. It´s called the scenic route for one very good reason; its views of the mountains to your right and the sea to your left are like something out of a movie. As one of my family members has said about the area: it´s like stepping into a wild west movie, and that´s exactly what it is. Miles of unspoilt, preserved beauty. Something that´s very hard to find nowadays here in Spain.
What I love about it is, even after thirteen years, every time you explore this area you discover something new. Its got a number of little grottos and churches dotted along the roadway, some fantastic pants and trees, dunes, cliffs, the sound of the waves crashing off the rocks and the odd few paragliders who make their way from the cliff tops by the lighthouse to the wide open areas by the sea. As I said it´s got everything!
Another fantastic thing about this area is, for all those birdwatchers and animal lovers out there, the natural reserve which is home to many endangered animals in this area. It is an area where birds, snakes, and other animals are left to roam safely in their natural environment without cages. What more could you ask for?
So much has to be said about nature. All the fabulous architecture in the world can´t compare with areas like this. I could spend hours in this rugged area admiring its natural beauty, in fact, I have spent hours there. To me, the best thing about it is that it´s wild, untouched and always will be. No one has put a stamp on this area apart from nature.
One thing that I will never understand about people who visit Gran Alacant is why they never explore this route. The majority, not all, of the people who visit here don´t even know this area exists. It remains a hidden treasure, one that is only appreciated by locals and a few cyclists that visit the area. To me this adds to its beauty, the fact that it´s undiscovered, that it´s a secret!
I feel I´ve done enough rambling for today’s post. My words are most likely ruining the beauty that I am trying to convey. So without further delay I will leave you with some photos which should show you, better than my words can, what I love about the area. After all, a picture is worth a thousand words, so why ruin this area with any more of mine, I´ll let the pictures do the talking instead! Enjoy!
To see other bloggers interpretations of the theme check out Island travelers blog here.
Have you ever been to Gran Alacant? What did you think?
As always, thank you for reading,
Until the next time,
Giana
xoxo
Chasing Butterflies 