Alicante - Festival 2017
We had been invited to attend the Marriage of my husband's client's (Mr. Jose Antonio Martinez Martinez) daughter's (Sofia) marriage in his hometown - Elche, Alicante, Spain.
Marriage was on 24th June, 2017. We reached 2 days before as we would in India for a marriage! :)
The father of the bride came to pick us up. While we drove from Elche airport to our Hotel, the view outside reminded me of a desert. Dry and with date palms & olive trees. Lots of vacant areas with no house or vegetation.
They had booked a fine place for us to stay. After the fiasco in London...I had a great shower!!
Then Martinez picked us up and we went out for dinner.
I had a hard time finding food to eat. French fries and some mushrooms. That is all.
And holding a conversation with a woman (Martinez's wife Toni) who knows almost no English; was indeed tough. Thank God, we women can converse on some universal topics - dress picked for marriage, colours chosen, make-up, nail polish and most important....emotions!! (How was she feeling seeing her baby getting married? and such...)
23 June 2017, Alicante
We had nothing to do. My husband had no beard to trim and I did not want to visit a parlour in this country. So we went to Alicante.
Jose said that the 'festival' was going on. Good food, boom-boom (fire crackers) and dance. It was the festival of Moors (?). Alicante is first captured by the Moors and then the Christian reconquer it. That is the cause for celebration centuries later too. Just like us, Indians. Need a small reason and 'boom-boom'.
We took the train to Alicante from Elche.
There was this cute dog travelling with us; who sneezed on me. His name: Thai
First sight of the sea.
We went to a street called Rambla Mendez Nuenas. Till we reached this street, all was normal...
But this street!
Traffic was blocked. People were dancing, drinking and eating. Eateries were set up on the road. There were drummers drumming away....
Watch a video here and here.
It was amazing!!
Non-vegetarian food everywhere. I remembered Obelix, a lot!
And at the very end of all the drumming, there were fireworks.
This drumming and Fireworks....The Spaniards were so proud of it. I wish they would come to see Thrissur Pooram. Yeah, women will not be as safe as in Alicante and the firework in India is in no way scientific.....But the scale of what we have here in Kerala; is so humongous.
We had wanted to visit a very famous hill in town; which we skipped because of the festivities.
They had made so much statues, all over the place. I think there is some competition for the best looking one.
We saw some pretty young girls walking in traditional wear. They all looked like princesses.
These huge dolls were making their way back home!
It was so hot in Alicante and it was time for lunch. I prayed I would get something to eat. We relaxed in a family run eatery - Ca Soler, Calle Rafael Altamira.
Yummiest Green Chillies. Just deep fried in olive oil and dusted with salt. And it was not 'picante'. It was very mild in spiciness.
Time to go back to El'che and get dressed for the evening festivities at the Bride's house.
The Martinez girls and I.
Bride -Sofia, Sarah and Sylvia with me.
And Oscar, the groom had 2 singers belt out romantic numbers for his bride - Sofia. Quite Romantic.
The father danced with his 'little girl' who was to get married the next day.
We got back to our room, quite late.
Spaniards love to live life slowly. They enjoy themselves a lot and take things easily.
Anyway, by 11 pm, I realised that there was no 'real' dinner. Liquor kept flowing and I satisfied my appetite with chips, olives and some bite-size sandwiches. :D
I was surprised to see the amount of work the groom and his family did. I cannot imagine the Indian groom's side lifting a finger on the day before the marriage.
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