Espana: Days 5 - 9

Day 5:

Our first Monday in El Campello started out with taking Coco to the vet that was recommended: Clinica Veterinaria Campello, S.L.

We walked in and they were able to see us within 15 minutes which was great! We were told by the fellow ex-pat, Paul, to see the French guy but without an appointment, we were fine seeing another vet in the office. I believe the vet we saw is Juan Ramon Lorenzo Soto. He was extremely helpful in making sure we know what to do when going to Italy and of course back to the states. After looking at all our paperwork, he said its not necessary to have a passport for her but you know me, I still want it. I already bought her a passpory holder and I think its going to be so cute! The vet commented on how amazing Coco's teeth looked, especially for being a Dachshund! Thank you Dr. Liz and Gina 😆 

We also had him trim her nails and he encouraged us to file them down on our own regularly but this is not something Coco will allow me to do. She was a perfect angel for the vet but that will not translate over for me.

On our way out, we ordered a new name tag for her with my Spanish phone number.

Clinica Veterinaria Campello

Unfortunately today I woke up with excruciating back pain. It hasn't been this bad in a while and it kept me up all night. I tried stretching and even laid on the hard ground part if the night to try and feel better but nothing really helped. 

Because of this we didnt do much walking other than the vet and lunch so during siesta I did some research on where I could get a massage.

On our way back from the vet, we stopped for lunch at il Cuore di Napoli where I had the Sea Bass (Lubina) and we tried the Lambrusco Rosado. I love this place and you will get more updates as I continue to go there!

Lambrusco Rosado "Gabriele y Margherita"

Lubina (seabass) at il Cuoro di Napoli

We have been trying to search for journals so we can each keep track of our own adventures and opinions on life so we went along our boardwalk in search for this! Scott found his at a shop called Ale-Hop. I wasnt in love with any of the journals for myself so my hunt continues. I really do love this shop though! They have all kinds of accessories  (phone covers, pens, jewelry, clothing, etc.).

Day 6:
Today we rented a car for the day so we could drive into the city (Alicante) which is only 20 minutes from us. A couple things to keep in mind: there are not many street signs, the stop lights do odd things and there are roundabouts everywhere. We should have read up on driving here because I'm confused and I'm not even driving! On top of that, I'm supposed to help Scott with directions from my Google Maps. It is well known that I hate doing this. My directions make no sense to me so how can I even direct him or help look out for streets or turns when I am confused myself?! Our first stop was supposed to be a pet store called Madagascar Mascotas that I researched back in the states. Well, because he decided to take the coast instead of the highway, the store was no longer on the way...so we argued for a minute and decided to go there on the way back.

On we continued to the city center...oh and I plan to get a massage after doing research the night before. There is a place at the Melia Hotel called Wellness Center Alicante. I was so happy that they were able to take me right then and there especially because I was a walk-in. Details on my massage experience will come later but I will say 1 positive was that it got the job done but the negative was my discomfort caused by the male masseuse.
After the massage, we went to an outdoor restaurant called Spiga. The Sangria was good, the bread was great but my pasta was eh. Scott did enjoy his lasagna though!

Finally on to get my new Nespresso machine!!!! We could have been in and out of there quickly but if I signed up as a European Nespresso member, I get all kinds of money off and specials. I ended up getting the exact same model machine along with 150 additional pods and free Nespresso cups & saucers for only $150 USD....again, that price is unheard of in the states! Last year Scott got me the same Nespresso machine on Gilt for $120 and that was on sale (reg price I think is around $200). That did not come with all the goodies either. Cray is all I got to say! 🤗

We are now ready to leave the city center and find this pet supplies shop! We found it fine (although not easy to get in to the lot coming from that direction) and as we walked in, we were amazed my how big it was. It's not just cat and dog stuff which is why its so big. Think of a Petsmart or Petco (I know my fellow Kriser's peeps, I wish I didn't have to compare it to that) but this place has so much potential. They are on a good path with some of their offerings such as Orijen and Acana. We only bought Orijen freeze dried lamb treats but maybe the next time we go, they'll have more (fingers crossed). I will say it's good to know it's there if we are ever in need.

Madagascar Mascotas in Alicante

Familiar heathly brands Orijen & Acana

Coco wont need anything for a while because her 2 boxes full of her goodies arrived today!!! They barely made it though! The boxes were so torn and smushed. One box actually had an entire side open. The other side of it was resealed by USPS because it was damaged along the way. In the boxes were her 2 Plush Pet Beds, her HuggleHounds Snuggle Mat, 2 Susan Lanci blankets and a cuddle cup...as well as everything pictured (and tons of her toys not pictured...lol):

Coco's Kriser's goodies!
Fab Dog, True Blue, Poop Bags, RC Pet, Ruffwear, Plato, Primal, Stella & Chewy, Pet Kelp, Gooby!

There is a Chinese restaurant less than a block from our place that Scott has been wanting to try so we went over there for dinner. We were both very happy with our meals and appetizers at Restaurante Chino Hong Kong so expect us to be back (and look out for more updates in the restaurant section)...

Fried rice & Chicken

Day 7:
Another beautiful day in El Campello but now with a nice breeze! Its Wednesday and now I can enjoy my cups of Nespresso espresso on our balcony...

Our balcony in El Campello

Today we ventured in a different direction than usual. We walked down to the port to try some lunch at one of the 3 restaurants over there. At Restaurante Club Nautico, we enjoyed the beautiful view of the boats in front of us. It would be really peaceful if this one boat directly in front of us didn't have the loud cord banging against the pole of the sail. Yes, it was windy but it was the only boat having that problem and it wasnt just me that was annoyed. Anyways, we enjoyed our paella "arroz de magro y verduras" which had dark meat chicken and some veggies!
One thing that still goes on in Europe is smoking cigarettes at restaurants. They have improved here by not allowing it inside an establishment but most places allow it on their outdoor patio. Because I'm allergic to cigarette smoke (or at least I believe I am), my eyes started swelling. I also must point out how amazed we are by the amount of parents smoking in their children's faces. It's like, did they never receive the surgeon general's warning?!
On the note of smoking, as easy as it is for any idiot to smoke a cigarette, it is 10x harder to find Marijuana around here. Yes, it is illegal to sell or distribute but it is perfectly fine to grow it yourself. You can find "grow shops" in just about any city. Grow shops sell seeds but are in no way a dispensary. I have 2 issues with this...1) I have never grown pot and am so not a green thumb and 2) it takes at least 6 weeks for Marijuana to harvest and that's considering you dont eff it up! I'll save more of my Marijuana research & development for later 😉

Arroz de Magro y Verduras

View at Restaurante Club Nautico

Coco enjoys her sun time while we eat!

Dinner was at Restaurante La Tasca Marinera...officially our favorite restaurant to date (and I'm writing this on day 14)! Scott was very excited to see they have fried sole and I had the Lunina (seabass). This place has the freshest fish that they get daily.

Restaurante la Tasca Marinera (obvi)

Fried Sole

Lubina (seabass)

Day 8:
Thursday the 14th of July, 2016 and the celebration la Virgen del Carmen begins in this city along with many other cities along the coast of Spain. I'm not going to try to educate any of you on this holiday because I'm ignorant to it myself. I can tell you that she is basically the same as the Virgen Mary and she is the Goddess of the Sea. I read something about many Spaniards back in the day (and maybe even some now), wouldn't go into the ocean until this celebration because Virgen del Carmen protects all from any harm in the sea. Don't quote me though....this is in my own words and my own understanding.

For lunch, we walked along the boardwalk again and a bit further this time. We ended up at Brel, a restaurant that looked pretty cool from the exterior and luckily the menu looked tasty too!!! From the looks of the menu, decor and ambiance, I guess this is a well known chef's restaurant...more about that in the restaurants section. To all my foodie friends, again sorry for my initial ignorance but I'll do some more research soon! Service, food and wine all top notch.

Lambrusco Rosato "i Quercioli"

Pepperoni  (chorizo) pizza

Smoked Salmon Pizza sin (without) queso (cheese)

Postres - espresso para mi

This siesta concept is super difficult for me considering I've never been able to nap and I suffer from insomnia. Coco has gotten the hang of it though...

For dinner we took a walk along the boardwalk again and stopped at a place called Max Pizzeria Restaurante where we had another great Lambrusco Tinto! Scott went for the Insalada Mista and I had the Penne Pesto. The most perfect pesto sauce. So natural, no cream, no pine nuts,  just light. I guess I accidentally deleted the picture of my pasta so I'm just going to have to go back and have it again....oh well.

Lambrusco Tinto

Patatas Bravas

Insalada Mista

As we started our walk home, fireworks began over the sea! Coco was not thirlled but we sat and watched for a bit and they were short but sweet. I love fireworks and I have since I was a kid. I dont love the sound but the beauty is remarkable. Anyone remember my "dream condo" in Santa Monica with the ginormous bathtub and view of the ocean and ferris wheel? Well that ferris wheel always reminded me of fireworks and whenever I couldn't sleep, I would just go watch the ferris wheel. For some reason it was soothing. Sorry, sometimes I degress....

We return home and I get a Yahoo news alert that an attack in Nice, France has just occured. As I read more, I find out that about 30 minutes prior, a huge truck has plowed down 100's of people and already 30 people are reported dead. They were all just watching fireworks in celebration of France's Bastille Day. All we have here are the Spanish news channels and even though I cant understand much, I see the number of people reported dead go from 30 to 60 in a matter of an hour (or less). I try to find news reports online but nothing is as up to date as the Spanish news. Eventually I fall asleep but I wake up to that number of people reported dead from hours before (60) now at 84...this is all so difficult for me to wrap my head around.

Day 9:
Today we went back to La Tasca Marinera for lunch! They certainly remember us and I don't think they'll forget us now. We were given patatas on the house and I believe it was their special patatas...maybe not listed on the menu. Delicious!!! The cava nice and brut, just the way I like it. We also had what is called Pimientos Fritos...very similar to my Pimientos de Padron but these are not padron peppers. The paella is also another favorite.

Happy as can be at Restaurante La Tasca Marinera 😆

Pimientos Fritos

Dominio de la Vega brut Cava

Patatas de la casa

Of course after, I wanted to go in the ocean. The unfortunate thing is that there are signs everywhere along the beach that say "Perros No" meaning No Dogs 👎 So lame. Scott and Coco just wait on the promenade for me and we relaxed on the cement seating so technically I was still able to lay out at the beach! Coco enjoyed herself too...

Coco at El Campello Playa 

We went back the vet to pick up Coco's new I.D. tag and it looks so stinking cute! Passport coming soon too.

Coco's new tag! Follow @coco.espana on Instagram

We wanted to then take Coco over to the rocks just past the port because Coco has shown interest in "rock climbing" however we couldn't get very far with her because for one, you have to pay to get past a certain point but also they dont allow dogs. So we walked to the Tower called Torre Vigia de la Illeta. This tower dates back to the 1550's when pirates from the Barbary Coast tried to invade the land. Watchmen would protect the people from these pirates by looking out from the tower and sending warning signals out all through the coast. Another great thing about this tower is that we can see it from our balcony!

Torre de la Illeta

View near the Torre de la Illeta

Sadly on our walk back home, we witnessed some animal abuse. There are probably a dozen cats that watch over our building morning, day and night and I came across 2 teen looking boys who were chasing and throwing rocks at the cats, laughing. Of course Scott and I yelled at them (Scott yelled in Spanish and I in English)....they eventually left but I am still disturbed by the encounter.

This may start to get old for those of you reading but we went back to La Tasca Marinera for dinner. We both got our usual fish (Scott, sole; me, seabass) but we switched it up for our drink. I think the photo speaks for itself....

Sangria

The celebrations for Virgen del Carmen continue tonight but no official fireworks. Just firecrackers from stupid little punks all too close by to piss off Coco (and us). We went home and tried to distract Coco from all the noise but she mainly slept in the bathroom. Oh and I lost her Rescue Remedy 😣.