España: Days 82-86 (El Campello & Valencia)

Day 82 & 83:

Monday, 26 and Tuesday 27 of September we ate at La Espiga for pizza, home for pasta, La Tasca Marinera for our Ensalada Mitxa and fish then a new (to us) restaurant called PiPo.

Pizza del Soltero sin queso at La Espiga

Home-cooked meal: spaghetti con pimientos y olio

Hand carved wood from Senegal by Loo

Our new friend, Loo, from Senegal. Loo is quite the artest and sells his goods around La Playa Campello until he returns to Senegal for holidays with his family.

We usually have cava at La Tasca Marinera so when our waiter asked if we wanted to finish the 1/2 bottle they had leftover, we said claro que si (of course)!

Penne with garlic olive oil at PiPo

Montelciego 2013 Crianza Rioja at PiPo

Gnocchi arrabiata at PiPo

Day 84:
This morning I woke up a little earlier than I wanted to but I got to see the beautiful sunrise! I could not go back to sleep so I studied my Español. Today I am going to meet Scott in Alicante so we can have lunch at Thai Corner after his class. As I was starting to walk to the tram station, Scott called me and said he was not going to the second session of class. They usually have 2 hours with one teacher, break, and then 2 more hours with another teacher. I believe that you learn based on the teacher your are given. Some teachers have a style that you might vibe with and others do not. Another factor is the students that surround you. I will say that I have always had a hard time in class settings which is the main reason I decided to not go to this school and instead sought private lessons. When learning a language it is hard to cope with others in class laughing at you or making you feel stupid. I am not talking about elementary or high school, I am talking about adult life. I could have probably been fluent in Italiano by now if 1) a woman older than I had not made fun of me in class years ago at the lingual Institute and 2) I had the money to continue to learn. So when Scott said he was having a hard time, I could understand 💯%. I hopped on the tram to meet him so we could still have lunch. Scott was in what I call a Spanish funk and I hate seeing that. Since we are leaving for our 2 week trip on Friday, he decided to take the rest of the week off. we went to Thai Corner for lunch and when we finished, I suggested we get an order to go so we can have it for dinner... although I forgot we have reservations at Bar Merfin!

Sunrise over the Mediterranean!

A day in Alicante...

Chicken dish at Thai Corner

I forget the name of my dish but it is with chicken and #21 on the menu at Thai Corner

After some mild rain comes a rainbow at home in Campello!

Tocat De L'ala 2013 vino tinto at Bar Merfín

Day 85 & 86:
We gave another try to La Terra for lunch on Thursday the 29th and enjoyed it much more this time! the patata bravas are absolutely delicious here.

Patatas Bravas at La Terra

Hamburger at La Terra

Chicken burger at La Terra

Viridiana vino tinto at La Terra

On Friday we began our road trip which will keep us away for a couple of weeks and I am so excited to see my friends and celebrate my birthday!!! We start in Valencia of course....
During this Valencia visit, we did not get to stay at our usual hotel because it was super expensive for the night so we tried a different place that is dog friendly, Casual Valencia Vintage. we drove around in circles before we found it. The sign is not very visible when you are in a car. This place is cute and we had a balcony room which is always nicer. I know Scott has been craving an Acai bowl so I did some research before and had a place in mind...We ate lunch at Almalibre Acaí Bar where the acai bowl options are endless. we actually got the same thing in ours and we ordered the hummus plate along with an organic wine. This place is healthy, gluten-free and really fucking good. I absolutely loved the woman who was helping us. We learned that she is Argentinian although she barely has an accent. Her English and Español as perfect and she went ahead and spoke mostly Español to us because we told her we are both learning the language. I really appreciate the people out there that are patient and helpful with us when they know we are trying to learn and speak the language.

Our room at Casual Valencia Vintage 

Balcony view at Casual Valencia Vintage 

Balcony view at Casual Valencia Vintage

Outdoor seating at Almalibre Acai Bar

Best service at Almalibre Acai Bar!

Marsilea Premier organic vino tinto at Almalibre Acai Bar

Acaí bowl with strawberries, bananas and granola at Almalibre Acai Bar

Hummus plate at Almalibre Acaí Bar

We made our way to Playa Malvarrosa to meet up with our friend, Donny, and then headed back toward Centro to go to a restaurant I had researched but along the walk I noticed some good looking bocadillos so I said let's go here instead! Beher does not have pollo so I went ahead with the Iberico Jamon and it was absolutely amazing! Let me just reiterate for anyone who does not know me, I do not like ham. I am in love with this jamon (in small doses like this).

Bocadillos at Beher

Beher in Valencia

Ali's Valencia Road Trippin' Playlist:

1. Mama Said by Lukas Graham
2. Freedom by Anthony Hamilton, Elayna Boynton
3. Pack Up by Eliza Doolittle