Santa Pola/Alicante

After we came up with the idea that Nicole should inquire in various Facebook camping groups about the occupancy situation near Alicante, we managed to secure the second-to-last spot at Camping Bahia in Santa Pola. The next 5 nights are therefore guaranteed. This is the stronghold of Scandinavians. But we'll come back to that later...

Santa Pola is a medium-sized town near Alicante. On the promenade, you can see mass tourism with many high-rise buildings that currently appear deserted. Opposite the campsite are salt flats. During a walk in the salt flats, we unexpectedly and much closer were able to observe flamingos again. One day we visit Alicante and are surprised how beautiful and unusual the old town is. Many small colorful houses built directly on the mountain. Behind the large marina, you can spend a lot in the city center if you want to. One day is not enough to explore all the neighborhoods of Alicante. Therefore, we limit ourselves to only a small part. Another destination is Elche. A city 20 minutes away from Santa Pola. The highlight of this city is a huge palm park that runs through the city along a river.

On the second-to-last evening, Rocky turned out to be a little rescue dog. During our goodnight walk, we walk the same route as usual and Rocky growls at something lying on the ground about 3 spots away from us. Nicole just says that it is probably trash and that Rocky should calm down. Maria turns around and takes a closer look because Rocky doesn't stop growling. We discover an unconscious man lying on the gravel in front of a motorhome. It is clear that we must get help as he does not respond to Maria's attempts to wake him up. At first, the woman in the motorhome also does not react to Maria's knocking. Luckily, the security guard is quickly found and he quickly calls an ambulance. He also wakes up the woman, who then explained that the man is simply drunk. Her statement was only 'He is a fault' and she pulls on her husband. Initially, she didn't want the ambulance to come at all, probably because she is used to it with her husband. But the security guard prevails. At times, all parties involved were not sure if the man was still breathing. From that point on, the woman was frightened and, at the instruction of Maria, fetched a blanket and a pillow so that the man would not cool down too much and his head would still rest on the gravel. The paramedics speak little English, so Maria helps with translation until an Englishman interprets. The nearly 80-year-old Swede treated himself to so much brandy that even his wife didn't know how much it was. One night in the hospital and the next day we see the man again, relatively fit, bustling around his pitch. A little scare just before going to bed. Somehow also incomprehensible. The security guard and the Englishman who was called in as an interpreter tell us that something like this apparently happens more often. Recently, a 70-year-old woman drank 4 beers on an empty stomach, fell headfirst out of her caravan, broke her collarbone, and had to be stitched up on her head with several stitches. Well, it seems that it's not always the young people. Of course, you could now say that luckily he was just drunk because at this age, completely different things can happen. That's why we were quite shocked for a moment. Somehow a little retiree freak show here...

Tomorrow we will continue towards Valencia.