8:45am. My body has an internal alarm clock, I’m sure of it.

Though I’m in no rush to move. The sun is already burning through the curtains and the sounds of splashing into the pools can be heard in the distance.

It’s not until about 11ish that we make a move. I’ve got some unboxing to do. Alex is always working so hard taking such good photos for my blog, I thought it would be nice to organise a little something for him to have, instead of me (though I still got something too!).

He has a new Daniel Wellington watch. We’re going to look so extra matching. Completely ready for it.

His is black, mine is white with a replaceable rose gold strap. They also sent a gorgeous rose gold cuff too!

I have my usual café con leche, though neither of us can decide what to eat today. We have a few games of clash royale.

The day seems to pass by quickly, yet we haven’t done anything. I decide to set up the next round of my Twitter European Breaks Olympics.

I’m secretly not so secretly rooting for my own cities to win. C’mon Seville and Rome!

I sit and wonder about Elizabeth in Maryland. The time there now must be about 11:00, I wonder what the weather is doing. Is it sunny where she is?

I don’t know a lot about Maryland, other than that it’s pretty close to Washington DC. I wonder what she’s getting up to. I wonder if she’s enjoying her festival. Is she wondering what I’m up to?

That’s when it clicked, perhaps we should go and do something interesting.

It’s 17:00 before we finally head out and take the bus to xoxo Benidorm. I’ve been told it’s the Benidorm equivalent to Peggy Porschens.

I’m expecting very instagrammable milkshakes – we’ll see! We’re on a very crowded bus into Benidorm, costing 1.50€ each. Somebody tries to get on and pay the bus with a 100€ note… not a chance.

It’s pretty windy today, it almost feels, dare I say it? Autumnal. I even turned to Alex and said “I feel cold” revolutionary. Autumn is coming. I’m ready. Although, I checked the weather and it was still mid-twenties…

I’m absolutely starving. My tummy rumbles in disapproval for our late breakfast slash lunch slash early dinner.

We get into Benidorm a little after 17:30 and into XOXO Benidorm. It’s just off Avenida Mediterráneo.

The decor is pretty modern hipster style and it really does make for some good Instagram shots. But, the milkshakes, oh my, the milkshakes – they were so creamy and so filling.

I make a mental note to come back and try the food here.

We went on the recommendation of one of my students and it didn’t disappoint. They’re 8€ a milkshake, which is on par with most ice creams around Benidorm.

The milkshakes have a pudding sprawled at the top, Alex had a waffle, I had a brownie. The brownie was incredible. Alex says the same about his waffle.

Surprisingly, we both finished out milkshakes, more or less!

Just as we’re leaving there are whispers of “es Mr Alex?!“. Then shouts of “MR ALEX!“. There sat in XOXO Benidorm is a group of Alex’s students. XOXO Benidorm really must be the place to go.

We then headed for the number 10 bus to Altea. If there’s a bus journey to make you feel queasy it’s sitting on the back of the Altea bus. Slowing down for speed bumps is not an option.

In fact, stopping at all is barely an option.

We get into Altea a little after 18:30. There isn’t a lot of sign of the fiestas, other than the medieval castle is perched outside the church.

It makes me think back to last year when we watched the procession with the children in their gorgeous little outfits and the rockets being set off from the viewpoint.

We take a few photos of an unimpressed Alex in his new early Christmas present. He’s not used to being the one in front of the camera.

It’s funny because only today we saw a meme where it says in the UK they have CCTV but in Spain, they have elderly women. It’s so true.

We were there no more than a minute before women surfaced to the balcony to keep an eye on us. No harm to be done, just trying to get wall and flower aesthetics, promise!

We sit in the Plaza de la Iglesia in La Mascarada and have a glass of wine and a caña, it’s nice sitting out in the cool breeze watching the sky turn from blue to pink.

You can just about see the waves of the Mediterranean Sea.

We check the tram and see that one leaves for Benidorm just after 20:00. We walk down and in a matter of minutes, we’re at the train station.

Today, it is the European Day of Free Transport, which means we can travel on the tram without paying. It does not seem a year since I had my free ride to work last year! It’s a great initiative to encourage people to not use their car for the day and take the tram instead.

We get back an hour or so later and have chicken nuggets and fries for dinner. Alex is playing Fifa and I’m typing up my day.

The sun has set on another day in Benidorm, though the heat seems to have turned up. It’s time for bed.

Similarities and Differences between Maryland, USA and Alicante, Spain

Does anybody else feel like bursting into song? Good Morning, Baltimore!

For those of you that don’t know, Maryland is a state on the East Coast of the USA. The most populous city is that of Baltimore, where Elizabeth was documenting from.

Maryland, similar to Alicante is surrounded by a body of water, however, Maryland is filled with rivers, creeks, streams, lakes, ponds and, of course, the Atlantic Ocean. Now, we can proudly say we have the beautiful, calm blue Meditteranean Sea, but we definitely lack the “rivers and creeks” thing!

Similarly to Benidorm, Baltimore doesn’t have as many famous tourist attractions as its neighbouring areas, like Washington D.C – I can only imagine that the residents like it that way. Although the population is huge, it’s said that “Smalltimore” still feels like a little town, one where you can’t leave the house without seeing somebody you know.

I can’t help but think that it’s pretty similar to Benidorm. Although a large percentage of the people here are tourists, lots of them are returning tourists so you get to know them. Then, the rest of the people, you see them so often that you feel like you know them. I guess the small town feel can co-exist in a big city.

Unlike Benidorm, in my opinion, Baltimore boasts some interesting and intricate architecture. It does look like a dazzling city. Similarly to here, there are lively pockets of nightlife, just like here, there are plenty of places to have a dance.

After searching on Google, I found that “education and health services, financial activities, and leisure and hospitality were the major industries” [source: City Data]  in Baltimore which coincides with the popularity of leisure, tourism and hospitality that is so popular here.

Spain, on the whole, loves a good bit of tapas and a paella. The most unique to this region is the Valenciana. Similarly, in the seafood department, Baltimore is home to the famous crab cakes. However, Baltimore also has a little unique gem, which is known as Berger cookies.

The weather at this time of year is relatively similar, even down to the humidity and temperature. I guess Benidorm and Baltimore go hand in hand!

Don’t forget to read Elizabeth’s account over here: www.moondustwanderlust.com

Next Time:

Next time, we’ll be comparing the similarities and differences between living in Alicante, Spain and Prague, the Czech Republic!

Want to know all about life in Prague? Well, stay tuned because next time, I’ll be teaming up with Chloe from simplykhloe.com to bring you A Day in the Life in Prague, the Czech Republic compared to Alicante, Spain.

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Hasta luego,

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