Paella, Sangria & The Real Deal Of Spain

My shadow in Alicante!

Standard street sign shot!

Unfortunately we only hit one venue in Spain – Alicante, down south on the coast. Upon landing, it looked like you were landing in the middle of a warzone! We immediately nicknamed it Beirut..! Although the name didn’t last for too long! We also learnt pretty quickly that pretty much everything shuts between 2-4 for a siesta! The only places that stay open are tappa’s bars & select restaurants & cafes. The city (& I’m assuming the whole of Spain literally shut down!) Including the theatre! During this time you go and eat for an hour then rest for an hour… Looking at the condition some of the crew came back in after ‘lunch’ on Load In day, rest isn’t always taken..!!

The front entrance of the theatre we were playing! Very elegant!

A beer that I found in France that I loved & have refound in Spain!

I’ve written previously about the frustration & lessons learnt during Load In but Stephan, our Spanish Production Manager from our European Agent’s end (man I feel like such a wanker writing that!) was a fantastic guy. He took Dan & I to great places for lunch where you’d pay 8-9Euro for a three course fixed meal, with a couple of choices for the main. His statement was that you’d pay 5-7 Euro for one course in some places & “here you get same amount & more for only little more!” It reeked of that ‘I Get A Kickback If We Eat Here’… He knew the wait staff, which would be expected if it was good value & he was a regular but I don’t know… It just felt like we were eating at ‘mates rates’. The food was decent, without a doubt & Stephan even shouted a few coffees over our time in Alicante at “the best coffee near the theatre” & it worked… Myself, Dan & Lynda (prob Toni too) returned to these same places when we needed a coffee or a meal between shifts/shows. I’m not saying it was Mafia style or anything like that, it was just a feeling, probably stirred by very apparent versions of the same when travelling through Thailand, Egypt & Cambodia of the good ol’ Tourist Trap.

The inside of the Theatre with a very fancy curtain!

Alicante was also supposed to be ‘The’ place to get paella & seeing as it was beside the sea, there was a very decent variety available… And there was! I must admit, my first paella wasn’t top notch but I did by it in a touristy area at touristy prices and, much like McDonalds, what was on the sign definitely didn’t match up with what arrived on my plate! 6 prawns & 5 mussels less to begin with…! I did however eat a very fine paella on our one & only night off in Alicante. Toni, Dan & I went out for dinner in the “Docklands” (for Melbournians) of Alicante – at a restaurant recommended by Stephan none the less! All very new & fancy with further developments underway but Stephan had told us to stick only to the paella & not to anything else the waiters tried to offer as that was where the ‘traps’ were laid! Basically, they keep on ‘offering’ things without a menu, you of course sit there and say “Oh but of course”, “Why not..?” & are then stung with a greater than expected bill upon exit! We outsmarted them!! It was a delicious meal, accompanied by an excellent bottle of wine.

Lynda, Toni, myself, Stephan & Dan.

One thing that Alicante did open my taste buds to were olives. Now I’ve eaten olives on pizzas and sometimes in cooked dishes but I would generally push them around on a plate if served in a salad & I wouldn’t select to eat them if they’re part of an anti pasto platter or served as a snack. I know that you can get them in all shaped and sizes – feta stuffed, marinated, pitted or not, chilli infused and the list goes on & on occasion I have tried one and it’s not that I detest the flavour, they just haven’t rung as a flavour I hunger after. Especially if there are cheeses, prosciutto, decent dips & let’s not forget salt & vinegar chips (I’d mention the brand preferred by Tango Fire Technicians but they declined to sponsor this Blog!) But… but… Alicante has changed this. When I was out & about exploring, I bought a bunch of postcards and then did my usual & stopped for a beer to fill them out. My beer was delivered with a bowl of green, unpitted olives. They’d been washed but apart from that, they were ‘au natural’. And I was converted! They were great & had a flavour like non I’d ever had before. Granted, I’d never bought olives from a decent deli but I wonder if they can taste the same in Australia..? Needless to say, I devoured the bowl and then promptly worked my way through two more… and two more beers as I figured it’d be rude to just continue ordering more complimentary snacks!
Giz has some time out on a cactus!

Sangria was another interesting find. Now I have consumed sangria on many occasions but all the sangria in Spain tasted very different. It tasted pretty similar in most places I sampled it but very different to what is served as sangria in Aus. The closest tasting sangria by far is served at the Robbie Burns (we’re SO close to signing the sponsorship deal) hotel on Smith Street in Collingwood. Doesn’t sound European but they do great Spanish food & there sangria get’s my “Closest To What I Had Overseas” medal. For those of who don’t know, sangria is basically a fruit punch of red wine (prob where the tastes change, especially between countries!), lemonade, sugar, fresh fruit pieces & lemon juice & then chilled. It’s a very refreshing drink.

The citadel from the Docklands area - quite a steep climb!

Alicante overall was quite a decent town. There was this huge citadel atop a cliff overlooking the ocean. On our day off we walked up the winding roads to it. It was also the 1st of May (May Day) & a Public Holiday so the city was alive with festivities. As we were leaving our hotel a parade meandered it’s way past & further into town. The citadel itself was quite impressive, all made out of sandstone & the view it offered was quite unique. The coastline tapered out to a long & thin peninsular on the left with the town splayed out to the right. It was also good to try my basic Spanish out. It didn’t go too bad but Spanish people (& I mean this in good humour) speak with a lisp..!! They pronounce ‘c’ as an ‘s’ sound. To say muchas gracias (thank you very much) in Argentine it’s “mooch-ass grash-e-ass” in Spanish it’s, “moosh-ess grassy-arsh” – there, that example is as clear as mud..!! Anyhoo, to speak ‘proper’ Spanish one feels as if one must have an over supply of saliva!

Myself, Toni & Dan adapting ourselves into a piece of art...!?!?

I would have liked to hang around for a little longer but alas, Tango beckons and we’re off again!

I have no idea what this sign is indicating what may or maynot be about to happen but I thought it was cool!