Today we arrived in the port of Alicante, Spain and had the most gorgeous weather! What a change from yesterday in Gibraltar. We were here last August, and I remember Bill calling this city “The Antioch of Spain” for its weather --- hot and dry. Today it was pleasantly warm with bright blue skies and a light breeze.
We signed up for a tour going to the city of Elche, which is just outside Alicante and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its palm grove, the largest concentration of palm trees anywhere in Europe. Throughout the city there are over 200,000 palms. Everywhere you look in Elche, you see palm trees of one kind or another.
Besides its multitude of palms, Elche is known for “The Lady of Elche” which is a stone bust that was accidentally discovered by a farmer in 1897. Further excavations continue to take place in this area where evidence of human presence has been documented from as long ago as 4000 BC. Here’s a replica of the Lady; the real one is in a museum in Madrid.
In the historical quarter of the city, ancient ruins sit side-by-side modern structures.
What an impressive city Elche is! We certainly enjoyed our visit.
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