Tour Guide Anna – Uni girls visit!

Last weekend I had 3 of my best friends from university come to visit me for 3 nights and I think it’s safe to say we had a very busy weekend!!  Lilly, Fiona, Zoe and I (respective to the first picture) all met when we moved into the same block in student halls in our first year of university.  We are a group of 5 but sadly one could not make it.
They arrived late on Thursday night so we checked Fiona and Zoe into the Pension Arena Hostel (super cheap, really nice and right in the centre!) and then made fajitas and had a good catchup!
Friends + fajitas = the biggest smile I can make
On Friday we went to my school as Reme had invited them to see where I work.  After a LOT of attention from year 4 and a lot of weird and wonderful questions (one girl is adamant that 21 is old to have a child and can’t understand why none of us have children yet), we went to surprise class 6b. All the children were split into 3 groups and could ask and answer questions with one of my friends.  It was nice to see all my friends having fun and all the children were excited to meet new English people. Obviously, after this long, tough day at school we needed food so I took the girls to Cien Montaditos on the beach front.  A montadito is a little sandwich and you have 100 fillings to choose from (hence the name if you understand Spanish).  After a Spanish Siesta and dinner we went out for the night to El Barrio where I normally go.  I received some interesting reactions when I told them that we won’t go out until about 12.30 and the club doesn’t even open til 3!  We met all my Spanish friends and it was sooo weird to hear them all speak English for once! We drank a lot, danced a lot and to their surprise, the girls managed to last until we got home at 6am!
We’re hiding at the back!
‘100 little sandwiches’
All ready for El Barrio
Saturday morning was obviously spent sleeping and I don’t think any of us were feeling particularly fresh! We went for a walk down Explanada de España (a walkway with little markets and restaurants facing the port) and then went to visit the Santa Barbara Castle.  Typical that when we went to the most scenic part of Alicante the clouds came over but we still got some nice photos. Oh, and very windswept hair!  For dinner we went out for tapas and drinks spanning across 3 restaurants and an ice cream shop!  I’m fairly sure it’s not traditional Spanish tapas but I have fallen in love with layered mozzarella and smoked salmon topped with tomato sauce and balsamic vinegar. It was to die for!
Zoe and I on the explanada
At the top of El Castillo de Santa Barbara
Sangria with white wine!
Yes, it was too cold for ice cream but we did it anyway!
Sunday we went for a walk around the shops (Spanish poundland doesn’t have crème eggs I’m heartbroken). And then for lunch at Penelope Cafe which was a bargain paella and a drink for only 10€! The paella was so tasty and the sun even came out and it was warm enough to take our jackets off.  We went to lie on the beach for a while to rest our food babies and then slowly headed back to mine before the girls headed for the airport.
Paella Paella Paella Paella
Having spent almost as many days sharing my bed with Lilly as I had been alone, Sunday night felt very weird.  I also had to break the news to one of the year 4 classes on Monday that my friends had gone back to England already.  All the kerfuffle and stupid questions (girls you know what I’m talking about!) were sooooo worth it and I had one of the best weekends so far of my year abroad!!  I’m annoyingly writing this in my bed feeling super ill but I’m really, really looking forward to Carnaval this weekend dressing up as cowgirls with Beth, Irene, Ana, Sofia, Cami and Nuria! Me and Beth have waited all year to dress up like it’s a Wednesday at uni and now the time has come! Although I don’t think Spain is quite ready for the bumbag trend…

Annalise x