The EAST coast

After searching for cowboys and western towns, we headed north along the east coast of Spain. We were in search of what else, dinner! We drove along the coastal road until we saw a fishing wharf and marina, and a cool outdoor market. Thomas knows by now that we stop at markets, so we stopped and parked. Alicante turns out to be a cool little beach and seaside town. There were tons of little stalls of crafts and crap, and a relaxed vibe. There were signs up about the Lexus sailboat race to be held there soon. It was also awesome because it was midnight and everything was still rocking. Have we mentioned that we are really Spanish in terms of our daily routine? While walking we came across a plaza full of huge ficus trees. It was gorgeous and while wandering, we saw a sign of a restaurant called Los Mejillones de Correos. Running mussels? Oh well, they are mussels! We stopped. Later found out that the square was home of the city post office hence the correos in the name. Regardless we knew it was amazing because there were huge empty half kegs of mussel shells and shrimp peels under each table for you to dump your trash We sat in the plaza and a eager waiter came over speaking faster than we could comprehend. He kept saying something about a daily special and the rest was a mess. We had asked for recommendations because the menu was very random. He said mejillones? Si. Then we figured that the special was a pitcher of beer and a vat of mussels. Si. Then he said shrimps? Si. Meats? Si. Ok and he ran across the street to the restaurant. A few minutes later, big plump mussels and a pitcher of beer got us started. Then a plate of shrimps cooked on a hot flattop. Yes. A big squid came out next, grilled on the same flattop. We didn't know we ordered that, but ok. Then a plate of meat. We devoured it all. The simplicity of the cooking on a flattop and seasoned with salt and fresh lemon made it all the better. The waiter came back, pleased with himself that we cleaned our plates. We told him we wanted another plate. Yes, we did. He said something about knives and we couldn't quite understand what he was saying but he kept pinching his fingers and kissing them saying delicioso. Done. A plate of razor clams came out. They were exceptional. We almost wanted to get more, but we decided we were being piggies and to stop. After dinner we wandered back to the marina, had gelato and sat under the palm trees. It was 3 am. Too late for a hotel. The plan was to get back in the car, drive til we were tired, and nap in the car and find a beach to nap on. We made it about an hour before we needed to sleep. We awoke at sunrise and started to drive towards the beach. We parked at a little town, and then napped some more. We woke up and got out to go for a swim. The water was freezing, but we needed it to wake us up. Drove some more, and hit the beach again after lunch. These beaches are way less packed than the Riviera del Sol, so its easy to just stop and join the rest of the beachgoers. Next stop Barcelona!