If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 376

Alicante also written as Alacant, Spain

This Triangle Postals postcard was purchased at the airport in Alicante on the Costa Blanco of Spain and has a photograph by Rafa Pérez.   We arrived and departed from Alicante but stayed with my cousins who live in the small town of Catral located south of here between Alicante and Murcia.  The Castle of Santa Bárbara on the top of the hill can be seen for miles and was one place we had hoped to visit but we ran out of time and were not able to do so. 

People have occupied the area around the city for over 7,000 years, first by hunter-gatherers and then around 1,000 BC the Greek and Phoenician traders began visiting this eastern coast of Spain and establishing trading ports.  The traders brought more than goods to the Iberian tribes living here; they also introduced the alphabet, iron, and the pottery wheel. The White Mountain or White Point fortified settlement established by the Carthaginian general Hamilcar Barca and dating to the mid 230s BC is believed to be the site of the modern city of Alicante. 

A chain of different ruling parties occurs beginning with the Romans who followed the Carthaginians and ruled for 700 years.  Then came the Visigoth rule for about 300 years, the Arab conquest followed with the Moors ruling southern and eastern Spain until the mid 13th century, to be taken by the Castilian king Alfonso X in 1247 then passing to King James II of Aragon.  It was granted status as a Royal Village and was represented in the medieval Valencian Parliament.  The colorful history of the area continues with clashes between the Kingdom of Castile and the Crown of Aragon, includes exporting rice, wine, olive oil, oranges and wool, the introduction of the Barbary pirates who repeatedly attacked the coastal cities and caused much harm to the trade.  Today the modern city has a population of over 300,000 and is one of the fastest-growing cities in Spain.  The mild winter climate, hot summers, little rain and the beautiful white sandy beaches have made tourism a big part of the city’s economy.  The sunrises and sunsets were as beautiful and pink (to orange and red) as the top postcard indicates. 

Street scene, Alicante, Spain

This second postcard is also a Triangle Postals publication with a photo by Miguel Raurich.  It shows a typical street scene with the buildings painted different colors and bright sunshine.  We noticed a lot of tile and marble work throughout this area of Spain and it was extremely unusual to find anything made entirely of wood.  It was common to find railings and fences made of ironwork.

For additional information, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alicante