Alcossebre (Comunidad de Valencia): The Beach

The beach with Alcossebre in the background.

Like the majority of Spaniards, I found myself spending some weeks of the summer at the beach. Normally I wouldn't be attracted to a town like Alcossebre, but we had a house on the outskirts of town, away from the tourists and overcrowded streets. The house was about a ten minute bike ride from the beach and completely surrounded by fields of almond trees. Close enough to the city and beach but without the noise and hustle, in other words, perfect!

Alcossebre is a typical Spanish Mediterranean beach town; completely overrun by tourists and packed with chic shops and restaurants. Though the majority of tourists are Spanish, there are also a large amount of French and German tourists in the town. Alcossebre is located between Barçelona and Castellón and about a ten minute drive south of a major tourist hotspot, Peñíscola (known for it's castle). Although stereotypical beach towns dominate the coast, there are also a variety of outdoor activities in the area. Alcosesebre has two large nature reserves to the north and south, as well as mountains a short drive inland (home to Montenejos and Cerrat). The unique swampy area of Delta del Ebro is a bird watching haven (I spotted some flamingos feeding) and the rice fields make a lush landscape. The area is very bike friendly and the road along the sea provides a beautiful backdrop.

Famous castle of Peñíscola 

Bird watching at Delta del Ebro

Delta del Ebro swamps.

Being from the middle of America, I am more accustomed to going to a lake than to the beach. And although I lived in Jamaica for some years, I was never a habitual beach goer so I wasn't fully prepared for the seriousness that Europeans take with la playa.

The beach. 

The first thing I was shocked by was the vast quantity of people. Although I never felt claustrophobic or cramped, it always felt like the beach was brimming with people, which was obviously great people watching. Muscle men in thongs, old ladies with skin so bronze it bordered on comical, topless women, and wholesome families all intermingled. Adding a little spice to this were the always entrepreneurial immigrants, mostly Africans and Latin Americans, weaving their way through the crowds hustling a variety of items from sunglasses to designer purses. Some people preferred an umbrella and read or slept (which I preferred) while others chose to bake to a crisp in the sun. The temperature of the sea was warm, though cool enough to be a refreshing escape from the heat.

The beach cleared out for lunch, which in Spain is around 2-3pm. After lunch many returned for a siesta but the amount of people was usually less than the mornings. A popular activity for people at the beach is “tomar algo”, which is means to go for a drink and tapa.  This bridges the gap between siesta and dinner time. As I said before, beach routines are taken very seriously in Europe!

Desserted shoreline.

Fisherman looking for a catch.

Freshmountin springs for your water!