Bella Scipione

Nov 03, 2023

Hola de Alicante, España!! I am writing from my 18-bed hostel with my best friend, Lindsey lying right below me. Lindsey has been traveling around Europe for the last two months and is currently living in Madrid with a host family teaching two cute little kids English. Lindsey’s solo travels have seemed to be nothing short of amazing and I am so proud of her for taking the time to enjoy herself and explore our magical world.

We met up in Alicante on Wednesday and have spent the last 72 hours catching up on each other’s lives. The trip started with a reunion on the beach followed by some delicious tapas and paella. The two of us desperately needed some sunshine and bestie time, and surely not a minute was wasted.

Upon arriving to our hostel, we were greeted by two British blokes named Dale and James. Dale and James’ energy was completely contagious and set a nice positive tone for our stay at Hostal Numero Trece. Dale has spent two and a half months at the hostel and prides himself on being the face of the space. Every person that walks through those doors will be sure to know all about Dale and his kind, goofy self.

After a nice long siesta, Lindsey and I got ready to go out and explore Alicante’s nightlife. A sweet drink on the marina lead to free tequila shots at a bar called Haka. Before we knew it we were on our way to the club Opikum with our friend James and a group of Irish and French boys. Because it was a Wednesday night, the club wasn’t crowded at all. And thank goodness for that, I don’t know if we would have been able to dominate the dancefloor the way we did if not. Lindsey and I made some more friends from the Netherlands and completely lost track of time dancing and singing to hip hop and reggaeton. I don’t think I can even count the amount of characters that we met this night, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

5 am hit and we decided it was probably best to start heading back to the hostel. We strutted down the street, making tik tok’s and having dance breaks along the way. Much to our surprise, there was Dale at the front door, glass of red wine in hand, ready for a late night (or early morning) chat. An hour and a half and some snack smashing later, it was time for bed.

As one could probably assume, yesterday morning was a rough one. By 2pm, Lindsey and I resurrected and went for some lunch and pastries at a café called Santa Gloria. Santa Gloria made our hangovers much more tolerable, and fueled us up before heading to el Castillo de Santa Barbara.

El Castillo de Santa Barbara is Alicante’s most infamous landmark and has the most incredible views of the city. We walked around the castle in awe trying to find the perfect spot to watch the sunset. A little off trailing took us to one of the most beautiful spots of the castle. There’s nothing quite like watching the sunset with your best friend in a country thousands of miles away from home. Lindsey is my oldest friend of 21+ years and I just know the 10 year old versions of us would think we are pretty awesome.

After getting swept away by an intense windstorm, we headed back to our hostel for one last night together. Our original plans of going out to grab some food were changed when we walked downstairs and ran into Dale and James yet again. A quick chat turned into a group of 8 hostel mates sharing stories, drinking beers, and listening to music. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love playing DJ and I don’t go anywhere without a speaker on hand. There’s no better compliment than others enjoying and appreciating your music just as much as you, and I was very pleased to provide a nice range of tunes for the night.

Out of respect for the rest of the hostel, we moved our little party up to the terrace. With the 8 of us sitting in a circle, Lindsey and I thought it would be fun to teach everyone some classic American camp/ice breaker games. We spent almost 5 hours playing ‘down by the banks’, ‘human knot’, ‘ninja’, and ‘paranoia’.The games were such a fun way to get to know one another and embrace our inner child.

After a few rounds of ninja, Dale and James left for 10 minutes and returned with two bottles of champagne. The champagne was such a sweet gesture and a special cheers to the connections that were blooming. The night could not have been more perfect and saying goodnight was very bittersweet.

I will continue to reiterate how important human connection is and how much it shapes us as individual beings. Meeting new people from different walks of life not only broadens the mind, but is essential to how we live. As humans we long to love and be loved. And especially with today’s current world events and political climate, love, compassion, and kindness are more crucial than ever.

I am headed back to my life in London and look forward to making even more connections and growing in the ones that I have started. A special shout-out to Lindsey for being the most amazing best friend. Lindsey, you are forever my soulmate and this world is so much brighter because of your light. I love you!!

xoxo, Bella