This time was/is different... Probably the most said sentence in crypto in the last couple of months... 🙂 Well, this HIVE meetup, the #HiveOpenDays, Alicante was completely different than any other... for me... It began just a few weeks after the end of the last @BuzzParty in Graz, Austria... At the beginning of June last year, the day was set, the city was picked, the rest was to be prepared and announced... This time, I was on the organizing team, as the event took place close to my city of residence...
Was it a good experience or a bad experience? It was different... I did organize 2 meetups in Serbia in the last 2 years, still, those were just small gatherings of people, nothing on the level of #HODAlicante, with a venue, speakers, presentation, catering, excursions, prizes, etc. But, all in all, it was worth helping organize it! Of course, all kudos go to 
As usual, after everyone else published their posts about the event, I will do my best to show it through different goggles, with a different point of view... Sit comfortably and enjoy the ride... 🍹
Day -1
If we exclude dealing with boxes of HIVE stuff, lost packages, HIVE merch, and similar, for me, the event began a day earlier as some of my HIVE friends already arrived in the area... We (
Another two Hivians were already in Alicante, 
First, we went to eat at the Chinese restaurant, which was evaluated with the same note from both of our "experts"... After that, we visited the old town of Guadalest, went down to the dam to take a few photos (which I didn't do as I forgot and got distracted by showing them around 😃). Later in the evening went to the seaside, and had a pizza together when MP finished her duties...
It was already getting dark when we left our friends in the hotel in Alicante and headed home to rest... All with some high expectations for the first day of the event, where we will meet some of our old friends again, and meet some new ones!
Day 0
I call it Day 0, but this was the first official day of meeting at #HiveOpenDays. As the stand, the big banner, and some other stuff were with me, 
Among the first people to arrive, there was 
What was interesting to see was that most of our "new Hivians" were punctual, and they arrived among the first when the official event started! Believe me, seeing that in Spain IS a big deal! 😃 Among Hivians, there was 
Day 1
I thought I could narrate this post chronologically, but I realized with so few photos, I can't remember what happened when... But, let's try to proceed and don't mind when I jump back and forth...
The main day was Friday, May 1st, when the day began with a presentation at 10 AM, which meant we had to be there at least half an hour in advance... This was the second day, but already 3rd for me, and I suppose on this day, my body has broken... I didn't sleep well for the previous 2-3 nights, without doing my siesta (yes, I do them... religiously... 😃), but somehow I did go through the day...
As 
I was so unprepared for the job that I completely forgot to take photos of Alessandra during her speech! (Sorry, Alessandra!) 😱 Luckily, before the next speech, MP gave me the camera and reminded me to use my "privileged position" to take photos of speakers!
The next on the stage was 
For Paloma, this was the first "big" Hive meetup, and I was so happy to see her enjoying every single moment of it!
And regarding her presentation, she did it so well that I had to take a microphone and give my thanks for such a good job! Btw, if you are a newbie, I would suggest you check out the live stream recording and listen to Paloma's presentation as it will help you a lot!! Check it out here (it starts around 1h 15min)!
Next on the stage was
During her presentation, she even lured me out of my "IT cave" as she shared quote from one of my recent posts, where I was celebrating 7 years on HIVE! As I was so deep in the work, I didn't even realize those were my words until she shared the line at the bottom of the slide!
Thanks for doing it, Pauline! 🌹 I didn't expect something like that, and I do appreciate it a lot! Things like this remind me of my first steps on the chain, when I began my journey, creating posts and thinking how nobody reads them... And then, slowly, I noticed people commenting, quoting, asking questions, sharing similar (or opposite) opinions... When that happened, I realized the real power behind HIVE... and the rest is history... 😃
Yes, I do get sick on these meetups, but I do enjoy them a lot... When one is over, I'm already planning and thinking about the next one!
After lunch, Spaniards usually do siesta 😃, but instead of doing a collective sleep at the venue, we got a relaxing, but very interesting and fun concert prepared by our two HIVE musicians,
As a result of bad lighting, my camera was acting a bit strange and many photos finished blurred, but this one is one of my favorites... 😃
Preparing for these concerts requires a lot of dedication and also synchronicity between performers... Thanks, girls, you did a great job and the audience had a lot of fun... Well-deserved long applause at the end of the concert!
Next on the stage was our main host and event organizer,
Before forgetting, it was great to see 
The last speaker for that day was 
Speaking of Nina, she was the person to "blame" for picking Spain as a destination for the Hive Open Days! When we were in Graz last year, she planted the seed into Tibfox's brain about it... 😃
After talks
If you attended any of HIVE meetups in the past, you probably know that the best fun is happening behind the cameras, in breaks between presentations, and especially when the "official" part is over! Everyone is more relaxed, especially those who had to take care of presenting things, so the real fun can begin!
Our two community leaders in one photo!
...even I had time to take some photos... 😃 
some used breaks to catch up with online stuff... - photo by
During the event, 
Speaking of
The party for that day continued in the local bars, and later that evening, a nice dinner! I have to mention a couple of people around this table... On the walk to this bar, or toward the restaurant, I have used the time to have a nice talk with 
Day 2 - La Mala Buena (02-05-2026)
Unfortunately, from this day on, my health state changed for the worse... I caught a bug, probably a virus, which didn't let me enjoy all activities with other Hivians... As a matter of fact, I'm still recovering, but luckily, just with an occasional cough...
I missed the boat trip to Tabarca, but with the help of a couple of pills, I did manage to come to the bar La Mala Buena, and to have a bit more time with my favorite people! 😃 It was great to hear stories about the excursion from 
As the bar was small, we had a very loooong table, so it was almost impossible to talk with guys on the other side... Maybe next time we will have more chances to talk, 
Oh, let me tell you a bit more about the guy who is hiding behind the bottle... He is another Hivian that I met for the first time at the event, which I wanted to meet a long time ago... Despite living in the center of Spain, our paths didn't cross before... He was attending a few HIVE meetups in Madrid, which I wasn't able to participate... We had a nice chat in the bar, and made arrangements for a small detour for the next day...
Oh, what's this? 😂 Well, there is a story around this screenshot (literally screenshot (photo) of my TV where my son was playing a game that morning 😃)... When I saw this character, it immediately reminded me of
No, there weren't only girls in the bar that night... 😃 At the same table with me was also 
In those moments, I wasn't aware that that would be my last time in the company of other Hivers, so we didn't have a proper farewell moment... 😔
Day 3 Calpe (03-05-2026)
As MP plays piano every Sunday in Calpe, we invited other Hivians who want to go with us for a small guided tour in other parts of Costa Blanca... In the official agenda, there was an Alicante tour guide by 
So, along with
Days 4, 5, and 6 05-05-2026
I think on Monday, after the event, I stayed at home all day... Trying to recover, but still having
In the following 2 days, we went to visit a couple of places around our town, but also, in a different area too... We had an idea to check out
We visited Amadorio lake, close to Villajoyosa...
...checked out Benidorm to break some stereotypes about it... (didn't succeed 😃)
Enjoyed views from the old town Finestrat...
... and were unlucky with the schedule for visiting the chocolate museum in Villajoyosa... maybe next time...
You may have noticed that I didn't mention any specific presentation or dive deeper into it; instead, I kept my focus on people... Topics come and go, but people and friends are the ones who are there to create new ones... Keep your focus on people, and you will be OK!
I suppose that would be the best "advice" to our new Hivians onboarded during the event! 
Thank you for your time.
--ph--
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