Calp is a beautiful beach town with a giant rock and a long history. Historically, the rock was known to the Phoenicians as the Northern Rock, to distinguish it from its southern counterpart, the Rock of Gibraltar. Calp's economy relies heavily on tourism, but the massive number of tourists doesn't take away from the charm of this city.
I arrived in Calp by bus and booked a night or two in Youth Hostel 4YOU. I always had a little apprehension about booking rooms in "youth" hostels because I was in my late 30's at the time. A part of me always feared being told I was too old and turned away. With all of the hostels that I stayed at in Europe, I was rarely the oldest person there. That would also be the case here.
After checking into my dorm room, I locked my backpack in my locker and went out to explore and find beer.
Part of the coastline is a rocky area with tide pools. There's also a boardwalk type area that is pleasant for walking along the coast.
Built into the rocks is "Baños de la Reina" or The Queen's Baths. These structures date back to the Roman era. Even though they look like swimming pools or baths, they were actually used for farming fish, salt production, and salting fish.
Baños de la Reina
One thing that visitors to Calp can't help but notice is the giant rock on the peninsula. It's name is Parque Natural del Peñón de Ifach and is a nature reserve.
The beach area is nice and clean, but fairly crowded. When I visited, it was packed with tourists, most seemed to be from Eastern Europe and Russia.
The water looked fun, but one of the problems with traveling solo is that swimming is difficult. When leaving the hostel, I brought my wallet, phone, and keys. I don't think it's smart to leave those items on the beach unattended. Leaving your stuff on the beach seems like a good way to get it stolen. For me, not being able to swim is a small trade-off for solo traveling. I'm not really a fan of laying on beaches or swimming in the ocean. I love beach communities, but I don't really like the beach itself.
For me, sitting in the shade and looking at the beach is more enjoyable than being on the beach itself.
After taking some photos and having a meal, I went back to the hostel to relax. When I got to my dorm room, one of my roommates was there. She introduced herself to me, then asked if I wanted to climb up the giant rock. I really didn't want to climb the rock. I wanted to relax! But part of my trip was about doing different things and forcing myself to say yes when my first reaction is no. So I said yes and we walked to the big rock.
The steepness of the climb wasn't too bad, but the rock itself was fairly treacherous. The limestone rock was very smooth and slippery.
The views were jaw dropping. The ocean was crystal clear.
My roommate didn't like all of the hotels, but I really liked the architectural style.
On the climb up the rock, we saw lots of nesting seagulls. They stayed very close to the path and weren't shy or afraid of us at all. My roommate said that during mating season the birds attack hikers if the birds have eggs in their nests. Luckily there weren't any eggs for the birds to protect when we were there.
It took about an hour, but we finally got to the top of the rock. We rested for a little while and took some photos.
At the top of the rock, we also found a family of cats! I'm not sure what they do to survive. My guess is that they eat birds, eggs, and other animals. But I don't know where they get water. It seemed like a long hike to go all the way down to the ground for a drink of water.
After a short rest, we climbed back down the rock and went back the hostel.
At the hostel, we met one of our other roommates and the three of us went out for food and drinks. We had a fun night and explored some of the area.
The next day I made my way to the bus station and boarded a bus to my final stop in Spain. Barcelona.
This sculpture was in a round-about and I'm not real sure what it is.
Something unique from Calp
Street art is definitely not unique to Calp, but I really liked this nostalgic stencil.