Power Outages Leave Alicante's Gabriel Miró Square Lifeless: "We Can't Even Serve a Coffee"

At 10:30 AM on Sunday, the shutters in Gabriel Miró Square begin to rise. They do so an hour later than usual, unable to illuminate the interiors of the establishments. Electricity, they predict, won't return until 2 PM at the earliest.

The scene is almost surreal, with half-open shops, workers inside, and a completely deserted square. The hospitality sector is bearing the brunt of a scheduled six-hour power cut in the heart of Alicante's traditional centre.

Businesses were warned about this blackout, workers acknowledge, but many still come down "just in case it ends early," clinging to the hope of managing a few orders before the lunchtime rush.

Reality, however, is stubborn with coffee machines off - visible through the shop windows, display cases not functioning, and terraces yet to be set up.

"We always open at 9:30 AM," says an employee, resigned, waiting with a colleague - her bar opens at 10:30 AM - unable to start anything yet.

"My bosses told me to come later, to open without power and do what I could," but from the door, only darkness is visible. "We can't even serve a coffee," she laments.

The concern is evident, as restaurants have reservations scheduled for 2 PM, just when the power cut is expected to end. But no one knows if the work will finish on time. "Let's see how we manage," they admit. "We'll do what we can."