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Spain

Wine canting summer festival

Monday evening we went to the annual wine canting summer festival. It is held in the gardens of  the Museo Arqueológicohe in Alicante.

Entrance to wine canting festival in Alicante
Entrance to wine canting festival in Alicante

We met up with the InterNations group and headed into the garden area. Each of us received a coupon which provided us with a free wine glass and three sampling coupons for wine. Some of the InterNations group posed for a picture before heading off to find the perfect glass of wine.

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InterNations group at the start of the wine festival

There were over 20 different wineries known as “Bodegas”  from all over the Alicante region. There is a very long and rich wine history in the Alicante region dating back to the 15th century.

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Some of the many wines available for tasting at the festival

With only three coupons the challenge was finding the best wines to taste. We went to the first bodega and had our glass filled. They did not want our coupons and so we knew it was going to be a good evening.

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One of the Bodegas providing samples at the wine canting festival

There were lots of people at the festival and we mingled with the crowd. We met some interesting people and learned all about the wine industry in the region.

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people socializing at the wine canting festival

The organizer of this InterNations event was Felipe who was very helpful and introduced us to restaurant owners, winemakers and other people from the area.

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Shelley, Liz, Felipe and Mike at wine canting festival

At the end of the evening, we headed home with our wine glasses and two remaining coupons. It was a great evening and very enjoyable.

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Our Wine canting Festival glasses

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Sailing the Mediterranean Sea

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Friends of ours were going sailing on Sunday and invited us to come along. Sunday was a beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze, perfect for sailing.  We headed down to the marina to meet them and go out onto the Mediterranean sailing for the day.

The marina in Alicante
The marina in Alicante

We arrived around 11 a.m. and climbed aboard the “Hegaldi” sailboat. Mike and Liz were preparing the sailboat for the launch. We wanted to help but not knowing anything about sailing we were more of an observer than a worker.

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Mike preparing to launch the sailboat

Once we were underway it was a slow maneuver out of the large and crowded marina. There are boats of every  shape and size in the marina.

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Different boats in Alicante Marina

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Once we were out of the harbor Mike and Liz raised the sails and we were underway. We stayed within sight of the coastline and sailed east. The water in the Mediterranean sea is a beautiful azure colour.

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Azure colour of the Mediterranean Sea on coastline of Alicante

It was such a peaceful and quiet way to travel on the water. There was only the sound of the waves lapping at the boat and the wind in the sails. We travelled around six or seven knots on average and had a beautiful view of the coastline.

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Shelley and Ray with the coastline in the background

We sailed for approximately two hours and then anchored at a nice beach area. We enjoyed lunch on the boat and chatted for a while before heading back to Alicante. On the way back Mike gave us the helm and let us steer the boat, (not really there is an autopilot that kept the boat going the right way) but it made for a good picture.

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Ray pretending to sail the boat

Like any good team, my co-pilot also gave it a try.

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Shelley at the wheel of the boat.

We had an enjoyable sailing trip and saw the Alicante coastline from a different vantage point. I brought along my brand new selfie stick and tried it out. Mike and Liz were good sports and let me take lots of pictures.

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Ray, Shelley, Mike and Liz sailing on the Mediterranean sea

We were sailing for about four hours and the sun was quite hot. When we finished sailing and docked the boat we decided to head to a local bar for a nice cool and relaxing drink.

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Ray, Shelley, Mike and Liz at local bar having a nice drink

The bartender was quite attentive and generous with the alcohol. There was plenty of gin in the gin and tonics.

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The bartender poured the gin and tonics using a  freehand guess as to an ounce of gin. He wasn’t very good at guessing correctly.

We finished off our drinks and said our goodbyes. It was a wonderful day and very enjoyable.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

June is here it is time for the Festival de Fugueres

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Fogueres de Sant Joan copyIn June, there is the festival called “Fogueres de Sant Joan” it is also known as “Hogueras de San Juande” in Alicante. It is the largest celebration and biggest festival in Alicante. The official celebration begins on June 20th and includes events such as the “Mascletàs”  A major fireworks competition. There is the Pregón, which is the setting up of the bonfires known as “La Plantà”. There is also a procession of the effigies known as the Cabalgata del Ninot. There is also parades with a floral tribute to the Virgen del Remedy.

Although the official festival begins on June 20th the celebrations begin on June 4th.  Around 1 p.m. we headed down to the Luceros plaza which is located in the centre of town. The plaza was cordoned off with fences and police security.

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Luceros plaza in centre of Alicante
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Luceros plaza cordoned off for the Mascletàs (fireworks) event

We walked around the plaza area checking it out. We came across a nice cafe and decided to stop in for a drink before the start of the “Mascletàs”.

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Ray having a cold beer before the start of the “Mascletàs”

We then headed out and found a shaded area to watch the “Mascletàs”. There were lots of people gathered around having drinks and waiting for the fireworks. Some people were wearing costumes and paper hats. It was a very festive atmosphere with lots of laughing and singing.

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People wearing paper hats
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Major crowd at the “Mascletàs”
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people wearing costumes or matching T-shirts
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Shelley and Ray waiting for the start of the fireworks

There were firefighters “bomberos” who were there to set off the fireworks as well as fire protection.

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Fire truck parked in the Luceros plaza.

Inside the fenced off area, there was an area for the representatives of the fogueres  referred to as “Fire beauties and ladies” They were the focus of the local media and were part of the Mascletàs event.

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The representatives of the fogueres de Sant Joan
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Media taking pictures of the representatives of the fogueres de Sant Joan

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As the time grew closer people were anticipating the event and you could feel the anticipation. Once the fireworks started the people watched and cheered. The fireworks began with smaller explosions and noise which gradually grew to an amazing sound of explosions and smoke. The sound was tremendous and gave us both goosebumps. Once the fireworks were completed people cheered by waving the hands in the air and singing a Spanish song.

Below is the video of the atmosphere just before the actual Mascletàs and the fireworks display itself.  We hope you enjoy it although it does not come close to actually being there.

It was a very interesting and amazing event and very neat to see and hear.  We definitely enjoyed the day and the display of fireworks.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Central market

When we were in Valencia we went to the central Market. It is a beautiful large building located in the heart of Valencia. The exterior of the building has ornate glass and tile finishes.

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Valencia Central Market

We went into the Market and checked it out.  The inside of the market is massive, with 8000 square meters of space. There are long rows of vendors selling every conceivable food products. The market is busy with lots of people roaming the market.

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We walked through the long rows of vendors. The atmosphere and noise were quite unique. There were also very distinct odors as we explored the market.

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Some of the market items of fish for sale
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There were unique smells in the market
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There was every type of ocean creatures for sale

All the rows of vendors end in a central area of the market. In the center is a statue of Mary surrounded by flowers.

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Center of market with statue of Mary surrounded by flowers

Above the statue of Mary is a domed ceiling which directs light to the statue. It is a focal point of the market and people come to take pictures or even to pray.

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Ceiling above the statue of Mary at center of building allowing light into the market

The market in Valencia is buzzing with people and has a unique atmosphere. We are glad that we took the time to visit it.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Shoe Factory and outlet!!!!

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On Saturday, we went to a shoe factory with an outlet store in Elche called “Salvador Artesano”. The shoe factory is located in an industrial park area of the city.  The entrance to the factory is unassuming  and it did not look like a large factory.

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Entrance to Shoe Factory

The inside of the outlet area of the factory is massive. We could see shoes, boots, and purses for the whole length of the factory building.   Shelley enjoyed walking around the displays looking at the vast assortment of shoes.

Shelley checking out the shoes
Shelley checking out the shoes

There were two levels to the shoe factory. The lower level had new shoes, boots, and handbags. The second level had discounted shoes and older model shoes.

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View from second-floor level of factory outlet

We looked at the factory outlet section for about an hour before heading to the cash.

Shelley going to the cashier
Shelley going to the cashier

Once we paid for our shoes we headed out of the factory outlet.

Shelley with her new shoes and hand bag
Shelley with her new shoes and hand bag

Unfortunately, the factory floor was not working on Saturday. We looked at the factory section through some glass windows. It was interesting to note that the majority of the shoes being made are still done mostly by hand.

Factory work area, hand crafted shoes
Factory floor work area, where hand crafted shoes are made

Once we got home Shelley tried on her new shoes. It was a great day and lots of fun .

Shelley trying on her new shoes
Shelley trying on her new shoes

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”