Category Archives: Spain

Spain

Cartagena Roman Ruins

We took a trip to the historic city of Cartagena which was founded around 227 BC.Ā  Our friend Felipe came along to be our tour guide and took us to some of the sites.

Shelley, Michelle, Gerry and Felipe

The city is known for some unique and well-preserved Roman ruins. We came to the Roman theater which was the main symbol of growth and wealth during the Roman times.

Roman theater in Cartagena Spain.

There some interesting aspects to the theater including the design for the flow of people whichĀ is still being copied and incorporated in large arenas around the world.

The view from the top of the Roman theater in Cartagena

We walked through the theater looking at the ruins.

Shelley, Gerry, Michelle and Felipe in an area of the Roman theater

After looking at the Roman Theater we went to another Roman site in Cartagena called Barrio del foro .

Barrio del foro Romano in Cartagena

Excavations that took place in 2008 on the southern slope of Cerro del Molinete discoveredĀ  a complete Roman block.

Excavated barrio del foro Romano in Cartagena

It has the remains of two buildings, one is a Roman bath complex from the 1st century AD.

Remains of the Roman Bathhouse in Cartagena

We walked through the roman bath ruins with Felipe and he explained the way the bath house used wood fire to heat the baths and used convection heat to help move the water throughout the baths.

Shelley, Michelle, Gerry and Felipe in the barrio del foro Romano

The second Roman ruin uncovered in the barrio del foro was an Atrium building, where religious banquets were celebrated in the 1st century AD.

Shelley in the Atriun roman ruins in Cartagena

We walked through the Atrium and looked at the ruins. There was even some remains of the original floor which was a herringbone style.

Herringbone flooring in Roman ruins in Cartagena

There were even some clay wine containers which was used to ship wine on sail ships.

Wine clay pots used for the shipping of wine in sail ships
Shelley in the Atrium Roman ruins

We then went to see another Roman site which was under development. Felipe was able to get us inside to see the site before it was completed.

Felipe in a Roman ruin under development.
Shelley and Michelle in Roman ruins

There are many beautiful restored and conserved Roman ruins in Cartagena. We enjoyed walking through the ruins and imaging what life was like during the Roman times.

“adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Tapa Competition

We decided to try something different and hosted a Tapa competition. We invited 10 couples to participate in the event which we held at our apartment.

We selected three judges in advance for the competition which were not known by the participants.

The judges Felipe, Sonya and Marcelo sampling one of the tapas

Each competitor had to make enough tapas (23) in total for everyone to enjoy a sample. They also had to have 3 tapas plated for the judges. The judges scored the tapa based on taste, presentation creativity and the pairing of a wine or other beverage.

Everyone enjoying the sampling of tapas

Everyone enjoyed trying the different tapas and sampling of wines.Ā It was a very interesting event because we had people from multiple countries around the word. There wereĀ Spanish, Welsh, English, Scottish, American, Argentinian and Canadian competitors.Ā  Each one brought some unique twist to the Spanish “tapa”. Below are the tapa entries. Each one was unique and very tasty.

The winner was selected by the judges and determined that Tapa Number 7 won the competition. Janice was awarded the Tapa trophy and the official tapa apron for “The best Tapa in 2018”

Janice with her trophy and Tapa apron

It was a very enjoyable and fun time with friends.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Xiringuito Postiguet

We went down to the postiguet beach where there is a great little chiringuito.Ā  It was a great evening with a full moon.

Shelley and Ray at portiguet beach

The chiringuito is located directly on the beach and has a great view of the castle and Mediterranean sea.

Chiringuito on Postiguet beach in Alicante.

There was cuban music playing at the chiringuito and people were gathering to listen. We found some seats and settled in to listen to the tunes.

The cuban band playing music at the chiringuito

We ran into some of our friends there as well.

Suzanne, Terry, Eric and Dana at the chiringuito

The music was very good and more and more people gathered around the chiringuito as the night went on. There were people dancing on the beach, even Shelley joined in.

People dancing at the chiringuito

We had a great evening listening to some fantastic cuban music on the beach of the mediterranean sea.

“Adios y tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Sunday walk in Alicante

We went for a walk Sunday morning to the marina and boardwalk areas of Alicante. We wantedĀ  to check out an art exhibit that was there.Ā  As we approached the marina area, we could see large steel frames lined up in rows on the boardwalk.

TheĀ SebastiĆ£o Salgado ‘Genesis” exhibit had large steel frames with large photographs onĀ  each display.Ā  We walked along looking at each photograph. Some of the photos were of nature while others were portraits of people.

Photograph of an elephant from Africa,

Photograph of Iceberg near south pole

The exhibit was quite interesting with great photos from across the world.

Shelley and Ray at the SebastiĆ£o Salgado ‘Genesis” exhibit.

It was a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Demons, creatures and strange sculptures

We walked by a park called la florida which was near a church in Victoria which had a large alligator. We stopped to check out the Alligator and then the church.

Ray with Alligator in front of the Catedral de Maria Inmaculada

After “wrestling the alligator” we headed to the “Catedral de Maria Inmaculada” to look at the ornate sculptures that surrounded each arch. The cathedral was built in 1912 in a neo-gothic style.

Ornate arches of the Catedral de Maria Inmaculada in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

When we began looking at the sculptures up close we could see some very different and strange ones. Below are a few of the sculptures we found on the outside of the church.

Chained dragon with two elf looking creatures

After looking at the sculptures on the outside of the church we went inside to explore the interior.

Inside view of the “Catedral de Maria Inmaculada”

We noticed ornate sculptures on every pillar in the church. They were also very different and evil-looking.

Man strangling another man
Man picking or poking the nose of another man
Dragon with monkey head
Creature standing over the skull with crown
Devil faced creature with human body

Pig on human body holding a woman’s head severed in his hands
Man with arm around eagle
A dragon with the head of a human in his mouth.
A man pecking out the eye of another man with tool
A person pulling out the tongue of a dragon

One of the sculptures that I thought was really different was the one below.

Sculpture of an animal creature eating the intestines of a human

The significance of these sculptures within a catholic church is unknown to me. I have read that these sculptures signify the tormented souls of individuals in the afterlife. It is certainly different from what we normally see in the catholic church.

“Ados eta egun handia”