Category Archives: Spain

Spain

Visit to Pinoso Spain

We went for a visit to the town of Pinoso, which was having a fiesta on that day. This quaint little town is named after the pines which are located throughout it.

The pines along the main road in Pinoso

We walked through the streets and made our way to the fiesta.

Entrance area of the fiesta in Pinoso

We went through the gate and came across a large crowd of people. We walked along the many rows of tables which displayed different items.

Display of traditional quilts and local wines

There were people displaying traditional techniques of weaving etc.

An Artisan explaining and demonstrating the making of weaved baskets for grape collecting.

We watched a few of the displays and then continued along the rows of tables. We came across a children’s area where the children were gathered dancing and doing different artwork. Some of the children were dressed in the traditional dress.

Children in traditional dress

Felipe and I even took some time to take a photo in local traditional style.

Felipe and Ray having their photo in a traditional style

We came to the main stage area of the fiesta. There were people in traditional dress performing a traditional dance. We stopped and watched the performance for a few minutes enjoying the show.

We then went to check out the food tents which were lined up along an entire street.

Food tents with traditional Spanish dishes

We went along looking at the different menus and food before deciding to try certain food. We opted for some paella and a glass of local wine. It was served with a special tray to help you along the walk.

Paella and glass of red wine in carrying tray

After trying some local food we walked along the fiesta enjoying the music and sounds of the fiesta.

Ray and Shelley at the Pinoso Fiesta

We enjoyed our time in Pinoso, it was an interesting and enjoyable way to spend a day.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

visit to the Santa Catalina del Mañan Bodega

We went to tour of a local Bodega called “Bodega Santa Catalina del Mañan” which is located about 48 kilometers from the city of Alicante.

Entrance to the Santa Catalina Moñan Bodega

We met with a representative of the Bodega and she gave us a tour of the yard where the grapes are received and processed.

Our tour guide of the Bodega

The grapes are put into a hopper system where they are processed through several stations.

Hopper where the grapes start the process to becoming wine.
Large vats where the wine is stored for fermentation

After touring the outside yard, we entered into the Bodega.

Shelley entering into the Bodega

We walked through the interior of the winery. The tour guide explained how the wine was processed.

The interior of the wine processing area.
Tour guide explaining the wine process

After touring the wine making process area, we entered the storefront of the Bodega.

Wine on display in Bodega

We then went into an area for some wine tasting. They had a table set up with snack and different wines.

Wine sampling area of the Bodega

We sampled different wines and enjoyed some snacks before leaving the Bodega. It was an interesting tour and a lot of fun.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Burning of the “Sardine”

We went to see the funeral procession and burning of the Sardine which was on Valentine’s day this year. We decided to head down early and meet up with friends for a drink and then see the burning of the sardine.

The funeral procession is a symbolic end to indulgence and the start of lent, People dress up in black and wear veils and walk behind a wooden effigy of a sardine.

Funeral procession of the sardine

The funeral procession walks through some of the streets and then ends in the Plaza Del Carmen. This is when they commence the burning of the effigy. There is a person who says some prayers and chants on the loss of indulgence and the beginning of lent.

Person saying the prayers at the burning of the sardine

There are people dressed in red devil type clothing who run around the effigy with burning fireworks in their hands. It is quite something to see people dancing around with live fireworks going off in their hands.

People with live fireworks in their hands running around the effigy

After some time they set the sardine on fire using the fireworks to start it.

Lighting the sardine on fire with fireworks

We watched the entire burning of the sardine near the front and had a great view.

We stayed until the end of the sardine burning and enjoyed the party for a while.

Our group of friends at the burning of the sardine

Here is a short video of the burning  of the sardine.

We had a great time and enjoyed “burning the sardine”

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

A Sunday walk in Alicante

We went for a walk exploring the heart of the city of Alicante on Sunday. The walk was a leisurely one and started out walking down some of the side streets. Along the way we came across some interesting things. The first thing we encountered was a protest against cruelty to animals.

We watched the protest for a short period of time and then headed toward the old quarter. We walked down a side street and we could see something beside a garbage container.

 As we got closer we could see that it was a leg of ham still attached to the gondola ham stand. The gondola ham stand was new and the price was still attached. This one was worth almost 30 euros.

A gondola ham stand with ham left beside garbage container

After we walked by the gondola ham stand, we came to a neat little muslim bakery called “Pasteleria Oriental Alicante”. We decided to go in and check it out. We bought a few tasty treats for later in the day.

Shelley in the Muslim bakery

We walked through the old quarter of Alicante exploring different streets. We came to the barrio of Santa Cruz and explored some of the streets there.  We walked through the narrow streets admiring the flowers and decorations, it was quite beautiful.

Santa Cruz sign on the side of a building in the barrio
Typical street in the Santa Cruz  barrio in Alicante
Street in Santa Cruz

We walked through the streets and eventually worked our  way to the oldest church in Alicante.

Oldest Church in Alicante in the barrio of Santa Cruz

There was a great view of the city and the castle from the church.

View of the Castillo de Santa Barbara from the church
View of the city of Alicante from Church in Santa Cruz

After exploring the barrio of Santa Cruz, we decided to go to a terrace to enjoy a beverage. We went to the hotel called “Les Monges Palace” which has a great roof top terrace. We sat on the terrace enjoying a glass of red wine and the views.

view on the terrace of the hotel

After having a glass of wine, we headed to one of our favorite  restaurants called “La Matanza Castellana” for something to eat. We  enjoyed a nice meal and then headed home after a long walk though the city. It was a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Wine school and tasting

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Friends invited us to go to a class on the art of wine tasting being held in El Campello. We decided to go and check it out. We headed down to Luceros to take the Tram to El Campello. Luceros is located in the center of the city and has a beautiful monument located in it.

Monument in center of Luceros in Alicante

We took the Tram for approximately 20 minutes and arrived in El Campello. A short walk and we were at the wine school. We entered the classroom which was set up for the event.

wine glasses, water, and bucket for spitting out the wine.

The class which was entirely in Spanish was interesting at times and at other times we were lost and not able to understand the class. The instructor was speaking very fast and he also had a heavy accent.

The Instructor for the wine class demonstrating how to open a bottle of wine.

There were four different types of local wines from Alicante. A Shiraz, Merlot, Monastrell and a Sauvignon.

Wines from the Alicante Region that were sampled during the class.

Each wine was poured into a glass for sampling. The instructor then went through how to hold the glass to the details of tasting the wine.  Each person had a small bucket beside them for spitting out the wine when they were done. Ray did not need his bucket because none of his wine was wasted.

Shelley sampling her first glass of wine in the class.
Ray sampling his wine.

After the wine tasting we discussed the flavours etc of the wine. We would then move on to the next wine for sampling. The evening with friend was enjoyable and it was an interesting experience.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”