Palm Sunday in a major event here in Alicante. A few weeks before Palm Sunday, the open markets are selling palms for the upcoming event. There are  numerous vendors selling unique palms that are handcrafted with some very detailed and beautiful designs.

We bought two palms from the market in preparation for the procession that was on Sunday.

In Alicante Easter parades begin on Palm Sunday and continue daily until Easter Sunday. This is known as Holy Week and every day during that week there are  procession parades that take place.  They have different starting locations within the city and most pass through the main Avenue Rambia de Mendez Nunez.  We headed out to watch  one of the main processions which started at 11:30 am. There was a very large crowd of people gathered to watch the start of the procession. People in the procession carry large palms and the walk is very slow and deliberate with a live band playing music.

The procession starts with a single person at the from leading the process. They carry a symbol representing the procession.

There is music and a band playing a slow drum beat as the procession moves slowly forward.

There are hundreds of people who follow along in the procession carrying their palms. At the end of the procession is a single parade float with a religious representation on it.

The images above were from the first procession we saw. The second procession we saw was quite different. There were ladies dressed in black as if in mourning leading the procession.

There were people wearing blue and white cloaks and white hoods and they looked a little like the KKK. I have no idea what the hoods represent but it was a bit eerie to see. For us the white hood is a symbol of the KKK and represents evil and intolerance.

At the end of this procession there was also a float. This float was surrounded by people in white cloaks and hoods.

The processions last about 2 1/2 hours each and then there are other processions that start at 6pm and run into the evening. We stayed downtown after the processions and enjoyed the rest of the day. We took a walk out on the pier looking at the sea and then stopped for a relaxing drink.

Overall it was a very good day.

“Adios y que tenga un grand días”

Today we started our day by heading to the Santa Barbara Castle in Alicante. The medieval castle is a historic landmark and was built on the top of Mount Benacantil.  To reach the castle we walked up the steep slopes and walkways until we reached the top. It was quite a climb and we took our time and stopped along the way to enjoy some of the beautiful views of the city. It took us about an hour to reach the top.

 

When we got to the top the castle and views were spectacular.  The Castle is approximately 166 metres above sea level and overlooks the City of Alicante and the Bay of Alicante.  There have been archaeological remains found from the roman to bronze age. Some of the artifacts are on display in the castle.  One of the artifacts is pictured below, a vase from the 1st to 3rd century AD.

The Castle itself is very impressive, with architectural features, thick stone walls and massive arched bridges. The outside space of the castle is large and there are many structures and a protective wall around the whole castle.

 

On the upper level of the castle yard there are watch posts that were used to guard the city. The views were stunning from there. You can see for kilometers and over the entire city.

There were several iron figures throughout the castle yard highlighting key lookout points.

The inside of the castle was also very impressive. There are  multiple rooms, some are very large with massive stone pillars. Other castle rooms where smaller and contained displays about the history of the castle.

There was also an art exhibit on display highlighting JR Tolkien and the of literature “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” We explored the art exhibit and enjoyed it. We will do a separate blog on the art exhibit. Overall we had a very good day and enjoyed the castle. We had a pedometer with us and we walked over 10 kilometres today. We were very tired and glad to get home after the day.

“adios y que tenga un grand dias”

 

 

Today we decided to visit the “Ayuntamiento” which means town hall in spanish.  The building is very impressive and is in a  baroque architecture style. Apparently it was  designed by architect Lorenzo Chápuli ( hey maybe he could have been a long-lost relative!) The site was built on the same site as the former city hall in the 18th century.

There are some very unique and interesting features of the building. The building is basically divided into two parts, the original section and a modern addition to accommodate the growing needs of administration.

It is notable that security has been incorporated into the open concept allowing tourist to view the unique features of the building while maintaining security.

On the outside of the building there are barley-sugar columns at the doorways. The main entrance of the building has huge doors over 10 feet high that open into a larger reception area.

The entrance area has a substantial presence with a sculpture in the open stairwell of Saint John created by Salvador Dali which is very impressive.

Beside the sculpture in the open staircase there is a plaque on the first step of the staircase. It signifies the exact sea level used to define altitude above sea level. This measurement is used for all of Spain to define sea level.  Scientist discovered that the difference between high and low tide was less on the Alicante coastline. They selected the first step of Alicante city hall as the official seal level designation for all of Spain.

Inside city hall itself there are numerous paintings, ornate furniture and unique rooms. The “Salón Azul” which was styled from the period of Spain’s Queen Isabel is very impressive. The room has numerous paintings of elected officials and has a large glass table for meetings. There are over sixty paintings of elected officials in the room and there is only one female.

The “Salón de Plenos” meeting hall was also very impressive. I believe this is equivalent to our council chambers in Canada.

Throughout the building there are various art works that highlight the history and culture of Alicante. Below are just a few of the spectacular artworks in the building.

On the modern side of  the city hall building are the remains of archaeological ruins of past centuries. There was archaeological ruins that were unearthed when construction was underway for the addition. The elected officials of the day thought they would preserve the historic significance and build around a section of the archaeological remains. Today they are visible and on displayed at the ground floor of City hall.

The display is entitled  “Alicante, la ciudad descubierta” which means Alicante, the city unveiled.  We were able to go down into the display area and view and touch some of the unique archaeological ruins. 

The visit to the preserved archaeological remains was extremely interesting and somewhat moving for us.  Having a “walk” along the 16th century street and touching medieval Christian walls and reading about the vibrant and diverse history of Alicante was very enjoyable and rewarding.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dias”