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Camino de Santiago, Spain

On the Camino de Sanitago

We began walking early every day at around 8 am or earlier.

Mark and Ray on the Camino de Santiago

Heading out early to beat the heat and enjoy the peaceful walk on the camino. The trails are well marked and easy to follow.

Typical marker along the camino trail.

We began our camino journey by walking along the streets of the camino leading through the town of Sarria and then along country paths.

Walking through the streets of Sarria on the Camino
Church in Sarria

We soon reached the countryside and began walking into some fields and walking upwards on some hills. The vistas were beautiful all along our way.

View of the roaming hills on the trail of the camino.
One of the many trails along the camino.

During the eight days we walked the camino, we came across some unique and interesting people and buildings. We walked through old Spanish hamlets and towns admiring some of the buildings and churches.

Old buildings along the camino de Santiago
One of the many churches along the camino

Old ruins of a building on the camino

There were religious crosses and other symbols along with some interesting animals.

One of the crosses along the camino.
Ray with a donkey along the camino

We would walk along with other pilgrims on the trail and chat with them about different aspects of the camino. Finally saying good  bye with the common phrase of “Buen Camino”.

Some of the many people we encountered on the Camino.

All along the camino we came across areas which had makeshift shrines. These shrines small stones, images of people and notes written to loved ones who had passed away.

One of the many shrines along the camino de Santiago.

We stopped to look at the shrines and read some of the notes left there by loved ones. It was a very moving experience to see so many along the camino trail.  Below are just a few of the camino memorials or shrines along the way.

One of the ad hoc shrines along the camino

One of the many signs along the camino.

We walked a total of 115 kilometres on the Camino from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. Over that distance we saw many beautiful vistas and towns. Here are just some of the interesting things and vistas along our 8 day trek on the camino.

We arrived at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela around noon on the eight day.

Ray and Mark at the Cathedral of Santiago

It was a very rewarding and emotional adventure. The Camino de Santiago is an emotional, spiritual and physical adventure. You have to experience the camino to truly understand and appreciate the adventure.

Buen Camino!

“La vida es una aventura, vive tu aventura”

Spain

The Liverpool Band

We went to the Santa Barbara Castle for a meal and some live entertainment. We settled into our reserved table to enjoy an outdoor full course meal. The tribute band for “The Beatles” called The Liverpool Band was slated to do a concert after our meal.

The view of the stage from our reserved seats

The atmosphere was fantastic sitting in the heart of the castle which was built in the 12th century. People were gathered at the tables enjoying the meal before the start of the concert.

People enjoying the outdoor meal in the 12th century castle of Santa Barbara

It was a beautiful evening with a full moon slowly moving over the castle walls.

View of the moon perched over the castle walls

The concert setting was small and allowed for a great view of the stage. Our seats were quite close to the stage and gave us a perfect view of the concert.

Our view of the stage from our seats.

What was really interesting about the Liverpool Band was that they were formed in Alicante in 1997 and all of the band members are Spanish.  They played for over two hours non-stop focussing on some of the top Beatle songs .

Juan Antonio Juárez: Guitarra solista y voz,
Iván Martínez Ferrández: Batería y percusión.

We have put together just a small sample of some of the music they played  at the Castle.

The Band Members are:

  • Jose Manuel Lledó Adsuar: Guitarra rítmica y voz,
  • Juan Antonio Juárez: Guitarra solista y voz,
  • Jorge Aniorte: Bajo y voz,
  • Iván Martínez Ferrández: Batería y percusión.

We enjoyed the evening and had a great time at one of the many events held in Alicante and at the Castle of Santa Barbara.

“Hasta la próxima, vive el momento y disfruta del regalo de la música.”

Spain

A week of Fireworks

Each year Alicante has firework displays for 7 nights after the “Fougeres of Sant Joan.” We try to take part and watch the fireworks from different locations in the city.

The first night we watched the fireworks offshore on a sailboat.

Shelley on the sailboat waiting for the start of the fireworks

The views from the Mediterranean Sea were excellent. We had unobstructed views of the entire fireworks.

View of the fireworks from aboard the sailboat on the Mediterranean Sea

The second fireworks we watched was from our terrance which provided a good view with the Castillo de Santa Barbara as a backdrop.

View of fireworks with the Castillo of Santa Barbara in the foreground

The final time we watched the fireworks this year was from a 21 storey high rooftop terrance near the beach.  Thousands of people head to the beach area to watch the fireworks. It is truly an amazing place to see them. The lights reflect off the water and make a spectacular show.

Thousands of people along the beach waiting for the fireworks show to begin.

The fire works are launched from a small point of beach. From the terrace we could see the launch area.

View of the launch area for the fireworks on the beach.

We enjoyed watching the fireworks which last approximately 20 minutes.  The twenty-one storey high terrace provided us with a spectacular location to watch the fireworks.

The view of the fireworks from the rooftop terrance

The pictures do not convey just how spectacular the fireworks were. Some of the fireworks were very creative with designs including happy faces, peace signs and other different patterns.

One of the unique fireworks

We put a short video below of just some of the fireworks.

“Vive la vida y haz tus propios fuegos artificiales.”

Greece

Archaeological Site of Delos Island

We went to the amazing archaeological site which is the entire island of Delos in the aegean sea.

The island is considered to be one of the most significant archaeological sites in Greece and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1990.

Our boat docked at the site and we followed our tour guide to begin exploring the island.

Our tour guide leading the way at the start of our tour.

We followed the tour group for some time listening to the amazing history of the island. She explained different areas of the island and how the society was at the centre of commerce at the time.

Ruins on the Delos island

It was hard to imagine that this island was a bustling city of over 30,000 people during the 1st millennium B.C.

Shelley and Ray at the pier of Delos Island

After following our tour guide for an hour or so, we decided to break away and explore the island on our own. We walked through the different streets exploring the ruins.

One of the many streets of ruins on Delos Island

The ruins of a butcher shop with stone butcher table still intact.
The famous Terrace of the Lions dates back to 3,000 BC.

The ruins of a traditional home on Delos Island

Tiled floor of ancient mansion on Delos Island
Touching a piece of history
Ruins of Delos Island

We walked through the ruins and came to an amphitheater. We stopped and decided to sit and relax in the 1 BC amphitheater.

The 1st BC amphitheater on Delos Island
Shelley sitting on the 1 BC bench of the amphitheater on Delos island

We saw a trail that lead up to the top of the mountain so we decided to go  an explore the mountain.

Top of the mountain on Delos Island

It was a fairly long and hard walk up the trail to the top. We stopped a few times along the way to catch our breath and take in the views.

The view from part way up the mountain on Delos Island

We continued up the trail and made our way slowly to the top.

View of the trail looking back down towards the base.

We reached the top and the views were well worth the walk up the mountain.

Ray and Shelley at the top of Delos Island
View from the top of Delos Island

We came to the highest point of the island and placed a rock on the top.

Ray placing a rock on the highest point of Delos Island

We stayed on the top of the mountain for a while enjoying the fantastic views of the surrounding islands. The pictures don’t give justice to the beauty of the views.

A short video of the climb up to the top of Delos Island

Our day on Delos Island was fantastic. Walking through the ruins of ancient Greece and knowing that this was referred to as the birthplace of the immortals gods of greek mythology. was a highlight of our travels to Greece.

“η ζωή είναι μια περιπέτεια, μην ξεχάσετε να την αγκαλιάσετε”

Greece

The volcano Island of Nea Kameni

We decided to take a day trip to the island of Nea Kameni which is the youngest volcanic land form in the eastern Mediterranean. We arrived at the old port of Santorini and boarded a ship which would take us to the island.

Tour boat for the island of Nea Kameni

We boarded and settled in for our trip to the volcano island.

Shelley on the tour boat heading to the volcanic island of Nea Kameni

The view of the islands around Santorini were spectacular from the boat. We enjoyed the trip over to the volcanic island and the views.

A view from the boat on our way to the Nea Kameni island

We arrived at the island and debarked along with two other boat to begin our walk up the volcanic island.

The soil was almost completely made up of dacite lava  and ash.

We began our climb up the slopes of the island making our way towards the 130 meters high summit.

Walking up the slopes of the Nea Kameni Island

It was a hot day with a temparature of 29 degrees celsius. We took several breaks along the way to enjoy the views and catch our breath.

Ray taking a break along the slopes of the Nea Kameni

We continued up the slopes until we reached the highest point. From there the views were stunning. We could see Santorini Island and for miles around the entire area.

Shelley and Ray near the top of the Nea Kameni Island

Ray even climbed the small rock marker that indicated the highest point so he could get a photo.

Ray at the highest point of the Nea Kameni island.
The view from the top of Nea Kameni Island
View from the top of Nea Kameni Island

After enjoying the views and taking a well deserved break we took one last selfie before heading back down to the boat.

Ray and Shelley at the top of Nea Kameni Island
Shelley heading back down to the shoreline of Nea Kameni
Ray heading down the slope of Nea Kameni Island

We arrived back at our boat and prepared for our second adventure of the day. We were heading to the hot springs that were located in the shallow waters on the other side of the island.

Ray getting ready to go swimming into the hot springs at Nea Kameni island.

We approached the bay area where the hot springs were located. The boat was not able to get close to the springs and anchored off shore. Everyone that wanted to go  swimming in the hot springs had to jump into the water from the boat and swim to the hot springs.

People swimming to the hot springs at Nea Kameni Island

Ray jumped in and swam to the hot spring located near shore. The hot springs are noted to have therapeutic benefits. The mud there contains sulfur and many people rub the mud on themselves for the theraputhic effects. After a short swim in the hot spring everyone returned to the boat.

Ray in the hot springs of the Nae Kameni Island

After everyone was back on board, the boat returned to Santorini. It was a very enjoyable experience, spending the day exploring the island of Nea Kameni.

“Απολαύστε τη ζωή και ζήστε τη στιγμή.”