Felipe and Ray decided to go snorkeling at a spot called “El baño de la reina” which translates to “the Queen’s bath”. It is located in Campello, a short distance from the city of Alicante.
The Queen’s Bath located in Campello
We went down to the tourist centre located in Campello and got some information on the Queen’s Bath.
Felipe and Ray at the Queen’s Bath in Campello
There are former Roman pools located at the Queen’s Bath. These pools were used by the Romans as a fish farm. The tourist centre provided us with snorkeling information including an identification card of different fish and plants.
Fish identification card from the tourist information centre
They also provided us with an audio player which you wear on your arm during the snorkeling. We headed down to the Queen’s Bath with our gear.
Felipe and Ray at the Queen’s Bath
We swam for about one hour around the rocks at the Queen’s Bath. There were different types of fish along the rocks and we even saw a sea urchin.
Sea Urchin
The snorkeling was great, it was very interesting and enjoyable.
We went to an internations event at the Xiringuito Ton-Tin which is a small beach bar in Campello.
The Xiringuito Ton-Tin beach front bar
The weather was nice and warm and the beach was a great spot to spend the evening. We arrived at around 8:30 pm and sat with some of our friends on the beach.
Ray with friends from the internations group
The views were breathtaking and there was a nice breeze to keep us cool. We enjoyed great conversations and a few laughs with friends on the beach of the Mediterranean Sea.
Shelley, Vicki, Mark, Mary and Bill on the beach
We watched the sun set and the moon rise. It is one of those enjoyable simple things that always make us pinch ourselves.
The moon over the Medeterranean Sea
There was a full moon and the moonlight was shinning beautifully on the water. We decided to take a picture of our entire group from Internations on the shoreline.
Internations group photo on the beach at el campello
Afterwards we took a picture of us alone on the water’s edge.
Ray and Shelley on the shore of the Mediterranean SeaView of the Xiringuito Ton-Tin beach bar from the shoreline
We had a great evening sitting on the beach and enjoying the wonderful weather with friends.
We decided to take a cable car ride to the top of Tatra mountain near Zakapone. The mountain range forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. The tatra mountain Rysy peak is the highest point in Poland at 2,503 m or (8200 ft).
The cable car ride took about 15 minutes to reach the top. The views on the way up were stunning. The following video is shortened and fast speed to give you an idea of the trip up the mountain.
We arrived at the top of the cable car landing and exited to a spectacular view of the mountain range.
Shelley and Ray on the top landing of the cable car ride to Tatra mountain in Poland.
There are trails in the area and many people use the trails to explore the mountain. We walked up the trail that leads to the weather station on the Rysy peak.
Shelley and Ray on the Rysy Pea on Tatra mountain in Poland.
At the Rysy peak area, we could see 360 degrees. The views were stunning in every direction and we took our time to enjoy the views.
View from the Rysy peak of Tatra mountainRay on Rysy peakA view from Rysy peakShelley on the Rysy peak
We stayed on the Rysy peak for about a half an hour and then some dark clouds began to appear. It changed the looks of the mountains and made it look somewhat ominous.
Dark clouds rolling into Rysy peakView from Rysy peak with heavy clouds
We decided to head down the mountain before the weather changed. We took the cable car ride down enjoying the views along the way.
We enjoyed traditional Polish food throughout our visit to Poland. Each day was a gastronomic adventure, we tried to go to different Polish restaurants and try different Polish foods.
We enjoyed trying the lard which was served with bread as an appetizer before the main meal. The lard was mixed with some spices and was tasty.
Lard mixed with spices and served with bread as an appetizer.
We ordered a mixed platter of Polish foods, which included numerous different traditional Polish foods.
Ray, Michel, Barbara and Shelley at a Polish Restaurant in KrakowPlatter of mixed Polish foods including Polish sausage, cabbage rolls, potato pancakes,, ham hock, perogies, Polish kiszona kapusta (A form of Polish Sauerkraut) and beet salad.
It was a very tasty selection and more food than the four of us could eat. Throughout the week we enjoyed the different soups, including Borscht and bean soups.
Borscht Soup in Krakow, Poland
There was a Polish goulash stew which was quite tasty and enjoyable. It came in a homemade breaded bowl which added to the meal. We even tried different Polish beers, which were very tasty and rival any beer.
Polish beer served in Krakow
They had a major selection of different infused Vodkas. It is a popular drink in Poland.
Liquor display with numerous infused Vodkas
We couldn’t resist trying at least one of the infused vodkas. There was a honey vodka which was quite tasty. Shelley tried a lemon infused Vodka which was also very good.
Shelley trying one of the infused Vodkas in Poland
Over the week we encountered different foods and desserts that were unique to us.
Vicki, Shelley, Ray and Mark enjoying the gastronomy of Poland
There were Bagel stands throughout Krakow that sold fresh bagels and pretzels. These bagels were very good and we even tried some “pączki,” which is similar to a centre filled donut.
Barbara buying a pretzel for everyone to try.
The gastronomic taste and adventures were very enjoyable. Below are a few examples of the food.
Lentil and bean soupPotato pancakes with goulash
One of the joys of visiting Krakow and Poland was the Polish restaurants and traditional foods.
We decided to try something totally new and different. We went to explore some of the caves in Murcia. There is a cave system which is over 5 kilometers long called the Cueva del Puerto. They are located in Calasparra and approximately 5 kilometres of the caves have been mapped. Nearly all the caves in the Murcia Region are formed by limestone or dolomite,
We drove with friends to the mountains in Calasparra and arrived at the caves visitor centre.
Cueva del Puerto centre
We were met by our two guides who would be leading the exploration of the caves. We went into a change room to change into our cave gear. We wore coveralls, rappelling gear, and a helmet with light.
Shelley getting ready for the exploration of the caves.
Once everyone was dressed we walked up a trail which brought us to the entrance to the cave system. There we had a finale review of our equipment and then headed inside the caves.
Our group with one of our guides before heading into the caves del Puerto
In the entrance of the cave is an area for tourist to explore a small section. We headed along that pat then headed down into other areas of the caves not open to tourist.
Zack, Susy, Marcelo, Sonja, Ray and Shelley in a section of the Cave del Puerto
It was a frightening and exciting experience at the same time. We climbed down through some small crevices working our way through the caves. We repelled down sections of the cave, sometimes over 20 feet at a time.
Ray rappelling down a section of the cave of Puerto
There were times when we had to literary crawl on our stomachs to get through some of the openings. It was not an activity for the faint of heart or for anyone who is claustaphobic. We would stop every once and a while to take a photo and rest.
We entered areas of the caves which opened up into larger caverns. Some of these caverns were quite large and impressive while others were so small you could not even stand completely upright.
It was a very challenging exploring the caves and after four hours, we reached the exit of the caves again.
The group at the end of the four hour cave exploration.
It was a very physical and long day, but it was very rewarding and enjoyable.
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