Tag Archives: Chaput foot prints

Spain

The Roman Theatre in Cartagena

One of our favorite sites in Cartagena was the Roman theater. When we first walked to the top of the hill and saw the theater for the first time it was spectacular. It was located on the hillside which made it quite large and impressive.

View from the top of the Roman theater in Cartagena, Spain

The theater was much larger than we expected and it could hold up to 7000 spectators. The theater was in use between 5 and 1 BC and it was in excellent condition considering how ancient the structure was.

Ray and Shelley with Roman Theater in the background.
section of the Roman theater

We were able to freely walk throughout the majority of the theater admiring the architecture. The design of the theater was similar to a modern theater with exit aisles and divided into sections to accommodate the spectators.

Aisles divide the theater into sections for the spectators

We walked to the lower section of the theater and could see some of the marble columns which held up the wooden sections of the structure.

Columns in Roman theater in Cartagena
Columns at the outer wall of the theater.

The entire theater was well designed and had spectacular features. The stone stairs were even cut out and designed.

Stairs carved out of stone in theater

We walked throughout the theater for almost an hour enjoying the beautiful historic site.

Section at the base of the theater
Corridor to the section behind the seating area
Ray in section at base of the theater

It is truly hard to imagine the amount of history that occurred in the theater since 5 BC. It was a great experience and a very enjoyable time

Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Cartagena Medieval wall and Crypt

We went to check out the Cartagena Punic Wall Interpretation known as “El Centro de interpretacion de la murall Punica”. The Punic wall interpretation center was built to the same dimensions as of the wall height and width of the original wall. The center highlights the recovery of remains from the ancient Carthaginian wall which was used as a defensive wall system in Cartagena.

The design of the wall is known as the Hellenistic model. It has two parallel walls constructed with large sandstone blocks. The walls were 10 meters high (33 feet) and inside the walls, there was space divided into different sections. Each section was used for a specific purpose, horse stable, weapons storage and living quarters etc.

View from above of the ancient wall

We walked through the center looking at the remains of the wall. It was hard to imagine that the walls were built around 200 BC.

Punic wall build approximately 200 BC

We then came to the stairs which led to an area that was discovered to contain a funeral crypt. The crypt belonged to the hermitage of Saint Joseph and was built during the XVI and XVII centuries.

Stairs to Roman catacombs

We went down the stairs and saw the crypt which contained actual remains from that time period. At the base of the stairs, the crypt was opened on one side and it was sealed on the other side.

Funeral crypt built during the XVI and XVII centuries

Inside the open crypts, there were remains from that time period.

Crypts dated from 16th and 17th centuries

The one side of the crypt was intact and was not opened. The original wall along with a painted image which was slightly visible.

Painted image visible on the crypt wall
The original sealed crypt section

The wall and crypt were very interesting and something we enjoyed seeing. There is an amazing history of Cartagena and it was an enjoyable visit.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Castillo de la Concepcion, Cartagena, Spain

We went to the city of Cartagena which is located in the region of Murcia approximately 120 kilometers from Alicante. The city with a population of 218,000 is located on the coast of the Mediterranean sea.   Cartagena is a very old city which has a history as far back at 228 BC. The city’s defensive location surrounded by five mountains made it an excellent port with fortifications. Throughout the centuries the city has been conquered by different groups.

Our first stop in Cartagena was the Castillo de la Concepcion, a medieval castle. The walkway up to the castle was beautiful with great views of the city and the sea.

Part of the walkway to the Castillo de la Concepcion

Along the walk to the castle,  we came across some peacocks. They were quite tame and did not move far off the trail as we went by.

Peacock leading the way up the trail to the castle

We admired the features along the way to the castle including the tiled walls which depicted historical events.

Tiles with image of historic aspect of Cartagena on trail to the Castillo de la Concepcion

We came across some beautiful trees, one of them had their roots exposed.

Flowering tree along the trail to the castle

When we were almost to the castle there was a large flat area which contained a large chimney. This was used in ancient times similar to a lighthouse.  They would put a large fire at the base and pull out selected stones to allow light to shine through.

Felipe and Ray in front of the ancient chimney at Castillo de la Concepcion

As we got higher up on the trail there were some beautiful views of the city.

View along the way to the Castle

When we reached the castle, we stopped to enjoy the view. We could see the old Roman Theater and other features within the city of Cartagena.

View near the Castillo de la Concepcion in Cartagena.
View of Cartagena from the Castillo de la Concepcion

We then went and explored the Castillo de la Concepcion.  There were several rooms which were designed as cisterns. There was limited access to water at the castle so they captured rainwater. We were able to walk through the cisterns and look at its design.

Inside the cisterns on Castillo de la Concepcion
A lookout inside the castle

There were several rooms with displays of different artifacts. We saw a “Strongbox” which was used for currency control and to hold important documents from the 16th century.

16th-century “Strongbox” at Castillo de la Concepcion

16th-century book with important historic information.

16th-century historic book

We saw many interesting artifacts in the Castle, but what was extremely impressive was the outside section of the Castle. The views from the top of the castle were breathtaking. We could see the entire city and the mountains in the background.

Shelley on the top of the Castillo de la Concepcion
Ray overlooking the mountains and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Castillo de la Concepcion was very interesting. We enjoyed walking up the trail, seeing the vistas and exploring the rich history of the Castle.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

 

Spain

Funeral Parade and burning of the Sardine

There is a tradition in Alicante that occurs on Ash Wednesday every year called “El Entierro de la Sardina” which translates to “the burial of the sardine”.

There are large groups of people who dress up in black clothing and mourn the death of the sardine. They parade through the streets of Alicante with a symbolic large “Sardine”.

Parade funeral of the Sardine in Alicante

The parade works its way through the streets and finishes in la Plaza del Carmen in the old quarter of Alicante.

We went to the Plaza del Carmen and waited for the Parade to arrive. When the Sardine parade arrived there were people dressed in mourning and others wearing devil horns. We watched as they assembled the base and mounted the sardine for the funeral.

Sardine set up on base in preparation for the burning

Before they burn the sardine a “priest” goes on stage and recites a prayer. The prayer is symbolism of different endings for food and drink in preparation for lent. The sardine is the symbol of the past festivals and enjoyment of drink and food. The death of the sardine represents the beginning of lent.

“Priest” on stage saying prayers for the death of the sardine

We managed to get to the front of the group and watch the ceremony up close. It was an amazing thing to see. People were shouting the recital of the prayer “Libra por la Sardina” and one member had a lit torch at the ready for the burning.

A person with a lit torch for the burning of the sardine.

After the “prayer section was done they started playing drums and lighting fireworks flares and danced around the base of the sardine. The flares made lots of noise and sparkles which they sprayed on the base of the sardine.

A person using sparklers to light the sardine

There was a lot of smoke from the fireworks and a tremendous amount of noise. The atmosphere was very exciting and it was a surreal event. We were at the very front of the group and had a perfect view of the burning.

Ray at the front near the Sardine in Plaza del Carmen
Burning of the sardine

The following video will hopefully give you an idea of the atmosphere of the burning of the sardine.

The Burning of the Sardine was a very interesting and an amazing thing to see. We had a great time watching the locals celebrate the Entierro the Sardina.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Unique Spanish Restaurant

We went to a new restaurant in Alicante called “La Flamenco Bar” located on Calle San Francisco. The street itself is interesting because it has large mushroom figures along the street. It is referred to as “Calle Seta” Spanish for the mushroom street.

Ray and Shelley on Calle Seta (Mushroom Street)

We arrived at the Flamenco bar shortly after it opened for the evening. We were able to check out the bar and look around before it started to get crowded. It was larger than we anticipated with lots tables.

Inside the Flamenco bar in Alicante

There were photos on the walls of key attractions from each province in Spain. There are 50 provinces in total and some of the photos were very interesting.

Photos on the walls of interesting places in Spain

We walked around looking at some of the pictures before finding our seat. There were some pictures of places we have been to which made it even more interesting to see the pictures.

Ray, Shelley, Liz, Felipe and Mike at Flamenco Bar with a picture of  La Alhambra in the background.

We sat down at our table and waited for the bar to begin to fill up with patrons. It wasn’t very long and the bar was full of people enjoying a drink and waiting for the entertainment.

Full restaurant waiting for entertainment

The entertainment arrived and began to play some traditional Spanish songs. Although we didn’t know the songs it was great to listen to. The singer had a beautiful voice and the people sang along with her at times during the songs.

Entertainment playing for the bar.

People enjoyed the music and in some cases would get up and dance. There was one gentleman who danced a flamenco style dance and was quite entertaining.

Patron doing a flamenco style dance in the bar

The evening was an enjoyable experience and highlighted the great culture of the Spanish people.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”