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Spain

The Chicote museum

We went to check out one of the iconic and original cocktail bars in Madrid called the “Museo Chicote”. It is located on the Gran Via and was formerly known as Perico Chicote bar. It opened in 1931 by Pedro Chicote, who was a former barman of the Ritz Hotel.

The outside of the bar was unassuming and had a modern look.

The facade of Museo Chicote bar in Madrid

We went inside and immediately it felt like we had stepped back in time. The inside of the Museo Chicote had some interesting features. On the right side were small booths with moulded chairs and in the centre tables and chairs.

View of the interior of the Museo Chicote bar in Madrid

The rear of the bar had some red velvet curtains with an old style pay phone mounted on the wall.

Pay phone at the rear of the bar

We sat down at one of the booths and took in the decor as we enjoyed a cocktail.

Shelley sitting in one of the booths.

The Chocote bar was one of the first cocktail bars in Madrid. It is known for the many famous people that have spent time in the bar. On the wall behind the bar there were pictures of some of the famous people who visited the bar.

Photos on display behind the bar

We took a closer look at some of the photos and came across some famous people including, Salvador Dali, Rita Hayworth, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Sofia Loren, Earnest Hemingway and Many more.

Picture of Rita Hayworth (top) and Bette Davis (below) in the Chicote Bar
Some of the pictures of celebrities in the Chicote bar.

It was a wall full of Celebrities from all parts of the world.

There is even a Spanish TV series called “Arde Madrid” which features the story of Eva Gardner when she was living in Madrid.

Throughout the series there are many scenes involving the Chicote Bar. In 2004 the Chicote bar received an award as one of the best bars in Europe.

It was a great experience being in the Chicote Bar. We enjoyed a cocktail at one of the historic and iconic bars in Madrid. We even took a selfie picture of us with the Chicote Bar.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

A tour of the Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo

We went for a tour at a winery called “Bodega La Cepa De Pelayo”  which is a new Bodega located in Alcafá Del Jucar, Spain.

The tour was very detailed and took us through the entire Bodega.

Ray at the start of the Bodega tour

Our guide was very knowledgeable and explained the entire process in detail.

Tour guide explaining the processes of the wine making in the Bodega

We began with a tour with the extraction process, known as “debourbage”and how the grape is separated from the juice.

The vats used to ferment the wine

The juice is then transferred to different vats where the alcoholic fermentation starts.

Shelley and Ray in front of the fermentation vats

We then went to the barrel storage area where the wine is aged.

Wine aged in oak barrels at the Bodega.

Finally we went to a large hall set up for the wine tasting. We found our seats and learned about the etiquette of wine tasting. Our tour guide was very good and explained everything very clearly.

Tour guide explaining the wine tasting etiquette

We learned about the colour of the wine, the smell, look, texture and taste. We were taught how to swirl the glass to release the aromas of the wine.

Shelley at the wine tasting

We tried several different wines including a white, rose and red.

Ray tasting a white wine at the Bodega

The wine tasting was very entertaining and a lot of fun.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Spelunking in Alcafá del Jucar

We went caving outside of the town of Alcafá del Jucar, which is located in the province of Albacete Spain. We drove to the entrance of the cave which is actually just a small hole in the ground.

Entrance hole to the cave system

Our guide took us to the entrance and began setting up the rappelling gear required to enter the cave.

Rappelling gear set up at the entrance of the cave.

We took the opportunity to take a picture of the group while he was preparing the gear.

Our guide setting up the rappelling ropes for the entrance of the cave.

We each took a turn and rappelled down approximately 15 meters to the base of the cave.

Ray rappelling down to the cave floor
Ray at the base of the cave floor

Once we rappelled down to the floor of the cave, we began exploring the different caverns. The cave system was interesting with a lot of different features.

Some of the features in the cave

We even meet a few of the locals in the cave system.

Bat hanging in the cave

We came to one area of the cave which was spectacular. When we shined our lights on the ceiling of the cave it looked like stars.   The photo below does not do it justice.

Reflection of light on the drops of water on the ceiling of the cave

There were water drops clinging to the ceiling of the cave and our lights reflected off of them. It made it look like stars in space, truly an amazing sight.

We managed to get a group photo while exploring the cave caves.

Ray, Issac, Sonja, Susy and the guide

We explored the cave system for an hour or so before heading back to the entrance of the cave. We then used a rope ladder and climbed up the 15 meters to the surface.

Ray at the top of the cave entrance

It was a great experience and very enjoyable.

“Hasta luego y que tengas a buen dia”

Spain

The Fallas of Valencia 2019

Las Fallas festival in Valencia is a celebration to welcome the coming of spring and an opportunity to say goodbye to winter. As part of the Fallas festival there are giant “ninots” which means dolls. They are built using paper machè, cardboard,  wood and other combustible materials. The ninots have different themes and are sometimes political in nature.

We took a bus tour to Valencia and arrived early to explore the different ninots throughout the city.

Our Costablanca tour bus

We walked the crowded streets looking at the different fallas along the way.

The crowded streets of Valencia during the Fallas 2019

We came to some fallas, which were quite interesting and had specific messages.

Falla with naked Franco, Mussolini, Hitler and Trump with condom promoting no reproduction of these politicians.
Falla depicting the United Kingdom cutting ties from European union
A satire of a politician as a frog

Other fallas focused on the environment and in particular the issue of plastic in the oceans.

Falla depicting the dangers of plastics in the oceans.
Falla of a Turtle with plastics in its mouth.

We walked towards the “Plaza de Ayuntamiento” to see the “mascletàs” which is a pyrotechnic event that happens at 2 P.M. The mascletàs are focused on noise and rhythm rather than visual effects. As we got closer to the Plaza de Ayuntamiento the crowd became bigger and thicker.

View of the crowd in the streets at the Plaza de Ayuntamiento in Valencia waiting for the Mascletàs

The crowd was so large and big that we decided to go and find a place to have lunch instead of being in the centre of the crowd. We found a nice restaurant not too far away from the plaza. We enjoyed a nice meal and watched the mascletàs which were streamed live on the internet.

Watching the mascletàs live at the restaurant

After lunch we continued exploring and viewing the different fallas. We came to a parade and walked along with them for a while.

Ray walking along with the parade in Valencia

The parade had different traditional costumes, music and flowers. There were people of all ages participating in the parade.

After watching some of the parade we continued to explore the different fallas.

Shelley and Ray in front of a Falla in Valencia,

There are so many unique and different fallas that we created a small gallery of some of them.

During the evening the fallas and streets were lit up with decorated lighting. This made the fallas look completely different and they were quite beautiful.

We stopped at a bar for some tapas and a rest before heading back home after a full day of exploring the fallas. It was a very unique and enjoyable experience.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un buen dia”

Spain

The Mushrooms of Sevilla

We went exploring throughout the old quarter of Sevilla. We came across a very unique structure, called the Metropol Parasol. It is also known as “Las Setas de Sevilla” which translates as the mushrooms of Sevilla.

Las setas de Sevilla in the center of Sevilla, Spain
View from the base of the Metropol Parasol

We walked along the base of the Metropol Parasol exploring the large structure.

The Metropol Parasol in Sevilla Spain

This project to create the Metropol Parasol was by the german architect Jürgen Mayer, and is the largest wooden structure in the world.

Shelley at the base of the Metropol Parasol, in Sevilla Spain

The Metropol Parasol has different levels, each one with interesting things to see. On the underground level we came across the Antiquarium Museum. It was created to allow people to visit the archaeological remains that were found during the early excavations for the Metropol Parasol.

Shelley in front of the museum in the lowest level of the Metropol Parasol in Sevilla

The Roman ruins on display are behind a large glass, which gives the appearance of an aquarium.

Roman ruins on display at the Antiquarium museum in the Metropol Parasol in Sevilla.

After checking out the Roman ruins we took the Elevator to the third level. On that level there is a restaurant with seating which provided great views of the city.

View from the sitting area of the restaurant

We walked around the restaurant and came to the 26-meter-high walkway which crossed over the top of the parasol.

Walkways on the top of the Metropol Parasol in Sevilla, Spain
We walked along the walkway enjoying the views of the skyline.
Ray and Shelley on the 26-meter high walkway of the Metropol Parasol in Sevilla
Shelley on the 28-meter high walkway of the Metropol Parasol
The parasol is quite interesting and you were able to look down through the structure to the ground below.
View of the people below through the structure of the parasol
We walked around the parasol enjoying the different views of the skyline. It is an impressive size 150 by 70 metres (490 by 230 ft) and an approximate height of 26 metres (85 ft).
Image of the Metropol parasol from the sky
The Metropol Parasol was a very unique wooded structure and we enjoyed exploring the different levels of it.  It was one of the highlights of our trip to Sevilla.
“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”