We went to port city of Santander which is the capital of the historical region of Cantabria. It is located on the north coast of Spain. We walked along the coastline which had a large park.Â
Park area near the bay of Cantabria bay
We walked through the park exploring and admiring the views. We came across some bronze status, which was a memorial.
Memorial of the fire of February 15, 1945 in Santander, Spain
It was a memorial for the rebuilding of Santander after the massive fire of February 15, 1941, which destroyed most of the city. During the fire a total of 72,211 firefighters fought the fire and its aftermath. There was only one death throughout the fire and it was a firefighter named Julian Sanchez who was from Madrid.
Ray and the memorial
The park was quite long and ran parallel to the water. Along the parkway we came across a large structure which was quite unique.
Structure along the coastline in Santander, Spain
It is called “Centro BotÃn” and it is an art center with a very unique architectural design. We walked under the edge of the Centro Botin near the water.
Shelley under the base of the Centro Botin Art building in SantanderCentro Botin, Santander
The building appears split into two halves with a central connecting hallway. There is also a stairs and an elevator which allowed people to reach the roof. We decided to head to the roof and check out the views.Â
Shelley and Ray on the roof of the Centro Botin art building in Santander, Spain
We continued our walk along the park and came across some bronze statues of children, called “raqueros”.
Bronze status of children on the shoreline of Santander, Spain
Apparently the story of the statues is to depicted the children who would wait for the tourist ships to arrive at port. The tourist would trow coins into the water and the children would dive in for the coins.
Statue of child diving into the water in Santander, Spain
We walked along the park for a while before heading in to explore the old quarter of Santander. The waterfront parkway was a great time and a leisurely way to spend a few hours.
We went to Valencia to celebrate Shelley’s birthday. Our day began with a 1:40 minute train ride to the city of Valencia. We arrived to a beautiful warm day in downtown Valencia. We settled in to our hotel before heading out for a walk through the city. We started out walking through the beautiful “Jardin del Turia.”
Path in the “Jardin del Turia” which leads under one of the bridges in the city.
Jardin del Turia in Valencia
The park has a very interesting past. It was originally the Turia River which overflowed its banks in October, of 1957. The flooding reached heights of over five meters (17 feet) high. At least 81 people died and thousands were displaced during the flooding. As a result of the devastation caused by the flooding the city decided to divert the entire river through fields south of the city. After much debated and public protest the former seven kilometres of riverbed was converted to the current park in 1986.
Map of the Jardin del Turia Park
We walked through a section of the Jardin del Turia and then headed towards the centre of the city. Along the way we came across some beautiful building architecture, parks and statues .
Building in Valencia with ornate decor
Ornate building in Valencia
We stopped along the way to enjoy the views and admire our surroundings.
One of the arches in Valencia
Shelley and Ray in front of one of the many statues in Valencia
Shelley in front of the fountain near city hall plaza in Valencia
We walked along the streets until we reached city hall plaza.
City hall Plaza in Valencia
The streets around the plaza were cordoned off and there was a large street party going on. We stopped to check out the live music and walk through the area.
Street party with live music at Valencia City Hall Plaza
After exploring the city centre, it was getting dark so we decided to walk back to our hotel, which was a fair distance away. On the way back the city views changed as it got darker.
Valencia city view in the evening
The view of the City Hall Plaza at night in Valencia
Ferris wheel in Valencia
A section of “Jardin del Turia” at night
It was a long walk but very enjoyable. The city of Valencia has some beautiful features and architecturally interesting buildings.
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.
There is an international fireworks competition held in Alicante each year. Our friends Mike and Liz invited us to go on their sailboat to watch the fireworks from the sea.
Jorge, Ceci, Mike, Paul, Shelley and Ray on the sailboat before heading out
We went out and anchored off the coast near in front of the Castle of Santa Barbara. The view was quite stunning to see the city and the castle in the evening from the sea.
View from the Mediterranean Sea of Alicante coast line.
We enjoyed the views and warm evening while we waited for the fireworks to start.
The view of the fireworks from the boat
The fireworks were beautiful and lasted approximately 20 minutes. There were some unique fireworks and the show was great to watch from the water.
Ray and Mike on the “Hegeldi” heading back to port of Alicante after the fireworks
We had a great time with friends, there were lots of laughs and lots of fun.
Ray with friends on the sailboat waiting for the fireworks to start
We still find it hard to believe at times that we are living in Spain. It is an adventure almost every day.
We went with friends to a cycling group to tour some of the fogueres in Alicante. We arrived at the meeting place which was near the Plaza del Toros.
Shelley, Sonja’s daughter, Sonja and Ray at the start of the cycling tour
It was a very hot day and we were surprised to see so many cyclist there.
Cyclist gathered near the Plaza del Toros preparing to tour the fogueres.
We left the Plaza del Toros and headed toward our first foguere. It was tricky cycling at first because of how close we were to other cyclist.
Cyclist along the route to see fogueres
We went a few blocks and then came to our first stop. The foguere was interesting and focused on a specific topic. It was people of all different type and nationality. The focus of the foguere was that we are all inter-connected and co-dependant.
Shelley at our first stop of the fogueres.
Foguere of different people in the world
After checking out the foguere we saw another one which was close by. This particular foguere was very impressive with ornate designs and detail. The focus of the foguere is the government corruption that is an issue in Spain.
The political Puppeteer pulling the strings
The political parties being caught up in scandals
Mariano Rajoy -Prime minister of Spain and other politicians as clowns
Mushrooms on the ground representing the public which is being fed manure by the politicians.
A maze showing the politicians actions before being ousted from office.
We enjoyed reading and looking at the different pieces of the foguere. We then got back on our bikes and headed towards our next foguere. We arrived at a huge foguere which had some spectacular art work. This foguere also focused on world politicians.
Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump with missiles pointed at each other.
The fogueres had some very pointed opinions about the nonsense that is taking place across the world. We would take our time and read each sign. It was the regular people making statements about the politician and policies that affect their lives. The signs below Trump and Kim translates roughly as “they enjoy moving boats, for them it’s just a game, we’re fed up with their big show of ego” and “poisoned songs are these serene of war, two countries face massacre our future.” “in the “summit” we saluted and we all breathe, this is well that they speak even if they are lies to one of the other”
There were lots of details in the fogueres. Everywhere we looked you would see small details and ornate decorations.
Detailed sections of the fogueres
Shelley and Ray in front of a three-story high foguere
Some of the small detailed sections of the fogueres
We cycled for approximately three hours and then came to one foguere which was different. This one was giving away free drinks of horchata.
Shelley and Ray at a foguere during the cycling tour.
This foguere was sponsored in part by a company that made “horchata de chufa” which is a traditional Spanish drink. It is made with the chufa sage bulb and is a refreshing natural drink .
Sonja and Shelley at one of the fogueres on our cycling tour
We enjoyed the free horcheta and looked at the foguere.
Foguere focused on water use and supply
Large crowds of people throughout the viewing of the fogueres.
Foguere creatures of the sea with clocks showing time running out.
Throughout the cycling tour we saw many different fogueres and enjoyed seeing the many different pieces of artwork. We came to our last foguere of the evening which was also quite interesting.
Three story high foguere
Foguere against violence
There were so many things to see that the evening went by quickly. We really enjoyed the tour and seeing different fogueres along the way.
The fireworks were beautiful and lasted approximately 20 minutes. There were some unique fireworks and the show was great to watch from the water.
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