Tag Archives: Spain culture

Spain

Wine school and tasting

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Friends invited us to go to a class on the art of wine tasting being held in El Campello. We decided to go and check it out. We headed down to Luceros to take the Tram to El Campello. Luceros is located in the center of the city and has a beautiful monument located in it.

Monument in center of Luceros in Alicante

We took the Tram for approximately 20 minutes and arrived in El Campello. A short walk and we were at the wine school. We entered the classroom which was set up for the event.

wine glasses, water, and bucket for spitting out the wine.

The class which was entirely in Spanish was interesting at times and at other times we were lost and not able to understand the class. The instructor was speaking very fast and he also had a heavy accent.

The Instructor for the wine class demonstrating how to open a bottle of wine.

There were four different types of local wines from Alicante. A Shiraz, Merlot, Monastrell and a Sauvignon.

Wines from the Alicante Region that were sampled during the class.

Each wine was poured into a glass for sampling. The instructor then went through how to hold the glass to the details of tasting the wine.  Each person had a small bucket beside them for spitting out the wine when they were done. Ray did not need his bucket because none of his wine was wasted.

Shelley sampling her first glass of wine in the class.
Ray sampling his wine.

After the wine tasting we discussed the flavours etc of the wine. We would then move on to the next wine for sampling. The evening with friend was enjoyable and it was an interesting experience.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Ahoy Matey der be a Spanish Galleon!

There was a replica of a 16th century Spanish galleon sail ship docked at the Alicante marina. We decided to go down and check it out. We could see the galleon from a distance and it was quite impressive.

A replica of the 16th century Spanish galleon Andalucia

We went on board and took a guided tour seeing what life was like working and living on a 16th century shipping vessel. It was an exact replica with cannons, rigging and wooden decking etc. We walked up the ramp onto the main deck of the ship. This area of the ship is known as the Quarter deck. On this deck there is a main mast known as the Mizzen mast.

Mizzen mast

It is also the wheel that controls the ship is located. Officers would command the direction of the ship but would not actually handle the wheel, which was done by sailors.

The tour guide showing us around the Galleon sail ship
Navigation wheel of the Spanish Galleon Andalucia
quarter-deck of the galleon sail ship

We could see the bell which they used for different communications on board. It was on the forecastle deck. This deck has the front sail mast, known as the fore mast, the bell and two anchors that weigh over two tons each.

Iron anchor with wooden shaft weighing over 2000 lbs.
Ray on the quarter-deck of the Spanish Galleon Andalucia Sail ship
Bell used to communicate between ships in fog and for work shifts etc.

There was the poop deck at the stern of the ship which we did not have access to.  The origin of the name poop deck is from the  french word “poupe” which over time was shortened to the common term of poop deck.

View of the stairs leading to the poop deck

The poop deck was where officers could view the crew and the maneuvers of the ship. There is a large lantern which was used to identify the ship at night and to communicate with other ships.

Main lantern on the poop deck of the galleon ship

Below the poop deck was the “Noble Area”. This area was restricted to officers, and high ranked passengers.

Noble area below the poop deck
Area for Nobles and officers to relax

We went down one level to the gun deck which is where the cannons for the protection of the ship are mounted.  The galleon ships travelled in large groups for better protection against pirate attacks.

Gun deck cannons

The guide explained how they used different types of cannon balls for defence. There was the standard cannon ball which would make a single large impact. There was also a cannon ball chained to another cannon ball, which was used to destroy sails and mast of a ship. They also had a special one with small iron balls bunched together for a shotgun effect.

Different types of cannon balls used for defence against pirates

The deck below the gun deck is called the Hold. It is an area of the ship which holds the precious cargo.

Cargo area in the Hold of the ship

The cargo could be wine, oil or other products from Europe heading to America or it could be gold, silver and other precious metals from America. Only a small part of the hold was used to store basic food for the crew for the journey across the ocean.

“Adios y que tengas un grand dia”

Spain

A walk through the quaint town of Altea

On Sunday we went for a drive with friends to take part in a walking tour of Altea. The drive which takes about an hour was beautiful with great views of the Mediterranean Sea and the local landscape.

Toro silhouette common in Spain along roadways.

We arrived early for the tour and took the opportunity to enjoy the sunshine and a coffee with some of our friends.

Mark, Vicky, Ray, and Jorge at cafe in Altea

The tour began with Felipe explaining the tour path and some of the highlights we would see along the way.

Felipe explaining the tour and some of the history of Altea

We headed down the walkway along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea before branching off onto a former railway track, which was now converted into a trail.  

Former train tracks converted into a trail system in Altea

We walked a few kilometers on the trail admiring the great views and vegetation. 

Orange trees along the trail with views of the mountains
Shelley in front of blossoming almond trees
The blossom on an almond tree

We eventually came back into the town and walked along the narrow streets of the old quarter. We came across a motorbike and car show which was on public display.

Display of motorbikes with a WWII -1943 motorbike and sidecar.

After viewing the car show we walked through the old quarter admiring the architecture and views.

A street in old quarter of Altea
Whitewashed walls of a home in Old quarter of Altea

Decorations on the church in the old quarter of Altea

We enjoyed the walking trail and the stroll through the old streets of Altea. It is a great little town with lots of beautiful scenery and friendly people. It was a perfect way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Flamingo dancing

We went to a local flamingo show, at the “TABLAO FLAMENCO
LA GUITARRERIA” which is a very small bar. We went with a group of our friends and managed to get the seats located right in front of the stage.

View of the Flamingo stage from our seats

The venue only holds 24 people and it makes it a very intimate and enjoyable experience.

View of the flamingo bar from the stage to the exit

The show began with the guitarist playing some flamingo music while the singer sang.

Guitarist in flamingo show

The music and singing of a flamingo show is amazing to hear. The voice and music have stunning sounds and is full of emotion.

Singer in the flamingo show

After they played a few songs which tells the story of two lovers and their conflicts, the dancers each take a turn. The flamingo dancing is an amazing thing to see, they have such expressive use of their arms and rhythmic stamping of their feet.

Flamingo dancer doing a solo flamingo dance

The dancing has different elements to it. There is singing, guitar, hand clapping, finger snapping and dancing with expressive hand and leg movements.

Male dancer doing a flamingo dance

The dancing was so raw and emotionally charged. You could see the emotion on their faces.

emotions expressed on the face of the dancer

We had great seats near the stage and we were able to enjoy the show close up and personal. We had a great evening watching the flamingo show.

“adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Oktoberfest in Calpe Spain

We went to a very popular Oktoberfest which is located in Calpe, Spain. The city of Calpe is located approximately 75 kilometers from the city of Alicante. We took a small private bus tour to Calpe and arrived at the Oktoberfest around 6:30 pm.

On tour bus headed to Calpe

The event had just opened for the evening when we arrived. The bar area was lining up the Glasses in preparation for the crowd that would inevitably arrive.

Bar area of Oktoberfest in Calpe at the start of the event

We went and found a great table for our group to sit and enjoy the evening.  Our group found a perfect spot to sit and enjoy the event.

The gang sitting at our table at the beginning of the Oktoberfest event

We were close to the main stage and could easily see the entertainment.

Stage area of the Oktoberfest in Calpe

It wasn’t long before the seating was full and the beer was flowing.

The people enjoying the Oktoberfest in Calpe

Our server Bennie was very busy but always seemed to be enjoying himself.

Bennie our server delivering drinks to the table

We watched the entertainment and enjoyed the music from the band. The band was called the “Steinsberger” and they were very talented. After each song they would sing “Zicke Zacke Heu Heu” and everyone would toast and have a drink of beer.  Of course we would have to toast with the crowd at every zicke zacke heu heu. (we didn’t want to be rude).

The group toasting after a Zicke Zacke heu heu chant

There were all kinds of food being served including Bratwurst, Pretzel Rolls with Caraway Salt, Wiener Schnitzel and Beer Braised Briskets. Barbara enjoyed some of the Oktoberfest food.

Barbara enjoying some local Oktoberfest food

We even enjoyed posing for a photo in the cutout in the Oktoberfest.

Ray and Shelley at Oktoberfest Calpe

We put together a small video to give you a “taste” of the Oktoberfest Calpe experience. We had an enjoyable time visiting the Oktoberfest Calpe.

“Adios y Zicke Zacke Heu Heu”