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Spain

A Sunday walk in Alicante

We went for a walk exploring the heart of the city of Alicante on Sunday. The walk was a leisurely one and started out walking down some of the side streets. Along the way we came across some interesting things. The first thing we encountered was a protest against cruelty to animals.

We watched the protest for a short period of time and then headed toward the old quarter. We walked down a side street and we could see something beside a garbage container.

 As we got closer we could see that it was a leg of ham still attached to the gondola ham stand. The gondola ham stand was new and the price was still attached. This one was worth almost 30 euros.

A gondola ham stand with ham left beside garbage container

After we walked by the gondola ham stand, we came to a neat little muslim bakery called “Pasteleria Oriental Alicante”. We decided to go in and check it out. We bought a few tasty treats for later in the day.

Shelley in the Muslim bakery

We walked through the old quarter of Alicante exploring different streets. We came to the barrio of Santa Cruz and explored some of the streets there.  We walked through the narrow streets admiring the flowers and decorations, it was quite beautiful.

Santa Cruz sign on the side of a building in the barrio
Typical street in the Santa Cruz  barrio in Alicante
Street in Santa Cruz

We walked through the streets and eventually worked our  way to the oldest church in Alicante.

Oldest Church in Alicante in the barrio of Santa Cruz

There was a great view of the city and the castle from the church.

View of the Castillo de Santa Barbara from the church
View of the city of Alicante from Church in Santa Cruz

After exploring the barrio of Santa Cruz, we decided to go to a terrace to enjoy a beverage. We went to the hotel called “Les Monges Palace” which has a great roof top terrace. We sat on the terrace enjoying a glass of red wine and the views.

view on the terrace of the hotel

After having a glass of wine, we headed to one of our favorite  restaurants called “La Matanza Castellana” for something to eat. We  enjoyed a nice meal and then headed home after a long walk though the city. It was a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday.

“Adios y que tenga un gran 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”

Poland

Now that is a lot of salt

We went to the Wieliczka salt mines in Poland, which was an amazing thing to see. The salt mines are a major historical tourist site and were designated as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1978.

Ray and Shelley at the front of the entrance to the salt mines

We began our tour by walking down 720 steps into the depths of the mine. The staircase was made of wood and was a continuous square staircase. we were almost dizzy by the time we reached the base.

Wooden staircase down 720 steps into the depth of the salt mine.

When we reached the bottom our guide took us through some of the tunnels in the mine. Along the tunnels, we would reach separation doors which would require the door at the other end to be closed before another could be opened. This was due to the pressurized air which was being pumped in artificially.

Wooden cribs used to shore up the mine.

We walked through the tunnels of the mine and there were signs identifying time periods when the mine was active in that particular tunnel. We walked through the tunnels and eventually would come to a large cavern area carved out of the salt. In these areas, there were salt carvings which were very impressive and represented a story in history.

Salt carvings of the queen initiating the start of the salt mine in Poland.

We came to a large area which was carved out by the miners when they were not working the mine. They created a church in the heart of the salt mine. Each carving, statue, and staircase were created entirely in Salt. It became known as “the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland“.

Staircase of salt leading to the church in the heart of the mine.

We walked down the salt staircase and were immediately in awe by the sheer beauty of the carvings. It was hard to imagine that the miners would carve these beautiful pieces of art, while on their own time after working the mine.

Salt statue of Pope John Paul II
Salt carving of Jesus and the last supper.
One of the many scenes carved in salt in the church
Salt carvings and altar in the salt mine church

The chandeliers were all made with salt and each one was unique which made them even more beautiful.

Salt crystals carved into a chandelier
Salt chandelier

We stopped at one point to quietly admire the beauty of the carvings. It was a surreal feeling to be in an entirely made church of salt.

Shelley and Ray in the Salt church in the heart of the salt mine in Poland.

We then walked through several kilometers of tunnels which would open up into amazing sites. There was a “salt lake” which contained so much salt that items would not sink.

We also saw some huge rooms which contained banquet halls and restaurants all underground in the salt mine.

Hallway in the salt mine leading to the restaurant and lounge area.
restaurant area in the salt mines.

The tour of the Wieliczka salt mine was an amazing site. It was an extraordinary experience walking in the depths of the mine seeing carvings from hundreds of years ago made completely in salt.

“do widzenia i dobry dzień”

Poland

A day in Krakow

We went into the Krakow city center to explore the old quarter. There were beautiful old buildings with great architectural features.

Krakow city center

We walked through the streets looking at the buildings and enjoying the sites. There were many unique features including a bicycle.

Skeleton framed bicycle in Krakow city center.

We came across a beautiful large plaza which had horse-drawn carriages parked there.

Linda, Bev, and Shelley, in the large plaza area in Krakow city center.

We went over to the horse and carriages to check them out. There was one in particular that looked really good.

Horse-drawn carriage in Krakow

We went over to the women and inquired the cost of a ride. The price was reasonable so we decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride.

Linda, Bev, Ray, and Shelley in Horse Carriage in Krakow

We enjoyed traveling through the streets in the carriage, seeing some of the main sites.

We went shopping along some of the shops in the city center. There were some specialty shops and unique stores.

Bev and Shelley going into a shoe store in Krakow

There some beautiful restaurants, pastry shops and cafes located in the plaza and streets.

Cafe on the side street in city center of Krakow

The visit to Krakow was very interesting and quite enjoyable.

“do widzenia i wielki dzień”

Netherlands

Venice of the North

We went to Amsterdam for a few days and explored this amazing city.

Ray in Amsterdam

Amsterdam is also known as the “Venice of the North” because of all the canals. There are 165 canals covering over 100 kilometers in Amsterdam.

We decided to take a dinner cruise and enjoy the canals in the evening. We arrived at around 7 p.m. and lined up to get onboard our cruise boat.

Each table was reserved and we had a nice table near the rear of the boat.

We set off and shortly after the waiter served us with wine and cava. The cruise was a very calm and the slow ride down some of the less traveled canals made it enjoyable. We enjoyed the wine and relaxed as we passed by some of the amazing homes.

Beautiful homes along the canals in Amsterdam

We came across some interesting things on our cruise. There were restaurants and other businesses located on boats anchored on the canals. There was the largest Chinese restaurant in Amsterdam which happens to be a floating barge.

We also saw some unique buildings and boats located at the canals.

During the cruise, we were served an amazing meal. There was a kitchen on board and the chef made the meal while we toured the canals.

Shelley, Ray, and Bev on boat cruise

During the evening cruise, it became dark and we were able to see the canals at night. The canals take on a new appearance and feel after dark.

The buildings, canals, and bridges take on a new look at night. The bridges have lights on the arches and light shimmers across the water of the canals.

The cruise was very relaxing and enjoyable. We had a delicious meal and was able to see Amsterdam on the water. It is definitely a great way to see the city and the canals.

“tot ziens en een goede dag”