Tag Archives: Retirement abroad

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”

Spain

Correfrocs Ball de Diables

There is a carnival in Alicante that starts on February 23rd and continues until March 5th.  The carnival is full of different activities that include fireworks, dressing in costumes and other events. The carnival begins with a parade through some of the streets of Alicante ending with a big party at the Plaza del Carmen. The parade is full of people walking through the street some are dressed as devils and setting off fireworks and sparklers.

We headed over to the Plaza del Carmen early to check out the area before the big crowds showed up.  There was a stage set up for music another section with a bar and some barbecue pits. We then could hear the parade approaching through the narrow streets so we headed over to watch the parade.

Parade procession through the narrow streets of Alicante

We watched the crowds of people gather into the Plaza del Carmen. Some people were dressed in capes, with makeup and wearing devils horns, others were playing musical instruments and singing. People were pushing carts full of fireworks and they were carrying bicycle wheels with fireworks attached.

One of the many carts used to push the fireworks
Ray standing beside one of the carts

Once everyone was gathered in the plaza they started to set off fireworks in the middle of the plaza. It was an amazing thing to see because the sparkles were raining down on the crowd.

Fireworks and sparklers in Plaza del Carmen

They also stood on the shoulders of other people to elevate the sparklers.

climbing up on the shoulders of another person to set off fireworks
Standing on the shoulders of people to set off fireworks

We stayed and watched the fireworks show for a while and left once the live music began. The experience was unique and spectacular. What amazed Ray was the use of handheld fireworks and the lack of apparent concerns for injury.

Here is a small video to give you an example of the fireworks.

Adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Residency cards renewed

It is hard to believe we have been here a year already.  We were required to renew our residency card which expired in January 2017. We began the renewal process in November 2016 with the first process attending the “Oficina de Extranjero” to have our documents reviewed to ensure they met the requirements.

We headed to the “Oficina de Extranjero” and arrived early in the hopes of getting served quickly. We took a number and waited our turn. After approximately 30 minutes our number was called and we met with a clerk. She reviewed our papers and informed us that we were missing one form. The form was available online and we needed to return with it completed. We were not permitted to complete it there so off we went back home.   We completed the form and returned another day to have our documents reviewed again.

After waiting approximately 45 minutes our number was called and we met with a different clerk. She reviewed our documents and asked for a new document that was not on the list, however, I brought every document we had, including the one she asked for. We provided the additional document and was advised that we would receive a letter in the mail advising if the application was approved.

A month later we received a letter in the mail advising us to proceed to make an appointment at a different office for our residency card. We went online and scheduled an appointment which was three weeks later at a different office.

Campo de Mirra office

We attended the office located on Campo de Mirra with a copy of all our documentation and met with another clerk. They reviewed our documents and the letter we received from the other office.  We were then issued with another letter which required us to return again in another month to pick up our new residency cards.

We returned a month later and after having our fingerprints scanned we were able to pick up our new residency cards. We are now good for two years before going through the process again.

“adios y que tenga un grand dia”