Spain

Turrón Festival in Jijona, Spain

We went to the quaint town  of Jijona, which is located in the mountains in the province of Valencia. The town is located a short distance from Alicante and is known throughout Spain for its production of Turrón.  We went to take part in their annual Christmas fair which features many different types of turrón.

We arrived and found a parking spot at the base of the hill to the fair. There was a “train” that was providing free rides up to the fair, but we decided to walk up the hill.

Along the walk we came to a large nativity scene set up on the side of the mountain. We stopped to take a closer look and admire the nativity.

Nativity scene in the town of Jijona Spain
Jijona Nativity scene

After looking at the nativity scene we went up to check out the Christmas fair. We came to the main street and there was a large Christmas tree on display near the front of city hall. We stopped to get a photo with the tree.

There were tents and vender stalls lined up along both sides of the entire main street. They were selling and promoting turrón products. Turrón is a sweet which is made of sugar, honey, almonds and eggs and it is the most typical sweet eaten during Christmas here in Spain.

Turrón on display at one of the booths

People were gathered around trying free samples of different turróns.

People lined up to sample some of the turrón

We slowly walked along the street looking at the different products on display.

Different honey for sale which are also used to make the turrón

We would stop and sample some of them that interested us.

Shelley waiting to try a sample of turrón

One vender was selling a specialty liquor and was providing samples., so we just had to stop and try some.

Vendors providing samples of specialty liquors
Turrón liquor

We walked through the entire street enjoying the odd sample and seeing the different types of turrón. It was a great way to spend a beautiful afternoon.

“adios y tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Now that is a church choir!

We went to the Cathedral of San Nicholas de Bari which is located in the old quarter of Alicante. The beautiful cathedral was built in the mid 16th century on the site of a former Moorish mosque. It has a large dome located more than 45 meters high.

The Cathedral of San Nicholas de Bari in Alicante

We went to watch the ceremony and the concert for the twentieth anniversary of the Pontifical Coronation of the “Virgen del Remedio” We arrived almost an hour early and the church seating was full. We did manage to find some seats near the back of the church with a view of the altar.

The view of the Symphony from our seat at the back of the church

At the front of the church near the altar, there was a large orchestra and singers lined up in rows. It was the Symphonic Band of Alicante and the Tabaquera and Cantábile corals.

The choir singing a hymn during the ceremony

The acoustics of the church made the music even more amazing to listen to.  We stayed for the entire ceremony which lasted almost two hours. The hymns and music played was very moving and enjoyable. Here is a small sample of the music we enjoyed.

“Hasta luego y tengas un buen dia”

Spain

A Typical Sunday in Alicante

We went for a nice leisure walk throughout the city of Alicante on Sunday. The weather was nice and warm at 21 degrees and the sun was shining bright. We began our walk by heading towards the coastline of the city. We came to a lovely walking trail which had orange trees along the path.

Orange trees along the walking trail in Alicante

We followed the walkway until we came to a beautiful water feature along the trail.

One of the water features in Alicante

We had to stop and take a selfie and enjoy the moment.

Shelley and Ray at a water feature along the walkway in Alicante

We then walked along the waterfront on the beautiful boardwalk area of the city. The boardwalk has rows of palm trees that align the walkway. The views from the boardwalk were spectacular, you could see the castle and all the boats in the marina.

Boardwalk along the harbour in Alicante

We walked along the boardwalk until we reached the beach area. We could see the dates on the date palm trees and people were enjoying the beach and walking along the shoreline.

Postiguet beach in Alicante with date palm trees

We walked along the beach walkway and came across a tent which was set up along the walkway. They were doing a fundraiser and selling Paella and drinks. People were lined up to sample some of the traditional Spanish food.

Tent on the beach walkway selling paella and drinks.

We continued our walk until we reached the end of the beach area and then decided to walk along the “Explanada de España” which runs parallel to the marina and port. The walkway on the explanada is made up of 6.600.000 marble tiles. The three different colours of tiles form a unique pattern.

The explanada de España in Alicante

We walked along the explanada and came across an area where people were gathered around listening to music. As we got closer we could see that people were also dancing on the explanada. We stopped for a few minutes to check it out.

After watching the dancing for a few minutes we continued our walk along the explanada and came across a vender selling roasted “castañas” nuts.

Shelley buying some roasted nuts at a vender on the Expanada in Alicante

We had to sample them so we stopped and bought a small “cone” of chesnuts. They were very tasty and the shell came off very easily.

A shell on a roasted chestnut
A roasted chestnut

The chestnut tasted similar to a roasted potato and was quite enjoyable. We continued our walk along the explanada and enjoyed the day. It was a great way to spend a leisure Sunday in Alicante.

“Hasta Luego and tiene un buen dia”

Spain

Cartagena Roman Ruins

We took a trip to the historic city of Cartagena which was founded around 227 BC.  Our friend Felipe came along to be our tour guide and took us to some of the sites.

Shelley, Michelle, Gerry and Felipe

The city is known for some unique and well-preserved Roman ruins. We came to the Roman theater which was the main symbol of growth and wealth during the Roman times.

Roman theater in Cartagena Spain.

There some interesting aspects to the theater including the design for the flow of people which is still being copied and incorporated in large arenas around the world.

The view from the top of the Roman theater in Cartagena

We walked through the theater looking at the ruins.

Shelley, Gerry, Michelle and Felipe in an area of the Roman theater

After looking at the Roman Theater we went to another Roman site in Cartagena called Barrio del foro .

Barrio del foro Romano in Cartagena

Excavations that took place in 2008 on the southern slope of Cerro del Molinete discovered  a complete Roman block.

Excavated barrio del foro Romano in Cartagena

It has the remains of two buildings, one is a Roman bath complex from the 1st century AD.

Remains of the Roman Bathhouse in Cartagena

We walked through the roman bath ruins with Felipe and he explained the way the bath house used wood fire to heat the baths and used convection heat to help move the water throughout the baths.

Shelley, Michelle, Gerry and Felipe in the barrio del foro Romano

The second Roman ruin uncovered in the barrio del foro was an Atrium building, where religious banquets were celebrated in the 1st century AD.

Shelley in the Atriun roman ruins in Cartagena

We walked through the Atrium and looked at the ruins. There was even some remains of the original floor which was a herringbone style.

Herringbone flooring in Roman ruins in Cartagena

There were even some clay wine containers which was used to ship wine on sail ships.

Wine clay pots used for the shipping of wine in sail ships
Shelley in the Atrium Roman ruins

We then went to see another Roman site which was under development. Felipe was able to get us inside to see the site before it was completed.

Felipe in a Roman ruin under development.
Shelley and Michelle in Roman ruins

There are many beautiful restored and conserved Roman ruins in Cartagena. We enjoyed walking through the ruins and imaging what life was like during the Roman times.

“adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Spain

Tapa Competition

We decided to try something different and hosted a Tapa competition. We invited 10 couples to participate in the event which we held at our apartment.

We selected three judges in advance for the competition which were not known by the participants.

The judges Felipe, Sonya and Marcelo sampling one of the tapas

Each competitor had to make enough tapas (23) in total for everyone to enjoy a sample. They also had to have 3 tapas plated for the judges. The judges scored the tapa based on taste, presentation creativity and the pairing of a wine or other beverage.

Everyone enjoying the sampling of tapas

Everyone enjoyed trying the different tapas and sampling of wines. It was a very interesting event because we had people from multiple countries around the word. There were Spanish, Welsh, English, Scottish, American, Argentinian and Canadian competitors.  Each one brought some unique twist to the Spanish “tapa”. Below are the tapa entries. Each one was unique and very tasty.

The winner was selected by the judges and determined that Tapa Number 7 won the competition. Janice was awarded the Tapa trophy and the official tapa apron for “The best Tapa in 2018”

Janice with her trophy and Tapa apron

It was a very enjoyable and fun time with friends.

“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”

Life is too short to wait for adventure!