A Flamenco concert in Vitoria-Gasteiz

August 9, 2018 chaput@live.com

We were fortunate to get tickets to a flamenco concert being held in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Victoria-Gasteiz.

Jose Thomas Jiménez renown guitarist on stage playing flamenco music

The concert featured the renown flamenco guitarist José Tomás Jiménez. The small venue was at the Cathedral of Santa Maria which is located in the old quarter of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We arrived early and managed to get seats which were close to the stage.

Vicki, Mark, Ray and Shelley in the Santa Maria Cathedral in Vitoria-Gasteiz

The Cathedral of Santa Maria was built in the late 13th century in a Gothic style. It was built as a church-fortress as part of defence system of the city. The area where the concert was held had a large arched ceiling and provided great acoustics.

Arched ceiling in the concert area of Santa Maria Cathedral.

José Tomás Jiménez began playing flamenco on the guitar and it was amazing the music he produced. We listened intently as he played for about 30 minutes non-stopped. He then had a drummer and a flamenco singer join him on stage.

Flamenco singer and drummer on stage with José Tomás Jiménez

They played flamenco music and the singer would sing along with her amazing voice. They played for about two hours with spectacular and intense flamenco music. The concert was great and a fun way to spend the evening.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

North to Vitoria-Gasteiz

August 7, 2018 chaput@live.com

We decided to take a trip to the north of Spain to explore some of the area. We headed out by high-speed train with some friends to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Ray and Shelley on High speed train to Vitoria-Gasteiz

The train had lots of leg room and was quite comfortable. It is a great way to travel at 247 kms per hour.

247 Kms per hour speed sign on the train to Vitoria-Gasteiz

We arrived in the early evening to the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, which is the capital city of the Basque region. This was our “base” and we would stay here and take day trips to explore the region. We got unpacked and settled in before exploring the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The following day we began exploring the city, which was very vibrant and interesting. We walked through the streets towards the centre of the city.

The streets of Vitoria-Gasteiz near the old quarter of the city.

We came to a main plaza called “Plaza de la Virgen Blanca” which is one of the oldest meeting points in the city.

Plaza de la Virgen Blanca in Vitoria-Gasteiz

Ray and Shelley at the base of the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca

There were some cafes and restaurants around the plaza with a larger monument in the centre. The monument called “La batalla de Vitoria” is a monument to remember the battle which took place in the city during the Napoleonic wars in 1813.

La batalla de Vitoria monument in the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca, Vitoria-Gasteiz

We walked through the old quarter which dates back to the 11th century. We came to the 11th century “wall” of Vitoria-Gasteiz which was a fortified wall to protect the city.

Section of the fortified wall of Vitoria-Gasteiz built-in the 11th century

We explored the old city centre and came across many unique and interesting buildings and architecture. Below are a few of the pictures in the old city centre of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

13th century building in centre of the old town in Victoria-Gasteiz

View from the church area to the Plaza Virgen de la blanca.

Ray overlooking the city of Vitoria-Gasteiz from the old city streets.

Government building with gardens in old centre of town

The city is rich with history dating as far back 581 AD. We spent the entire day exploring the streets of the old centre of the city. It was truly amazing to see such historic features in the city.

“Ados eta egun handia”

Spain

A visit to the Mercado colón in Valencia

July 26, 2018 chaput@live.com

We stopped at the Mercado Colón to explore this beautiful structure.

The outside facade of the Mercado has two prominent masonry facades which look similar to triumphal arches. The arches also are decorated with beautiful ornamentation.

Shelley in front of the arch of the Mercado colón

We walked through the Mercado and explored the inside of the building.

Snail ornament in ceramic tiles in the Mercado

There was a nice water feature on the lower level of the Mercado.

Water feature with statue and plants in the lower section of the Mercado

The Mercado is over 4300 square meters and has different shops and restaurants throughout.

In side view of the Mercado Colón in Valencia

The Mercado was built-in 1916 and has iron work from that period throughout the roof structure. We walked through looking at different shops and restaurants and decided to stop for a drink.

Shelley and Ray in the Mercado de Colón in Valencia

We enjoyed a nice coffee and relaxed enjoying the sights and sounds of the market. We even had a visitor drop by for a quick visit and snack.

Pigeon having some crumbs under our table at the Mercado

We stayed at the market for about an hour enjoying the lively atmosphere. It was a great way to spend some time.

“Adios y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Birthday in Valencia

July 24, 2018 chaput@live.com

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.

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.

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 .

We stopped along the way to enjoy the views and admire our surroundings.

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.

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.

The view of the City Hall Plaza at night 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.

“Adios y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Cirque de Soleil

July 23, 2018 chaput@live.com

We went with friends to see the Cirque de Soleil show, which were in large tents set up in Alicante.

Ray, Shelley, Marcello, Sonja and their daughter at the entrance of the Cirque de Soleil.

The tents were very large and had different peaks in its design. On top of each peak was a flag which represented a nationality of some of the performers.