The blog has been silent for some time, as we dealt with the loss of a loved one. Ray’s mom passed away in November and we went back to Canada for six weeks. We stayed over Christmas and New Years helping our family deal with the loss.
It has been a very difficult time and one which makes living in Spain a difficult challenge at times like this.
We decided to go hiking and climb a mountain called the Sierra de San Julian. We began our day with a tram ride to a stop which is near the base of the mountain.
There were several different paths that lead up the mountain. One of the paths had an inviting smiling face painted on the rocks.
We decided to take the trail which had the smily face to start our climb up the mountain.
We started up the trail which were fairly easy to climb at first and branched off to different areas on the mountain. The higher we got on the mountain the steeper the trail became.
Around half way up the mountain the paths became extremely difficult. We were climbing steep inclines and working our way up slowly towards the summit.
The views on the way up the mountain were wonderful and that kept us motivated to reach the peak.
We continued our climb up the mountain which was very challenging and steep.
We eventually reached the top of the mountain after about an hour of climbing. The top of the mountain was fairly flat and provided a beautiful 360 degree view of the area.
We stayed on the top of the mountain enjoying the stunning and beautiful views. We decided to leave a Canadian landmark by building a small Inukshuk.
We left our Canadian landmark behind and headed back down the mountain. The way down was easier and we were able to get down in about 30 minutes. It was a great way to spend a day enjoying the beauty of the area.
“Adios y que tenga un grand dia”
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.
The venue only holds 24 people and it makes it a very intimate and enjoyable experience.
The show began with the guitarist playing some flamingo music while the singer sang.
The music and singing of a flamingo show is amazing to hear. The voice and music have stunning sounds and is full of emotion.
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.
The dancing has different elements to it. There is singing, guitar, hand clapping, finger snapping and dancing with expressive hand and leg movements.
The dancing was so raw and emotionally charged. You could see the emotion on their faces.
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”
We decided to try something totally new and different. We went to explore some of the caves in Murcia. There is a cave system which is over 5 kilometers long called the Cueva del Puerto. They are located in Calasparra and approximately 5 kilometres of the caves have been mapped. Nearly all the caves in the Murcia Region are formed by limestone or dolomite,
We drove with friends to the mountains in Calasparra and arrived at the caves visitor centre.
We were met by our two guides who would be leading the exploration of the caves. We went into a change room to change into our cave gear. We wore coveralls, rappelling gear, and a helmet with light.
Once everyone was dressed we walked up a trail which brought us to the entrance to the cave system. There we had a finale review of our equipment and then headed inside the caves.
In the entrance of the cave is an area for tourist to explore a small section. We headed along that pat then headed down into other areas of the caves not open to tourist.
It was a frightening and exciting experience at the same time. We climbed down through some small crevices working our way through the caves. We repelled down sections of the cave, sometimes over 20 feet at a time.
There were times when we had to literary crawl on our stomachs to get through some of the openings. It was not an activity for the faint of heart or for anyone who is claustaphobic. We would stop every once and a while to take a photo and rest.
We entered areas of the caves which opened up into larger caverns. Some of these caverns were quite large and impressive while others were so small you could not even stand completely upright.
It was a very challenging exploring the caves and after four hours, we reached the exit of the caves again.
It was a very physical and long day, but it was very rewarding and enjoyable.
“Adios y tenga un grand dia”
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.
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.
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.
We were close to the main stage and could easily see the entertainment.
It wasn’t long before the seating was full and the beer was flowing.
Our server Bennie was very busy but always seemed to be enjoying himself.
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).
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.
We even enjoyed posing for a photo in the cutout in the Oktoberfest.
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”
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