Tag Archives: Spain

Camino de Santiago, Spain

The start of the camino de Santiago adventure

The Camino de Santiago is a religious pilgrimage which has always been of interest to me. It is known as “The Way of Saint James” an important pilgrimage that dates back to the middle ages. There are many different pilgrimage routes that lead to the city of Santiago de Compostela. Some of the routes are considered main routes for the pilgrimage. All routes however lead to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great where his remains are located in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

I began my preparations for the pilgrimage nearly a year in advance. Walking and training with my camino partner Mark for the journey which would inevitably take me through steep hills, valleys and other challenges. Reading many articles and conducting research it became obvious that planning and the right equipment was key.

Packed and ready for the Camino de Santiago

The day finally arrived and we set out by train to our starting point of Sarria Spain.

Once we boarded our train, we settled in for the eight hour train ride.  We toasted to the adventure that would follow.

Ray and Mark toasting to the Camino de Santiago

We enjoyed the train ride and we met other great people heading to Sarria for the Camino adventure. We arrived tired but excited to start our camino the next morning.

At the start of the Camino de Santiago I felt that the adventure would be a challenging walk and a hiking experience. I did not realize that the camino de Santiago experience would change me forever.

“Deja que comience la aventura”

Spain

Les Fogueres de Sant Joan 2019

In Alicante every year there is a major festival called “Les Fogueres de Sant Joan”. It begins on the 20th of June and ends with the “Cremá” which starts at midnight on June 24th.  The city is bustling with noise and activities during the week of the “Fogueres”.

We try to participate and enjoy as much of the activities as possible during the fiesta. One of our favorite things to do is explore the fogueres on display at most major locations.

Shelley and Ray in front of one of the fogueres

There were a total of 89 fogueres in this year’s fiesta. We put together a small gallery of some of the creative, different and beautiful fugueres we saw.

We also took part in other events during the fiesta, inluding the Mascletà, parades and the famous “crema” which roughly translates to “cremate”

We went to our friends apartment which overlooks one of the main fougeres. Their balcony provides the perfect spot to view the fiesta activities and the crema.

Shelley and Ray in front of the large fougeres which we watched being burnt at the crema.

Below is a small video of the crema activities which is one of the highlights of the fiesta.

Our friend Felipe who is involved in a lot of tourist activities assisted in a video about Alicante. It is in Spanish but shows some of the great things we see in Alicante.

We always enjoy the Hougeras of San Juan and try to participate in as much as we can. Until the next time be safe and enjoy life.

“Lo mejor de la vida es seguir adelante con todos tus planes y tus sueños, abrazar la vida y vivir todos los días con pasión.”

Spain

Alcalá del Júcar

We spent some time in the small and quaint town of Alcalá del Júcar with a population of only 1, 321. It is located in a narrow valley in the province of Albacete.

The view from the top of the valley

The view from the top of the valley is beautiful. The drive into the town follows a road that winds along the rocky walls of the steep valley.

The view of the town of Alcalá del Júcar

Bellow is a short video of the drive down the valley.

We went for a walk and explored the town of Alcalá del Júcar. The town is quiet and slow paced. We enjoyed walking slowly along the quiet streets admiring the architecture and scenery. We came across some interesting and beautiful spots along our walk.

The view from one of the streets in town
Ray near the arched bridge in the town
A man sitting on a chair on the middle of the street

Along our walk we came across a gentlemen sitting in a chair in the middle of the street. He was enjoying the sun and seemed surprise to see us.

There were caves carved out of the side of the valley walls where people lived. We could see the caves in many different areas.

Caves made into houses

Shelley explored a cave house which was converted to a museum. The inside of the cave was spectacular with features that would rival any home.

View of one of the main rooms in the cave house
One of the rooms in the cave house in the town of Alcalá del Júcar

The town even had a castle which was perched above the town.

The castle in Alcalá del Júcar

The castle provided a great view of the town and surrounding area.

The view from the castle of the town of Alcalá del Júcar

Alcalá del Júcar is very quaint and special town. It has great has great character and we enjoyed exploring the town.

“Hasta luego y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

Spelunking in Alcafá del Jucar

We went caving outside of the town of Alcafá del Jucar, which is located in the province of Albacete Spain. We drove to the entrance of the cave which is actually just a small hole in the ground.

Entrance hole to the cave system

Our guide took us to the entrance and began setting up the rappelling gear required to enter the cave.

Rappelling gear set up at the entrance of the cave.

We took the opportunity to take a picture of the group while he was preparing the gear.

Our guide setting up the rappelling ropes for the entrance of the cave.

We each took a turn and rappelled down approximately 15 meters to the base of the cave.

Ray rappelling down to the cave floor
Ray at the base of the cave floor

Once we rappelled down to the floor of the cave, we began exploring the different caverns. The cave system was interesting with a lot of different features.

Some of the features in the cave

We even meet a few of the locals in the cave system.

Bat hanging in the cave

We came to one area of the cave which was spectacular. When we shined our lights on the ceiling of the cave it looked like stars.   The photo below does not do it justice.

Reflection of light on the drops of water on the ceiling of the cave

There were water drops clinging to the ceiling of the cave and our lights reflected off of them. It made it look like stars in space, truly an amazing sight.

We managed to get a group photo while exploring the cave caves.

Ray, Issac, Sonja, Susy and the guide

We explored the cave system for an hour or so before heading back to the entrance of the cave. We then used a rope ladder and climbed up the 15 meters to the surface.

Ray at the top of the cave entrance

It was a great experience and very enjoyable.

“Hasta luego y que tengas a buen dia”

Spain

The Aguilas Carnival

There is a carnival in the town of Aguilas Spain which is one of the most famous in the Murcia region. The carnival has received the status of “Fiestas of International tourism Interest”. We decided to go and check out the carnival and watch the parade.

We arrived in the early afternoon to Aguilas and explored the city before the big parade. We walked along the waterfront enjoying the beautiful views.

The colonia beach area of Aguilas
Ray, Shelley, Sonja and Marcelo on the beach in Aguilas, Spain

The boardwalk goes along the waterfront with a marina area.

Marina area of Aguilas Spain

After walking along the boardwalk, we headed into the city centre. The streets were already crowded with people waiting for the parade which was still a few hours away. We explored the area until it was time for the parade. We came across a small plaza which had lots of white doves.

White doves in the plaza of Aguilas Spain

We then went and found a spot to watch the parade. It was not easy to find a good vantage point because of the bleachers that were set up. You had to pre-purchase a 10 euro ticket to get a seat on the bleachers and we did not have one.

Bleachers with paid seating for the carnival parade in Aguilas

We found a spot to watch some of the parade. The costumes were very detailed and ornate.

One of the ornate costumes in the carnival parade.

We watched the parade for some time admiring the different dances and costumes. There were children, teens and adults all participating in the carnival parade. Below are only a few of the spectacular costumes and floats in the parade.

Children dressed in costumes of the carnival parade

Below is a small highlight video of some of the carnival.

The parade was very interesting and we enjoyed watching the different costumes and dancing.

“Adios y que tenga un gran dia”