Tag Archives: Spain

Spain

Almond trees in Spain

There are a lot of Almond trees in Spain, we come across them almost every day when we are out in the country side. Almond are very common and are part of the Mediterranean culture. Almonds have been around for centuries and is mentioned in the bible. That is why it is not surprising that Spain is the second largest producer of almonds in the world.

An almond tree grove in Murcia

At this time of year (January-February) the almond trees are in full bloom. We were out for a walk with friends in the Murcia countryside and there were a lot of almond trees in bloom.  The smell of the almond flowers which are pink or white were wonderful and it gave us the sense that spring was just around the corner. The white flowering almond tree has the sweet almonds while the pink flowering tree has bitter almonds.

Almond tree flowers in bloom

We walked along the mountain trail admiring the almond blooms and taking in the wonderful smell of the flowers.

We stopped at one of the trees and took an almond off the tree. and broke the shell. The almond tasted sweet and was quite enjoyable.

Almonds on the tree
Almond and flowers on an almond tree

Almond trees are just one of the many enjoyable features of living in the south of Spain.

“Adios y que tengas un gran dia”

Spain

San Silvester run

We enrolled with friends in the San Silvestre 5 km fun race which was held on December 28th in Alicante. Running a race may not seem like our style, but taking part in a ‘San Silvestre’ fun race is part of the Spanish tradition.

Marcello, Shelley, Sonja and Ray waiting for the start of the San Silvestre 5KM run

We arrived in our costumes at the race and there were thousands of people gathered to partake in the race or to watch the race. The start of the race began at 10 pm and everyone was in a festive mood.

We ran along slowly with the crowd looking at the different light displays on the streets.

Start of the San Silvestre race

We also came across different costumes which were quite creative.

Muffin girl in the San Silvestre run
Royal pages running in the race

 

We finished the 5 km race around 35 minutes or so.

Marcello, Shelley, Sonja and Ray at the finish line.

We then went through to an area with free refreshments for the participants.

Shelley enjoying a refreshment after the 5km run

We enjoyed a refreshment before heading home. It was a fun experience and was very enjoyable.

“Hasta Luego y Tengas un grand dia”

Spain

“Los Pajes Negros” in Alcoy

We went to the city of Alcoy for a visit. It was a few weeks before Christmas and the city was adorned with decorations.

Plaza in Alcoy, Spain

What we found strange was the decorations of “Los Pajes Negros” which translates to (The Black Pages) on the balconies throughout the city.

We researched this tradition and it dates back 133 years and is part of one of the oldest parades in Spain. The parade consists of around 2,000 people with approximately 300 people dressed as a black pages. The parade begins with the three Wise Men entering the city riding camels. There are musicians, torchbearers and black pages in the parade. The pages, use ladders to climb onto the balconies and give presents to the children.

Alcoy’s black Christmas ‘pajes’ (pages) prepare to deliver presents. EFE (photo from El Pais)

This tradition has been controversial and is considered racist by many. We have not seen the parade, but the idea of white people dressing up to represent black pages certainly seems racist.

“adios y tengas un grand dia”

Spain

A visit to Busot

We stopped at a small quaint mountain town called Busot, which has a population of under 3000 people.  The main streets of Busot were small and had decorations throughout the town.

Flower along the narrow streets of Busot
One of the narrow street of Busot, Spain

 

We took a walk down the streets exploring the town.

Shelley on one of the streets in Busot, Spain

There were some beautiful views along our walk, including old traditional homes, orchards, and vistas of the mountains and castle.

Views along the street in Busot with the castle in the distance

We stopped at a small cafe and enjoyed a coffee while admiring the castle.

View of the castle from the cafe shop
Shelley sitting at the La Casa cafe shop

It was a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon,  exploring a small mountain town.

“adios y que tengas un grad dia”

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”