Spain

June is here it is time for the Festival de Fugueres

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Fogueres de Sant Joan copyIn June, there is the festival called “Fogueres de Sant Joan” it is also known as “Hogueras de San Juande” in Alicante. It is the largest celebration and biggest festival in Alicante. The official celebration begins on June 20th and includes events such as the “Mascletàs”  A major fireworks competition. There is the Pregón, which is the setting up of the bonfires known as “La Plantà”. There is also a procession of the effigies known as the Cabalgata del Ninot. There is also parades with a floral tribute to the Virgen del Remedy.

Although the official festival begins on June 20th the celebrations begin on June 4th.  Around 1 p.m. we headed down to the Luceros plaza which is located in the centre of town. The plaza was cordoned off with fences and police security.

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Luceros plaza in centre of Alicante
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Luceros plaza cordoned off for the Mascletàs (fireworks) event

We walked around the plaza area checking it out. We came across a nice cafe and decided to stop in for a drink before the start of the “Mascletàs”.

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Ray having a cold beer before the start of the “Mascletàs”

We then headed out and found a shaded area to watch the “Mascletàs”. There were lots of people gathered around having drinks and waiting for the fireworks. Some people were wearing costumes and paper hats. It was a very festive atmosphere with lots of laughing and singing.

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People wearing paper hats
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Major crowd at the “Mascletàs”
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people wearing costumes or matching T-shirts
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Shelley and Ray waiting for the start of the fireworks

There were firefighters “bomberos” who were there to set off the fireworks as well as fire protection.

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Fire truck parked in the Luceros plaza.

Inside the fenced off area, there was an area for the representatives of the fogueres  referred to as “Fire beauties and ladies” They were the focus of the local media and were part of the Mascletàs event.

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The representatives of the fogueres de Sant Joan
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Media taking pictures of the representatives of the fogueres de Sant Joan

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As the time grew closer people were anticipating the event and you could feel the anticipation. Once the fireworks started the people watched and cheered. The fireworks began with smaller explosions and noise which gradually grew to an amazing sound of explosions and smoke. The sound was tremendous and gave us both goosebumps. Once the fireworks were completed people cheered by waving the hands in the air and singing a Spanish song.

Below is the video of the atmosphere just before the actual Mascletàs and the fireworks display itself.  We hope you enjoy it although it does not come close to actually being there.

https://youtu.be/XYW_DKQE65E

It was a very interesting and amazing event and very neat to see and hear.  We definitely enjoyed the day and the display of fireworks.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Central market

When we were in Valencia we went to the central Market. It is a beautiful large building located in the heart of Valencia. The exterior of the building has ornate glass and tile finishes.

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Valencia Central Market

We went into the Market and checked it out.  The inside of the market is massive, with 8000 square meters of space. There are long rows of vendors selling every conceivable food products. The market is busy with lots of people roaming the market.

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We walked through the long rows of vendors. The atmosphere and noise were quite unique. There were also very distinct odors as we explored the market.

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Some of the market items of fish for sale
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There were unique smells in the market
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There was every type of ocean creatures for sale

All the rows of vendors end in a central area of the market. In the center is a statue of Mary surrounded by flowers.

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Center of market with statue of Mary surrounded by flowers

Above the statue of Mary is a domed ceiling which directs light to the statue. It is a focal point of the market and people come to take pictures or even to pray.

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Ceiling above the statue of Mary at center of building allowing light into the market

The market in Valencia is buzzing with people and has a unique atmosphere. We are glad that we took the time to visit it.

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

Spain

Shoe Factory and outlet!!!!

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On Saturday, we went to a shoe factory with an outlet store in Elche called “Salvador Artesano”. The shoe factory is located in an industrial park area of the city.  The entrance to the factory is unassuming  and it did not look like a large factory.

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Entrance to Shoe Factory

The inside of the outlet area of the factory is massive. We could see shoes, boots, and purses for the whole length of the factory building.   Shelley enjoyed walking around the displays looking at the vast assortment of shoes.

Shelley checking out the shoes
Shelley checking out the shoes

There were two levels to the shoe factory. The lower level had new shoes, boots, and handbags. The second level had discounted shoes and older model shoes.

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View from second-floor level of factory outlet

We looked at the factory outlet section for about an hour before heading to the cash.

Shelley going to the cashier
Shelley going to the cashier

Once we paid for our shoes we headed out of the factory outlet.

Shelley with her new shoes and hand bag
Shelley with her new shoes and hand bag

Unfortunately, the factory floor was not working on Saturday. We looked at the factory section through some glass windows. It was interesting to note that the majority of the shoes being made are still done mostly by hand.

Factory work area, hand crafted shoes
Factory floor work area, where hand crafted shoes are made

Once we got home Shelley tried on her new shoes. It was a great day and lots of fun .

Shelley trying on her new shoes
Shelley trying on her new shoes

“adios y que tenga un gran dia”

 

 

Spain

City hall in Valencia

We  stopped into city hall in Valencia which is a beautiful large building. There was police security at the entrance and we were required to go through security before entering into city hall. Once we were through security we were free to roam the corridors in the public areas of City hall.

The main staircase of city hall is made with marble and is very beautiful and impressive. When we looked at the staircase you could see marble railings,  marble stairs and above the landing area, there is a large stained glass ceiling which allowed defused light into the area.

Marble steps and railings in central staircase of city hall, Valencia
Marble steps and railings in central staircase of city hall, Valencia
Central staircase at city hall, Valencia
Central staircase at city hall, Valencia

The ceiling above the central staircase contains a beautiful stained glass ceiling.

Stained glass ceiling over central staircase in city hall, Valencia
Stained glass ceiling over central staircase in city hall, Valencia

We climbed the staircase to the second floor and to our left there was a large banquet style room. We went into the room and saw some large chandeliers and a beautiful painted ceiling.

Banquet room city hall Valencia.
Banquet room city hall Valencia.

The banquet room was over two storeys high with ornate decorations.

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view of the banquet end wall

There was a section of city hall dedicated as the historic municipal museum.

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We checked out the museum area. There were numerous artifacts and historic items from the Valencia municipality on display.

Some of the historic displays within city hall, Valencia
Some of the historic displays within city hall, Valencia
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statue on display in city hall, Valencia
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Antique cabinet on display

We went into a room which had large paintings on the wall.

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Shelley in the museum room with large painting.
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Painting of former king of Spain

We then entered another room which was quite spectacular. On display were religious articles and an ancient book which was on display behind a glass containment.

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Room in city hall, Valencia
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religious display in city hall, Valencia

In the centre of the room was also an area that contained a glass floor. We could see the floor area below.

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Glass floor area in city hall, Valencia

After we toured the interior of city hall we headed out to the second floor balcony.

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Shelley and Ray on balcony of city hall, Valencia

The view from the balcony was beautiful, it provided a complete view of the square. Check it out.

https://youtu.be/JPyNiQOM5b0

On our way out of city hall we stopped on the stair landing and watched as a police officer help a tourist family. He took a photo of the group and made sure they were all staged just right for the perfect picture. He was extremely helpful, friendly and it was a nice way to end our tour of city hall.

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Police taking a picture for tourist family

“adios y que tenga un gran día”

Spain

Sardine Sandwich

On Tuesday night we went to a cooking class conducted by Chef Luca Phillips in Alicante. We began the evening by having nice glass of red wine and an introduction to the delicious selection of mediterranean dishes we were going to prepare.

There were five dishes in total, caponata, sardines, marinated tomatoes, romesco sauce, and a shaved fennel, orange and rocket salad with lemon dressing.

We put on our cooking apron along with our name tag, washed our hands and awaited our tasks.  Each person taking part had their own work space. Chef Luca went through the preparation with us and demonstrated how to slice or cut the ingredients before we started.

The Chef then put us into small groups to prepare the food. Once we began preparing the ingredients Chef Luca would come around and ensure we were doing ok and answer any questions. Some of the preparations was more challenging than others. One group was required to de-boned the sardines and prepare them for the “sandwich”.

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sardines being de-boned for the meal

Shelley and I were both relived that we were  not picked for that particular job!

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Shelley preparing her ingredients

The chef did the majority of the stove cooking aspects which allowed us to observe and ask questions.

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Chef Luca explaining the sardine “sandwich” dish

Once we were finished the preparation of ingredients, we combined them into the dishes. It was interesting to see how some ingredients interacted with others ingredients. The chef explained the importance of salt or acidic foods and how they worked in combination with other ingredients.

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Chef Luca adding an ingredient to the plate.

The group worked well together and the plates turned out nicely. We admired our handiwork on display prior to enjoying the fruit of our labour.

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Finished plates prior to enjoying them

We then sampled the dishes and socialized for the next hour or so. We enjoyed the very tasty dishes and Ray even eat the sardine sandwich which was very good. Overall a very enjoyable event.

Adios y que tenga un gran día”

 

Life is too short to wait for adventure!