On Saturday we went to the local market and there on display were some fafa beans. These beans are very poplar in Spain and every market or grocery store sells them fresh. We decided to buy some fresh fafa beans and try to make a meal with them. They are a very big bean and don’t look very appetizing.
Fafa Bean AKA broad bean
We took them home and tried a Spanish recipe for the bean. There are a few steps that needed to take place before you can eat them. First you need to get the bean out of the pod. I thought there would be more beans in the large pods. Each pod contained maybe 3 or 4 beans in total.
Our total beans amounted to approximately 1/4 cup. We were expecting more beans than that.
All of our beans from the pods
We rinsed the beans and then boiled them for approximately 5 minutes. Once the outer skin of the bean turns white you remove the skin.
removing the outer skin of the boiled bean
Once the skins were removed we rinsed the beans and then crumbled them up. We added some crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint and olive oil in with the beans.
The mix is put on top of a toasted baguette with a drizzle of olive oil. The end result was a very tasty meal.
There are numerous areas in Alicante that have outside exercise equipment. There is a concept here of promoting fitness using outdoor exercise equipment. We see the equipment in almost every park we walk by. There are even some outdoor exercise equipment on the walkways right in the heart of the Alicante business area. It is not uncommon the see some people using the equipment, especially on the weekends.
People exercising at local park
A while back we were walking through the Palmeral park and came across a section of the park that had outdoor exercise equipment. We decided to try it out and get a bit of a workout.
Wheel fitness for upper bodyRowing machine which uses your own weight as the resistance
All of the equipment is designed to use a person’s weight as the resistance for the workout.
Leg strength machines
After the quick test of the equipment Shelley took a well deserved break.
Shelley taking a well deserved break.
People here enjoy the outdoors and we can see why they like to exercise outside. The weather here is conducive to having outdoor exercise equipment. There is no need for a membership at a gym when you can simply walk to the local park and work out.
Palm Sunday in a major event here in Alicante. A few weeks before Palm Sunday, the open markets are selling palms for the upcoming event. There are numerous vendors selling unique palms that are handcrafted with some very detailed and beautiful designs.
Palms being sold at Open market
We bought two palms from the market in preparation for the procession that was on Sunday.
Shelley displaying her decorative PalmOrnate palm
In Alicante Easter parades begin on Palm Sunday and continue daily until Easter Sunday. This is known as Holy Week and every day during that week there are procession parades that take place. They have different starting locations within the city and most pass through the main Avenue Rambia de Mendez Nunez. We headed out to watch one of the main processions which started at 11:30 am. There was a very large crowd of people gathered to watch the start of the procession. People in the procession carry large palms and the walk is very slow and deliberate with a live band playing music.
Crowds gathered to watch procession
The procession starts with a single person at the from leading the process. They carry a symbol representing the procession.
The beginning of the procession on Palm SundayPerson leading the procession carrying a flag.
There is music and a band playing a slow drum beat as the procession moves slowly forward.
Procession band playing music
There are hundreds of people who follow along in the procession carrying their palms. At the end of the procession is a single parade float with a religious representation on it.
Float at the end of the procession
The images above were from the first procession we saw. The second procession we saw was quite different. There were ladies dressed in black as if in mourning leading the procession.
Dressed in black and leading the procession on Palm Sunday
There were people wearing blue and white cloaks and white hoods and they looked a little like the KKK. I have no idea what the hoods represent but it was a bit eerie to see. For us the white hood is a symbol of the KKK and represents evil and intolerance.
Palm Sunday procession in Alicante
At the end of this procession there was also a float. This float was surrounded by people in white cloaks and hoods.
Float in Procession on Palm Sunday
The processions last about 2 1/2 hours each and then there are other processions that start at 6pm and run into the evening. We stayed downtown after the processions and enjoyed the rest of the day. We took a walk out on the pier looking at the sea and then stopped for a relaxing drink.
We went to the Eiffel Tower to check it out. It goes without saying that it is a very unique and impressive structure. We walked around the base of the tower and took a few pictures.
Shelley and Ray at Eiffel Tower
One picture that I found interesting was standing on the ground right in the middle of the tower looking up.
Eiffel Tower looking up from the ground in the middle of the tower
There was a fair amount of people at the Eiffel tower and there was a line up for the elevators to go up the tower. Shelley and I noticed one base of the tower which had very few people in the line up, so we went and checked it out. This line up was for taking the stairs and walking up to the second level of the tower.
Line up for the stairs to go up the Eiffel Tower
We decided why not take the stairs, so we bought our tickets and started the climb up the Eiffel tower stairs.
The stairs are numbered and as you go up you get a sense of how many stairs you have climbed. There are a total of 700 stairs to get to the second level.
The higher you go up the stairs the more challenging it becomes. The stairs are fenced in to ensure no one “falls” off. The higher you go up the smaller the people on the ground appear. When you look sideways on the stairs you can see the buildings becoming smaller.
View from the stairs at the Eiffel Tower
I am not afraid of heights and I was comfortable with the climb. Shelley was having some difficulty with the stairs because of the open concept and views of the ground and sky. At around the 400 stair mark Shelley decided that was enough for her and headed back down to the ground. After making sure she was ok and with me going ahead I carried on and climbed the rest of the stairs to the second level. You could get great views of Paris from there. Below is a view of the Champ de Mars park.
View from the second level of the Eiffel tower
I walked around the second level and admired the views before heading back down the stairs.
Selfie on second level of Eiffel Tower
Back on the ground we decided we would walk back to the hotel through the Park of Champ de Mars.
View of the Eiffel Tower from the Champs de Mars park
We had a full day and enjoyed the Eiffel tower but also we enjoyed the walk back through the park.
When we were in Paris we went to the catacombs which are located in a series of underground tunnels. The entrance to the catacombs is an unassuming 1 storey building, once inside there is a spiral staircase that leads approximately 19 meters below ground to the catacombs. Once you reach the bottom there is an area approximately 5 square meters with displays on the history of the catacombs and geographical features of the rock. There is also a warning sign about the ossuary.
Warning that catacombs could make a strong impression on children and people with a nervous disposition.
You are able to walk the 2 Kms of the catacombs at your own pace. The walk is not an easy stroll because the ground is not always level, lighting was dime and there are spots where water may drip through from the ceiling of the tunnel.
Map of the catacombs
Not all of the areas of the catacombs are used as an ossuary. Some areas of the catacombs are basically narrow underground halls which lead to different parts of the catacombs.
underground walkway of the catacombs
The history of the catacombs is truly extraordinary, There are ancient mines under Paris. They had mined a product called “Lutetian Limestone” which was used as a building material and for gypsum for use in the “plaster of paris”. The mines were eventually abandoned and in 1774 there were several cave-ins from the abandoned mines in the city of Paris. This caused officials to create a special division of architects responsible for the inspection, maintenance, and repair of the mines under buildings within and around Paris. Below is one of the markings from former inspections done in the 18th century.
Inspection marking from former inspectors of the abandoned mines.
The city of Paris was also facing another challenge with the growth of the population in Paris. The growing population was creating a saturation of existing cemeteries and concerns over health risks.
The ossuary was created when city officials tackled the two simultaneous problems; the cave-ins that started in 1774 and the overflowing cemeteries. The city reclaimed the cemeteries and beginning in 1774 to 1786 there was nightly processions of remains from the Paris cemeteries to the shored up mines turned into an ossuary. More remains were added in later years to the ossuary. In total there are approximately 6 million human remains in the ossuary.
The ossuary provided the solution for the city. I can’t imagine how many and complex political issues they would have been involved in during this process. The challenge that city staff would have had dealing with these problems must have been incredible.
One of the tunnel sections of catacombs in Paris
The feelings we had while walking through the catacombs was mixed. When we started the walk in the catacombs we had a feeling of awe and amazement at the tunnels, but as we moved deeper into the catacombs our feelings began to change.
As we walked further into the depths of the catacombs everyone taking the tour was quiet. There was very little talking among the group and it felt more like you entered into a funeral home. Our feelings changed to more of an eerie sense of awe as we thought about the long history of the place. These catacombs were used by the French resistance during the Second World War, they hid in them and used the tunnels to go to different parts of the city.
one of the stone walls of the tunnel in the catacombs in Paris
At the entrance to the ossuary there is an engraving which read “Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la Mort” it translates to “Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead”.
Entrance to ossuary
Once we arrived at the ossuary section of the catacombs our feelings changed again. Inside the actual ossuary we had an eerie and sadness that came over us. It was just hard to imagine all of the human remains in the ossuary. Approximately 6 million human remains were stored here and some of the skulls and bones were used as a decorative display.
human remains piled in a patternHuman remains piled forming a wall of bones and skullsPillar of bones and skulls in the ossuary
Sections of the ossuary had markings to indicate which cemeteries or time periods the remains were from.
Tombstone marker for cemetery St Jean 1846 – 1847 transfered to katakombs in1859
Some of the sections had more of an ornate design than others.
Ornate display of human remains
As we walked further into the depths of the ossuary we began to be dismayed by the displays of human bones. These human remains had no marker and would never be known again as to who they were and their identities are lost forever.
Along the ossuary there were several plaques in Latin. The plaque below was displayed as we walked through the ossuary. It translates roughly as the following.
Translation –“certain death awaits you ; These days certain but death . Remember to always watch , the last light of the hidden”
As we reached the end of the ossuary section there was a plaque that was displayed in latin and it translates roughly as follows:
has no fear of death of those who despise the life of the soil
There were a lot of different human remains displayed as we walked through the ossuary section. I have only posted a few images of the human remains out of respect for the ossuary. It was very humbling and something we will never forget.
There were a lot of different human remains displayed as we walked through the ossuary section. I have only posted a few images of the human remains out of respect for the ossuary. It was very humbling and something we will never forget.
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