I was out exploring the city of Alicante when I came across the Municipal cemetery of Alicante. The main entrance was quite impressive for a cemetery and so I decided to take a walk through the cemetery and look around. I spent over two hours walking around exploring this historic and interesting cemetery.
Entrance to the cemetery of Alicante
Inside the main entrance was an area with washrooms and a sitting area. Beyond the entrance was the main road which had flowers, benches and monuments along the way.
One of the statues along the main road in the cemetery
Along the main road of the cemetery there was smaller side roads. that branched off. Each row contained many different grave stones, monuments and statues.
I walked each row looking at the many unique and interesting funeral plots. There were family plots that were hundreds of years old and some which contained interesting feature. Below are a few of the interesting monuments and grave stones.
One of the branches off the main road in the municipal cemetery of Alicante
Some of the grave stones were actually more of a piece of art than a grave stone.
A family grave site with ornate and beautiful statues.
Large cross and statue overlooking a family plot.
I saw some very large mausoleums that looked more like small churches than a mausoleum.
The cemetery was surrounded by a stone wall which also served as a columbarium wall.
Columbarium wall in the municipal cemetery of Alicanteotter wall of cemetery with Columbarium
The cemetery is quite large and contains tradition type grave stones as well as simple burial stones.
It was an interesting walk and makes you realize just how precious our time on earth is. We wish everyone good health and safety throughout this pandemic.
“Vive la vida al máximo y disfruta de cada momento como si fuera el último, porque un día lo será.”
The Christmas season is certainly different this year in Alicante. There are no major gatherings and all the fiestas are cancelled. Curfews are imposed and people are only able to gather in small groups. No more than two families with a total of 10 people can gather at Christmas. So it is just the two of us having a quiet Christmas at home. However the city has done a great job lighting up the city in a festive way. We put on our mask and decided to take a walk around some of the areas of the city to check out the Christmas lights.
Shelley and Ray at the Esplanada d’Espanya in Alicante
Along our walk through the different barrios we would find different lights strung across the road. It was beautiful to see the array of lights and styles of decorations.
Lights across one of the main roads in Alicante
Some of the narrow streets had some intricate and interesting lights. The photo below does not truly capture the ambiance of what it was like walking under the “stars” of that street.
Strings of lights along a narrow street in Alicante
Some of the plazas had displays of lights or even Christmas Nativity scenes. The plaza de la montañeta had both. There was a large ball decorated all in lights and people could go inside and walk through it.
Shelley and Ray in front of the Christmas ball in the plaza de la Montañeta.
There was also a display of a nativity scene and a village scape in the plaza.
If you look closely you may see a familiar face.
Nativity scene at the Plaza de la montañeta
Several streets had basic lights across them, while others had more intricate lights.
Shelley and Ray in front of gift box of lights
We walked down to the Ayutamiento (City Hall) and checked out the Plaça de l’Ajuntament. There was a large display of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.
Large display with Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Overall the Christmas decorations were beautiful although the atmosphere this year is one draped in uncertainty. We wish everyone a safe, healthy Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
We took a boat ride to see the Philae Temple now located on the island of Agilkia in the reservoir of the Aswan Low Dam. It is below the Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser, in Egypt.
Boat ride to the Island of Algilkia
As we approached the Island we could see the Philae Temple.
View if the Philae Temple from the boat as we approached.
We landed and began our walk towards the Temple. The closer we got to the Temple the more impressive it became.
Shelley and Ray in front of the main entrance to the Philae Temple.
The Temple of Philae was originally located near the First Cataract of the Nile in Upper Egypt. The y were being flooded as a result of the initial construction of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902. The UNESCO Nubia campaign dismantled the Philae Temple site and moved them stone by stone to the nearby Agilkia Island, before the 1970 completion of the Aswan High Dam. The Philae Temple has been relocated exactly as the original location.
The other wall of the main entrance with carved images in the stone.
We walked through the entrance which was spectacular and massive in size. Through the entrance we walked into a large courtyard with columns running the full length of the courtyard.
Shelley and Ray in the courtyard of the Philae Temple in Egypt
The columns in the courtyard were finished with a flower style leaf at the top.
Pillars in the Philae Temple
We walked throughout the courtyard admiring the smaller temple buildings. It was truly an emotional experience being able to walk in the Temple and touch the walls of such historic buildings.
Ray at the Temple of Philae in Egypt.
Shelley at the Temple of Philae in Egypt
We went inside the Temple of Philae and saw stone carvings and hieroglyphs on the walls.
Close up of hieroglyphs on the stone at Philae Temple.
Christianity seems to have been present at the Temple of Philae by the fourth century. Apparently at which point it coexisted with traditional Egyptian religion. We came across an Christian alter which was fashioned in the Temple.
Christian Alter in the Temple of Philae, in Egypt
Below are some of the spectacular Temple ruins or structures in the Philae Temple.
Ray in the Temple of Philae in Egypt.
It was a spectacular sight to see the Temple and walk through the ruins.It so rewarding to know that these historic Temples were not lost as a result of the Aswan Dam. UNESCO saved this history from being lost forever and we were fortunate enough to actually visit them.
We booked a trip to Egypt through a Spanish travel agency. We began out adventures by flying to the city of Aswan in Egypt to take a cruise on the Nile river.
On the plane heading to Egypt
We landed at the airport and met with our Guide. He spoke perfect Spanish and Arabic but absolutely no English. His name was Aladino and he was our guide for the entire trip.
Shelley, Ray and Aladino in the Sahara Desert
We began our trip by going to the cruise boat and getting settled in to our room. The cruise ship was called, “Grand Princess” and had four levels plus a large deck on top with a pool and bar. Our room was quaint and simple but comfortable.
Our room on the Grand Princess cruise ship
Our guide Aladino told us that the first excursion was at 3:30 A.M. We managed to get a few hours of rest before heading to the lobby to meet our guide. We boarded a bus and headed for our first of many Unesco World Heritage Sites in Egypt. This site was called “Abu Simbel Temple” which is located in the village of Abu Simbel in Aswan Governorate .
We arrived before dawn and walked to the temples. The first sight of the temple was amazing and a surreal experience for us.
Abu Simbel Temple in Egypt
As we walked closer it became even more amazing just how big the stone sculptures were. The four statues representing Ramesses II are 20 m (66 ft) high. They represent Ramesses II seated on a throne and wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Entrance between the statues of Ramesses II
We went to the base and admired the statues before heading inside the single entrance into the temple. Once we were inside we saw more statues of Ramesses II in columns.
Column statues of Ramesses II inside the Temple of Abu Simbel
This was an amazing first experience for us to be able to walk within the Temple and to actually touch these amazing historical artifacts.
Shelley and Ray inside the Temple of Abu Simbel
Other statues within the Abu Simbel Temple
We explored the inside of the temple admiring the carvings and statues. We noticed that the sun was beginning to rise and we saw a beautiful dawn.
Sun Rising seen through the entrance to the Abu Simbel Temple
We left the Temple and went to look at the second temple located there. They serve as a lasting monument to the king and his queen Nefertari, and commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh.
The small Temple of Abu Simbel
We entered into the smaller temple and explored the interior. It was equally impressive and contained many stone carvings.
Ray at the front of the small Temple of Abu Simbel
Carving inside the small temple of Abu Simbel
Carving in stone inside the smallTemple of Abu Simbel
We explored the twin temples and discovered that these two temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II. What we did not realize until the tour was that these temples were moved to this new location.
The relocation of the temples were necessary or they would have been submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser, the massive artificial water reservoir formed after the building of the Aswan High Dam on the River Nile.
The complex was relocated in its entirety in 1968 under an artificial hill made from a domed structure, high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir.
A view of the back side of the Temple which was relocated to the village of Abu Simbel.
We found the tour to Abu Simbel very interesting. There were so many unique and amazing artifacts to see in the Temples. The tour was completely in Spanish. There was no english during our entire trip to Egypt. It was a great way for us to practice and improve our Spanish.
We spent the day exploring the main tourist city of Sintra in Portugal. This quaint and beautiful city is on the outskirts of Lisbon and is famous for its picturesque beauty. It is located with historic palaces and castles in the city.
View of the region from the hillside of Sintra.
We went into the city and walked around the old section of the city. There were colourful buildings and houses accenting the beauty of the city.
Shelley and Ray in Sintra
The views were spectacular and there were several unique castles. To finish our day in Sintra, we went to explore one of the castles in Sintra called “Capela da Quinta da Regaleira.”
Capela da Quinta da Regaleira
The castle was located on some beautiful grounds and gardens. We explored the gardens, walking through different areas admiring the views and gardens.
Gardens in Capela da Quinta da Regaleira
Ray and Shelley in gardens of Capela da Quinta da Regaleira
There were some spectacular structures in the Capela da Quinta da Regaleira. There were even caves, water features and ponds throughout the property. We explored some of the caves which were quite unique.
Cave system at Capela da Quinta da Regaleira
Part of the cave system
The caves surfaces were artificially made in areas to look like frightful looking faces.
Faces made in stone inside the caves.
pond on the exit of the cave system.
Pond at part of the caves.
Shelley leaving the caves across the pond
After exploring the caves we walked to the castle and explored part of it. It was a beautiful castle with stunning architectural features.
Ray in front of the castle of Capela da Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra is tourism destination within the Portuguese Riviera, and one of the wealthiest municipalities in the country. We truly enjoyed our day in Sintra.
We spent the day exploring the main tourist city of Sintra in Portugal. This quaint and beautiful city is on the outskirts of Lisbon and is famous for its picturesque beauty. It is located with historic palaces and castles in the city.
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