Cartagena, Spain

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Trudy

Wednesday, November 24, 2015

Cartagena was founded in 223 B.C. and was conquered by the Romans in 209 B.C. It is just a half hour south of where we are staying.

The Ayuntamiento, or Town Hall of Cartagena is a beautiful marble building on the main street.

The Naval Museum nearby was free and an interesting place to visit. Both of us were impressed with the scale model ships, especially this huge one of an 18th century ship from the Royal Armada.

This huge anchor was just begging to have its picture taken.

The Zulo Sculpture by Victor Ochao is a very powerful memorial to victims of terrorism. It is over 16 feet tall and weighs over two tons. Very impressive.We sat and had lunch on this bench overlooking the harbour before we continued exploring the city…

but not before I took a moment for this photo.

Part of the afternoon was spent exploring the Museum of the Roman Theatre of Cartagena. The museum’s entrance is in a building near the Town Hall and is connected by a tunnel to this Roman theatre built in the 1st Century by Emperor Augustus.

Click here to see a video and virtual reality tour of the Theatre and Museum, as well as more information about the archaeological excavation of the theatre.An aerial view shows where the theatre is located in relation to the theatre and gives a good indication of just how large it is. The tunnel went from the building at the bottom of the picture, under the ruins of the Old Cathedral of Santa María la Vieja into the theatre.This photo showed what the theatre looked like before excavations were started in 1988. The arched doorway of the Old Cathedral is visible in the before and after excavation photos. A lot of buildings were built over the seating area of the theatre and all of these were removed as excavations continued.

There are a lot of buildings near the theatre that are under re-construction. It seems that the old façades are being kept but we aren’t sure what will be built behind them.

Conception Castle is a 12th Century fortress on top of the highest of the five hills in Cartagena. This fortress has been a Roman Temple, a Muslim Citadel , a medieval castle and during the Civil War it held the sirens that warned the city’s population of bombings. We climbed the hill to the Castle and were rewarded with amazing panoramic views of Cartagena, the port…

and the old bull fighting arena. We had parked our car way down there!A young man from the Philippines asked us to take his photo and then he took this one for us, as well as several more of us for himself as a ‘souvenir’. I thought I took lots of pictures but he sure had me beat!

One of the exhibits inside the fortress were several dioramas with these little animated computer generated figures that walked and interacted with each other. I found them quite fascinating.

On our way back to the car we pass this building which incorporated a very old building and a very new building. We saw some interesting graffiti, this statue of of Cristóbal Colón, which is Spanish for Christopher Columbus,and a rather clever sign for a coffee shop.

Los Alcázares, Spain

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Trudy

Tuesday, November 23, 2015

We are in Los Alcázares, a small coastal spa town on the south west corner of Spain. It is on the Mar Menor, or little sea, which is Europe’s largest salt water lagoon. This ‘little sea’ is 20 square kilometres and is separated from the Mediterranean sea by an 18 km long spit of land called the La Manga Strip which keeps it 2 to 4 degrees warmer than the Mediterranean Sea. Not that it matters to us as we are not going swimming this time of the year!

You can see the La Manga Strip in the distance. It looks as though the high rise apartments are floating on the water. I am convinced that a big wave would wash right over this spit of land and have no urge to go visit.

Today is a quiet day. I rest and Bob goes for a walk to explore the town and the beach. This seems to be the routine we have settled into after a travel day.

Our Airbnb apartment is very nice and we decide to extend our stay by one day so we do not have to travel on Bob’s 65th birthday.

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Trudy

Wishing Everyone a Wonderful Holiday Season.

Remember what is really important is spending time with those you love.

Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year

I’ll be back in the New Year to finish up our trip.

Troglodytes!

Posted on December 13, 2015 by Trudy

Sunday, November 22

This was our Airbnb apartment near the village of Alhendin, about 20 minutes outside of Granada. It was very nice and quiet but it is time to hit the road again. We need to be in Los Alcázeres, a small coastal town in southeastern Spain by evening.

The drive is interesting as the scenery changes often. These are photos shot through the car window so they aren’t the best, but they give a pretty good idea of the countryside. This is on the outskirts of Granada. I find it so strange to see apartment buildings and then countryside right beside them. There are no suburbs around here, it is city and then it is country, nothing in-between.We are surprised to see snow on the mountaintops.

Before long there are fewer trees and the land is much more arid looking.It is hard to tell from the photo, but this area is much like Drumheller, Alberta, with fields suddenly giving way to steep, dry ravines.

Soon we are seeing weathered and eroded hills that have what look like caves or tunnel openings.

A quick bit of internet research revealed that many people in this area live in caves. We stop in a little town named Purullena, and visit the Museo Cueva Immaculada. This was quite the experience. As we entered the museum we realized that we were walking through a family home. There were footsteps painted on the floor and we were told to follow the footsteps and then we were left to explore their house! We passed what looked like the grandparents having something to eat with their grandchildren in the dining room. It was rather bizarre.

Curtains separate the rooms so that air can circulate, and there are also chimneys for air circulation. We climbed a flight of stairs to an area of their home that was set up as a museum, with old farm implements, photographs, kitchen utensils, and a whole lot of other assorted items. Here are some pictures of the cave houses in Purullena, and another little village we drove to nearby.The temperature in these homes stays between 17º and 21º C year round. The ceilings are dome-shaped so that the caves will not collapse and to distribute the weight of the hills above to the thick outer side of the walls. Thirty years ago everyone in the town lived in caves, and today about 1,100 of the towns population of 2,700 still live in caves. The soil here is called arcilla, which is a special type of clay that is compact but still very soft so it is easy to dig. It is also an impermeable soil which stops the rain from entering the cave.The cave homes are dug out of the mountains and there are no other construction materials used. The homes are painted with white chalk which breathes so the air can circulate, and this prevents humidity from building up in the caves.We saw this ‘troglodyte’ busily hanging up her laundry before she went back into her cave home. These cave dwellers call themselves Troglodytes, which is from two Greek words meaning hole, and dying to get into If you want to read a bit more about these unique houses check out http://www.spain-holiday.com/blog/cave-settlements-in-andalucia.php

We were quite surprised to discover that the public washrooms were also the family bathrooms, complete with the family laundry, showers, kids toys and other personal items! These were located just outside the cave home, sort of like modern outhouses. We thought it must be difficult to put plumbing inside the caves.

As we continued on our way to Los Alcázeres we passed lots of huge market gardens, many of which had these tunnel hothouses, field after field of them. It was quite the sight.

Granada Cathedral and Alcaiceria Market

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Trudy

We are back home and although we had a good flight home it was still 24 hours from the time we got up until we arrived home. It is going to take a while to get back on Alberta time. I have fallen behind on my blogging but I am going to continue posting until I have it completed. Thank you for following along with us so far and I hope you will enjoy the rest of our trip.

Saturday, November 21

We spend another day in Granada, as we want to visit the Cathedral and the Alcaiceria, which is a reconstruction of the Moorish Market that burned down in 1843. This market is a maze of narrow streets and colourful shops that are absolutely crammed full of merchandise. We purchase a few souvenirs and Bob has a few laughs at my rather pathetic attempts at bargaining.

The Cathedral is right beside the market so that is our next stop. Upon entering the front door this is the what we see. Here is a closer view of the magnificent dome over the altar. This cathedral has a very ornate very large organ. I spotted this stand with several huge medieval books but it was in a roped off area so I couldn’t get any closer to get a good look.A bit further on down one of the side aisles I was thrilled to find a display of these ancient books. They were behind glass but I was able to get a much better look at them.The lighting wasn’t the best, but there were several cabinets with books inside. While I was absorbed in studying the calligraphy and painted images, the lights in the cabinets shut off and it was too dark to see them anymore. I had no idea why the lights shut off and although we returned a couple of times to check if the lights had been turned back on I was out of luck. I am glad that I at least had the opportunity to see what I had.

We have seen similar skull and crossbones in almost every cathedral we have visited. They are on tombstones embedded in the cathedral floors.The pillars and ceiling are quite ornate and the space they enclose is immense. Notice how small the people are.
This is a view of the back side of the Cathedral, seems I didn’t take one of the front. If you want to know a bit more about the Cathedral check out this link. http://www.thousandwonders.net/Granada+Cathedral It also has some nice pictures.There is a suggested walk through the Albaicin, on the hillside opposite the Alhambra so we head out to explore it. The beginning of the walk was quite nice.I quite liked this ‘Granada’, or pomegranate, on the front of one of the buildings we passed on our walk.We do find this lovely little garden and one other garden attached to a little museum along the way. In the museum garden there are several orange trees loaded with ripe oranges, and we ‘borrow’ one to eat later.

We spent a fair amount of time checking our map and trying to figure out which way to go. The route was not well-marked and we had to backtrack more than once. It was a long walk up lots of steep roads and really for what we saw we weren’t sure it was worth the effort and time, but at least we got some exercise.

This is a view of the Alhambra from a viewpoint on a terrace by some restaurants near the end of our walk.

On the way back to the bus we pass this building with its ‘street art’ and bricked up windows. We saw so many apartments and buildings like this, empty and/or abandoned, right beside occupied buildings and shops. I sure wouldn’t want to be living in an apartment next to an abandoned empty building.

The Alhambra, Granada

Posted on December 6, 2015 by Trudy

Friday, November 20

We caught the local bus into Granada and walked down this wide pedestrian street on our way to the tourist information office. This pedestrian walkway is made with marble paving stones, certainly something we don’t see back home. Outside the tourist office is a unique Christmas tree made with begonias.

There is also a shrine for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Paris. The buildings in Granada are very beautiful, imagine living in an apartment in this magnificent building.

Soon we are on the way to the Alhambra. This was a palace, fortress and medina all rolled into one. We decide to take a bus rather than walk up the hill to its location. This turned out to be a very good decision, as it is a long winding road up to the entrance.

We have a timed entrance ticket into the Nazaries Palaces so we make our way there first. We pass through the modern day medina (shops) and peek into a few on our way. This fellow is making the inlaid wood boxes, table tops and other items that are for sale in his shop. It is very exacting work.

We just have time to visit one of the towers before our visit. This area below the tower has the remains of houses and shops.

The view is spectacular from the top of the tower, but we are surprised at all the smog. We are once more reminded of Paris as the flags here are at half mast.The Alhambra has a lengthy history and it was first built as a fortress in 889. There is more information here if you are interested. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

The entrance to the palace begins in this room with beautiful coloured tile walls.

And then we walk through this little keyhole shaped door, and we are in the incredible courtyard. From here we see one amazing sight after another. I have seen lots of people taking selfies, but this one is definitely the cutest.

The Court of the Lions has the magnificent Fountain of Lions in its center. This is an alabaster basin supported by twelve lions in white marble, which symbolize power, strength and sovereignty.All the buildings are decorated with intricate carvings that were once painted. In some places the paint is still visible.

Water fountains and pools abound in the Alhambra. We also visit the Generalife which is a villa with beautiful gardens that was a retreat away from the rest of the palace.

Next stop is the Palace of Charles V. The palace was built around this round center court and there is an art gallery in part of the building. There is a small charge fee to go in and we are impressed by the quality of the exhibits and how well organized the gallery is.

These sculptures were from the 14th century I think. They were larger than life sized and stunningly beautiful.

There were also some very old books on display.Not sure why they were on the walls on the outside of the Palace of Charles V, but I sure liked these.

We spent the whole day at Alhambra and catch the bus back down into town, walking along the ‘river’ as the sun starts to set. Bob is happy we will be taking another bus back to our apartment so he doesn’t have to drive and I don’t have to navigate!

Granada

Posted on December 4, 2015 by Trudy

Wednesday November 18

Our apartment is near the small village of Alhendin about a half hour from Granada. It is a bit more remote than we had anticipated but it is a very nice, quiet apartment in the walk out basement of a new house. We spend a quiet day, only going into town to get groceries in the afternoon and to book our tickets for the Alhambra in Granada. We got these at a bank machine but it did take us a while to figure it all out. Things are not always as easy or simple as we think they are going to be. On our walk to the bank we see these granadas (pomegranates) growing on a tree. I didn’t know that when they get very ripe they just split open.

Thursday November 19

I had a quiet day and Bob took the bus into Granada and went to the Science Center. He spent 4 hours exploring the various exhibits on anthropology, medicine, transportation and inventions. Below is a model of the blood vessels in a human arm.

The tower has a great view of Granada, but watch out for the giant bugs!

This is a mummy from the Sixth Century found in Peru. The cold, arid climate in the Andies helped preserve the remains. Legend says that he was travelling with his wife for three months and she was the navigator. His last screams are captured just as he froze to death after getting lost again. (Can you tell who wrote this part?)

Mijas and Granada

Posted on December 1, 2015 by Trudy

Tuesday, November 17

We leave for Granada today which is a good thing as our balcony is positively swarming with workmen this morning. Too bad all this painting is going on as it made it difficult to fully enjoy our apartment, which was really quite nice otherwise. We met some people in Seville who told us about a pretty white village named Mijas so we stop for a visit on our way to Granada.One of the first things we see as we set out to explore Mijas are a lot of donkeys tied up along the main street. These are the donkey taxis that were first started in the 1960s by a local resident who used the donkeys to transport goods. Early tourists wanted to take pictures with the donkeys and asked to have rides and the tips they offered were more than his day’s wages…and so began the donkey taxis. I thought that they didn’t look very well cared for and that they were not very healthy and wasn’t interested in making them give me a ride. So, here is the donkey ride I chose.We found a lovely stone bench overlooking the valley and had our picnic lunch here. There is a very old tiny church which we visit and we want to buy a few things at their little shop but the store didn’t have change for 20€ so we said we would come back later, but when we return they are closed, so we are out of luck.

mijas-villas.com has this description of the church:”Hidden away in a corner of the village, overlooking the wonderful valley leading to the coast, is the hermitage of the ‘Virgen de la Peña’. Built into a rocky outcrop by Mercedarian monks in 1520. Inside is the image of the ‘Virgen de la Peña’, the patron Saint of the village. According to the legend, she appeared on this spot on the 2nd of June 1586 to two young shepherds that had been led there by a pigeon. Subsequently an image of the Virgin was found concealed in a recess in the tower where it had been hidden for 500 years. In 1656 work started on the sanctuary cave, which is nowadays always decorated with flowers and pictures as offerings.”We then walked around the edge of the town along some of the old original stone walls which offered more great views of the valley below.We enjoyed the gardens along the way which were very well maintained and had more flowering plants than we have seen elsewhere as well as many water features. It was very pleasant and relaxing.We stopped to watch these rock climbers but they take a long time getting ready to climb so we have to move on. We climbed a little tower on our walk through the town and it gave a nice opportunity to see the roof tops and how tightly packed together the houses are.I often see older people sitting on doorsteps or walking along the streets and wish I could take their pictures but I don’t want to be rude or intrusive. I was able to take this fellow’s photo after we walked by.

What is not to love about a street as pretty as this?Cars manage to drive along the narrowest streets and we find them parked in some of the strangest places. This car had travelled up the street in the second picture. You may be able to see that the street became much narrower further on. We have no idea how it managed to navigate past the flower pots on this very narrow road or how it is going to turn around to get out of there. We climbed steps to get to this road!All to soon it is time for us to hit the road. We need to be in Granada by 6:00 to meet our host for our next apartment. The scenery changes soon after we leave Mijas, it is drier and we start to see olive trees.We have seen graffiti everywhere we have been in Spain and Portugal. These tags are all along the highway walls.Soon we are driving through mile after mile of olive groves. We can’t believe how many fields of olive trees there are, stretching as far as the eye can see in all directions. I snap these photos as we drive by so they aren’t wonderful but they do give at leat some idea of all the trees we see on the way to Granada.

I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to write a comment or ‘like’ a post on this blog. WordPress just sent me a notice that my blog has more than 100 likes and that “my stats are booming and I am getting lots of traffic” I’m not sure exactly how important that is but I think when people like a post or comment it makes it easier for others to find the blog on search engines. I am still relatively new to blogging and need to do a bit more research into all this.

I started the blog so friends and family could follow my travels and as a place to show some of my art and I have been rather astounded to find that my blog has had 7,223 views by people in 50 countries since I started it for my trip to Paris in 2014. So, if you do enjoy a post please feel free to offer a comment or press that like button. I am behind on responding to comments but I do read them all and I am always thrilled that someone takes the time to comment on what they have read.

Gibraltar

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Trudy

Monday, November 16

There were more painters on our balcony this morning. It looks like they are going to do a lot of painting today so it is a good day for us to be away. We are going to visit Gibraltar so we drive near to the bus station and catch the ‘La Liena’ bus which takes us to the border between Gibraltar and Spain. Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory so this will be the fourth country we visit this trip: Spain, Portugal, Morocco and now a territory of England. We walk across the border into Gibraltar and then spend some time trying to figure out the best way to see the sights. Although we did do internet research before we arrived it turns out it wasn’t really much help. We finally decide to take a taxi tour which includes the four main tourist sights. It is a bit expensive, 80€ for 1 1/2 hours but we realize we don’t have enough time or energy to take the cable car and then walk 7 km down the rock which is what we would have to do to see the sights. That wasn’t mentioned in any of our internet research! Yesterday we only paid 120€ which included our bus and ferry rides, lunch and the 6 hour guided tour of Tangier. We drive up the winding roads of the Rock of Gibraltar and stop at a viewpoint where we can see the Spanish coast and the city of Algeciras where we are staying.We then visit St. Michaels Cave, where we are treated to a sound and light show in a huge cavern with many smaller side chambers and great rock formations. I’m not sure if I like all the bright colours on the rocks as they are quite spectacular on their own. See this link for more information about the caves. They have a rather interesting history, http://www.gibraltar.com/sightseeing/st-michaels-cave-gibraltar.html

There is a stalactite that has been cut in half which was very interesting as it has growth rings much like a tree does.We drive to a high point on the rock and we have great views of the Sea of Gibraltar and the Atlantic Ocean as the rock is very narrow here, but even more interesting than the ocean views are the monkeys. The monkeys of Gibraltar are tailless Macaque Monkeys. No one knows how they got on the rock but they are now one of Gibraltar’s big tourist attractions. They are managed and taken care of and they are the only monkeys living outside of captivity anywhere in Europe. There is also a feeding station which has improved their health and helped to stop attacks on tourists for food, although nearby residents are still careful not to leave their windows open, or they will find monkeys in their kitchens looking for food! I love the mothers and their babies. They appear quite tame but they are still wild animals and they do have rather large teeth…

Next stop, the Great Seige Tunnels. This is the only part of the tour that was a bit rushed. The tunnels are quite extensive and we almost had to run to get to the end and back again in the time we had. Too bad, but at least we got to see them. Here is more info if you are interested.https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Siege_Tunnels

I took this photo of Gibraltar’s airport runway from one of the tunnel openings. Do you notice anything unusual about it?Our tour ends in the older part of town and we have tea and lunch before slowly making our way back to the border checking out the streets and shops along the way. Many of the buildings have balconies with plants but I thought these two were particularly pretty.In this picture of the rock you can quite clearly see the tunnel holes where the cannons were placed. There is also a flag right at the top that is at half mast in memory of those who died in the Paris attacks.

Now, doesn’t this look like I should be in England?

There were many big fancy shops but then there were also the smaller not so fancy ones.

Now, do you remember that picture of the runway? Well here I am walking across it! Yes, the road and sidewalks go right across the runway, and just after we begin to walk across the sirens start blaring and they close the road right behind us. We are the last pedestrians to cross, and as we stop to take this picture an announcement is made for all pedestrians to clear the runway! They meant us!As we wait for the plane to take off, the one you can see behind me in the picture above, we have a great view of the Rock of Gibraltar.

There goes the plane, right where we were standing just a short time before. It was quite something to see.

On the bus home we are treated to a pretty sunset.

Tangier, Morocco, Africa

Posted on November 29, 2015 by Trudy

Sunday, November 15

I am behind on my blog, as you already know. I really wanted to keep it current but it hasn’t been possible. I will just continue to post when I can and I will finish blogging about our holiday after we get home if need be.

We are still in shock over the terrorist attacks in Paris on Friday. I spent a month in Paris last fall and it holds a special place in my heart. ‘My’ neighbourhood was just north of where the Bataclan Theatre is located. Having a connection, even one as remote as this, makes these attacks seem a little bit closer than they may have been otherwise. It is scary and I can’t help but wonder where it will all end. We check the internet for updates and try to figure out the Spanish news on TV.

Today we have a day trip booked for Morocco so we catch a 10:00 bus to take us to the ferry at Tarifa on the southern corner of Spain. This is Tarifa looking out from the ferry.

Before long we are in Morocco! This is the third time we have been to Africa. We have traveled from the East to the West coast of South Africa on a train called the Shongololo Express and we have spent a couple weeks in Egypt. Bob really wanted to go to Morocco, I wasn’t so sure. Egypt was quite challenging and we had lots of difficulties and I wonder if Morocco will be a similar situation. This is our first glimpse of the city of Tangier, Morocco from the ferry.The tour we booked is excellent. There are only five of us in our group and we have a guide and a driver. We first drive through the city to get an idea of what Tangier is like and we are surprised by how beautiful the city is. It is clean and it has lots of trees and flowers planted along the roads. We are shown an area with palaces for Kings from Morocco and royalty from several other countries. Then we drive along the ocean to Cap Spartel, which is Africa’s most north westerly promontory, and see the place where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Oceans meet. There are street vendors here but they are no where near as aggresive as the ones we had encountered in Egypt.

Our next stop was an unexpected surprise. For just 2€ we have a camel ride! When we were in Egypt I wanted to ride a camel but it never worked out. Today I get my camel ride!

Next stop, the Caves of Hercules. These were several really big caverns and if you look closely you can make out where round disks were cut from the rock to be used as mill stones. There is also an opening in one of the caves that is the shape of the continent of Africa in reverse.On the way back into town we were almost in a car accident. A car came within inches of crashing into the side of our van right where I was sitting. I think that the driver’s wife was in labour, she looked very pregnant and very scared and her husband was driving like a crazy man! We were very lucky that he managed to stop before hitting us. Once back in the town, we spend a couple hours on a walking tour through the medina in the old town of Tangier. The streets are narrow and twist and turn in all directions. Our guide also shows us a couple places that were used as sets in the Bourne Ultimatum movie and the new James Bond movie.

Without a guide we would have been hopelessly lost. One area’s buildings were all painted a bright blue colour.

We stop in a Spice shop where a young man, who tells us he is a trained massage therapist, convinces us to buy a special oil that is good for aches and pains. Bob gets a hand massage to try it out.

While we have our lunch at a local restaurant these musicians provide the background music.After our meal we check out the local veggie and fruit markets. The ladies in the interesting costumes and hats are from the hill towns outside Tangier. They dress in their traditional costumes to come to market twice a week. We buy the biggest pomegranate we have ever seen for 1€. I think it must be hard to make a living selling produce. Some farmers just have a small table, or a cloth on the ground with a few items for sale.

The shops are very tiny, sometimes just a few feet square and we see a couple shops that bake bread for the locals in wood fired ovens for a few cents a loaf.

We also visit a fabric shop and I buy a shawl. I am sure I paid too much for it as I am not a very good bargainer!

Finally, we visit the once grand Continental Hotel. Many famous people and movie stars have stayed here but it does not appear to be doing all that well now. We sit on the balcony just to the right of the red flag in the picture below, overlooking the Mediterranean sea and have mint tea and chat with our guide and one of the other fellows on the tour. He doesn’t speak English and I don’t speak Italian but we both managed to communicate in French and our guide speaks to us in English and to our new Italian friend in Spanish! We talk about life in Morocco and the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. Flags in Tangier are flying at half mast because of this.

It is a long day by the time we get back to Tafira and then we still have a bus ride back to our car in Algacires. We don’t get home until almost ten, but we were both quite impressed by Tangier and I think I would be willing to spend more time in Morocco some day.

trudymason.com

Travel, Art, Drawing, PaperArts

Cartagena, Spain

Los Alcázares, Spain

Merry Christmas

Troglodytes!

Granada Cathedral and Alcaiceria Market

The Alhambra, Granada

Granada

Mijas and Granada

Gibraltar

Tangier, Morocco, Africa

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