April 19, 2013
Sunshine, sand, and snorkeling were the plans for today. Ross
and I found snorkeling gear in the garage of Aunt Maria and Uncle Ralphs villa
and have been itching to use it. We
packed a few light snacks, the puppy pictures, and headed for a little beach
just past the Las Bassettes cove.
The water looked enticing, clear
as a crystal ball, full of aquatic life, but still cold enough to take your
breath away. I hoped the sunshine would warm me up enough to get in but it did
not. Ankle deep was where I stayed; while I watched Ross gear up to take the plunge.
He waddled in up to his waste; losing his footing in the fins he went under unexpectedly. A few moments later he popped up and shouted to me “there are fish everywhere.”
The puppies joined him as he enthusiastically explored and I decided to do the same, only keeping to the rocks and ankle deep water.
My adventure was equally as exciting. I found urchins,
schools of tadpole like fish, and sea weeds growing like mushrooms on rock
faces.
Once Ross was done playing scuba Steve he shared his
experience with me. He expressed how his heart raced to keep his
body warm and how he had to stay calm because large fish were giving him the
stare down. The clear water was comforting compared to the darkness that lurked
as he swam away from the white sand bottom towards deeper water. He said he couldn't help but imagine what was looking back at him that he could not see.
April 20, 2013
Street markets are a real treat here, as well as a way of living for locals. Calpe holds one each Saturday morning, rain or shine, near Old Town. We decided to indulge in the local tradition today; it was an amusing and delicious treat. The market is split between two streets. One side is merchandise, such as clothing, jewelry, and other things made in China; while the other offers local produce, dairy, meat, nuts, and plants. 
We walked both streets, although the food side proved to be the real delicacy, offering authentic items made or grown in Spain. There were a number of items for sale that caused question or concern for Ross and me; for example some of the types of sausage, smoked fish, or even odder large jars of bee pollen.  |
| The black sausage is called "blood sausage" and the name is accurate. Its made of congealed pig and cow blood. We are not sure about the yellow! Its seems to be a mystery. |
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| Dried fish galore |
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| Locals say when eaten its good for your hair and skin but WebMD says there is no medical evidence that supports that or other believed health benefits of consuming bee pollen. |
Being the artichoke lover that I am I was not impressed with the size of them here. Although we were surprised by the abundance of nuts, olives, oranges, peppers, and the rainbow of flowers for sale.
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| A nut eaters dream |
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| Local peppers,olives, and beans |
Before returning home we strolled through s few Spanish squares hidden in the narrow streets of Old Town.
Even though the weather was gloomy the streets were a glow with Spanish charm; which was evident in the quaint stone houses, colorful potted plants and tiled mosaics. 
Keeping with the traditional Spanish weekend, we dined out fulfilling our desire to experience paella for the first time. We ordered the mixed style consisting of land and marine animals. Ours included chicken, large red prawn, lobster and cuddle fish serves on a bed of yellow rice spiced with saffron and seafood broth. The pictures to follow say it all!!!
April 21, 2013
The season is not even in full bloom and the floral life
here is exquisite. To truly take it all in we went on a little nature walk
because I wanted to smell, feel, and touch the beautiful flowers and plants
found all over Calpe.
Orange trees are prevalent due to our location in the Valencian region and its long history of world class oranges.There a many types of cacti as well as century plants with a number of them growing enormous in size.
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| Century plants |
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| Huge cacti! They grow tall like trees |
The flowers are vibrant in color, unique in shape, and a pleasure to our noses. We anticipate summer and its beauty to be overwhelming.
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| These are my favorite so far |
April 22, 2013
Have you ever felt like you needed a vacation from your
vacation? I know it sounds kind of crazy but I am confident it is a common
feeling. People go away for a week or even worse a weekend. You feel rushed to
relax and let loose; then you blink and your home again: tired, maybe hung over,
not ready to go back to work…..Well that is not at all what we feel like but we
still thought it was a good idea to step away from our “humble abode” and get a
real taste for what traveling Europe for the other nine months of our journey
will be like. Our destination for a dose of humble pie: Murcia and short hour
and forty-five minute drive from Calpe but just what we needed.
Our drive was delightful! Orange, lemon, and lime
groves raid the mountainous country side like soldiers standing in a field with no guns. I wonder how they survive because the land is cracked and dry like the Sierra Desert.
The answer is ingenious irrigation engineered decades ago that funnel the local river water hundreds of miles away from its origin directly to the farms that provide the world with lush citrus fruit.
As we got closer to our destination we felt more at home once we passed the much talked about Ikea. Just like in Charlotte people make a day of it when going shopping for economical, yet trendy furniture.
Once in Murcia we were told we must head straight for the old town because the outskirts offer little culture and history. That was not a lie! The buildings were billboards for graffiti artist, not good ones either. As we gear shifted through traffic and stop lights on our way closer to old town we could see and smell the difference compared to the more modern city. 
Old town is just on the other side of the cities canal. We parked the car and found a nice park to have a picnic lunch. It was romantic but even more so it’s economical for us to grocery shop and bring along rather than eating three meals out a day.
After refueling it was time to take pleasure in some sightseeing. As we headed for the Cathedral every step was a surprise.
The streets are something worse than Pans Labyrinth although they lack the eerie creepy factor. They are actually quite opposite: safe, well lit up at night, and flooded with people. The streets are lined with businesses, restaurants and stores. While some of them were unique to Murcia others were as common as Burger King.
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| Joey & Zoe say open sesame |
When we saw the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary we had been hunting for it stood with all its glory. It became obvious that old town was built around it due to its massive size. As we approached the doors I felt like Pinocchio entering Monstero’s mouth, although the other side was no whale belly it was an elaborately decorated church. Construction began at the end of the 13th century continuing until the 18th century; therefore illustrating multiple styles of architecture. The outside representing Baroque tradition while the interior illustrates Gothic style.
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| Cathedral Organ |
The old town streets are broken up by large squares which are still very popular with locals and tourist alike; offering numerous cafes, restaurants, park benches, fountains, and the occasional musical performance for all to enjoy.  |
| Julius Cesar Theater build in 1862. Still used today |
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| I call it "Three points" |
After an exhilarating day we found an affordable hotel located in old town. We rested up before heading out for tapas and a taste of the night life. Being that it’s a Monday night there was little activity but we did it all to the fullest; indulging ourselves with Spanish tapas, wine and beer prior to revisiting the cathedral to get a glance of it at night.
Before bed we wound down from our exciting day and rested our legs from walking roughly 15 miles with a Guinness at an Irish pub just near our hotel. Murcia is a beautiful blend of history and culture, especially at night! It was exactly what we were looking for in our vacation from our vacation.
Stay tuned next week is Denia and Valencia and our first festival; the celebration of May Day!
