Winding it Up in Spain

We have spent seven glorious weeks in Spain.  We traveled to several different cities but enjoyed the bulk of our time in Valencia.  

Near the end of our stay in Valencia, Lance and I decided to take a tour of a natural area located on the outskirts of the city called Albufera Natural Park.  It is a Mediterranean ecosystem with dune beaches, forests, rice fields and a huge lake where you can enjoy boat rides.  This is also the place where paella was invented...a tasty rice dish that can be enjoyed at almost every restaurant in Valencia.

The park is home to the largest lake in Spain and one of most important wetland areas.  It is a place where you can see rare species of wading birds and a variety of wildlife.  Much of the area that we saw on our trip reminded us of the Horicon Marsh in our home state of Wisconsin.

We decided to take the tour on a beautiful Tuesday evening, and, as you can tell by the picture above...we were the only ones on the tour.  A huge bus was used just to transport the two of us.  You could also buy a tour that includes a meal at one of several restaurants located in the village of El Palmar, but we chose not to do that.  It was a wonderful trip and I highly recommend it if you happen to be in the area.

One of many homes located in the park that were once owned by fishermen.

A boat...similar to the one we rode on during our tour of the lake.

When we lived in Cuenca, Ecuador, one of our favorite celebrations was Corpus Christi.  We loved watching the fire castles every night for a full week and looking at all the different candies being sold in the many tents surrounding Parque Calderon. 

Valencia also celebrates Corpus Christi...but in a very different way.   Celebrations here go back to 1263.  One of the more interesting aspects of the celebration here is the elaborately carved horse carts called Rocas.  These carts are exclusive to the celebration held in Valencia.  Each year these carts are taken from the museum, where they are kept all year long, and displayed in the Plaza de la Virgen.  The carts are impressive works of art from many periods of history.  The earliest one was built in 1512 and the latest one in 2001.  There are 11 altogether and each one displays a particular biblical theme. 

On Saturday night the city orchestra presents a concert...there are also dancers...and of course, fireworks.  On Sunday you can hear church bells ringing on and off for several hours during the morning.  In the afternoon there is a folk parade with people dressed up in various costumes, many from the middle ages.  There are also many young girls dressed in beautiful white dresses and boys in sailor suits or blazers and shorts marching in groups with their church or school.  Since this celebration is also referred to as the Grand Feast, I can only guess that it must have something to do with their first communion.  Here are just a few photos of the parade.

The following week, we were able to get tickets for a blues concert presented at the music hall located in the park.  It was a great venue and a very good concert.

Finally it was time to leave for Rotterdam.  We had to move to a hotel in Manises...a small town located closer to the airport...because our flight was very early on Saturday morning, and the metro would not be running at the time we needed to leave.  

A photo of the former train station in Manises.

Unfortunately, we ran into a bit of a problem that delayed our flight.  When we arrived at the airport at 4:00 A.M. on Saturday, the airline wanted us to present the credit card that we used to book the flight.  Sadly, it was the same card that was in Lance's wallet which he had left in a cab in Bogota, Columbia.  Because we no longer had that particular card...we were not allowed access to our flight and had to book a new one.  After much searching, Lance found a new flight for Monday evening.  This meant we had to spend the next three days in Manises.

At first glance, we didn't think there was anything to do there.  But, after adjusting to the unexpected change in plans, we decided to do some exploring.  Lance found a place called the Museu De Ceramica De Manises and we went to tour it.  It was a lovely musuem...nicely layed out with all the exhibits in Spanish and English.  Little did we know that the town of Manises has been making ceramics from the 14th century up to the present day.   Again...just a few photos of the different ceramics made in Manises throughout the centuries.

The former kitchen and dining room of the original building, which was built in 1787.

The town of Manises has a historic center that we ran across on the way to the museum.  The outskirts where we were staying was not much to look at...so it was fun to discover the true spirt of this historic town.  

Many of the homes have tiles near the doorway.  

We saw wooden animals such as these giraffe's located all over town near areas where children play.

Spain is a beautiful and historic country, and we enjoyed our time here.  Next up...the Netherlands!

         

    

  

         

      

Day Trip to Vilafames

Before departing from Cuenca in January, Lance and I decided that it might be a good idea to join InterNations.  InterNations is an organization founded in 2007 by three Germans.  It unites expats as well as local people in many countries all over the world.  They offer a variety of activities and events that you can participate in while visiting or living in a new country or city.  They also offer country and city guides with lots of tips and guidance for new expats.  You can join for free or pay for a membership...which allows you extra services.  Lance and I decided to pay for our membership so we could use all the services available from this particular organization.  

When we were in Quito this past March, I joined an InterNations hiking group and was able to do an all day hike with them at a local park.  Here, Lance and I both signed up for the Valencia Outdoors and Sports Group, and participated in our first activity this past Saturday.  Our group organizer, Africa, put together a day trip to a small town, Vilafames, located about an hour and a half outside of the city of Valencia.  She recruited people with cars to drive us there, since there was no public transportation available.  Africa arranged for us to have a tour guide, and, also gave us the opportunity to visit the modern art museum which is located in this same small town.

A picture of the group from InterNations that attended the day trip to Vilafames.
We are standing next to a large rock located in the center of the town.

Below is another view of the rock.

Our group of participants hailed from all parts of the world.  They had either been born or lived for a considerable amount of time in places such as Scotland, Turkey, Hungry, the Netherlands, Ireland, Finland, Argentina, Sweden and Spain to name a few.  It's always fun for us to talk to people who have lived in other countries...especially if we have plans to travel there in the future.  

Vilafames was constructed during the middle ages, with parts of the town being built during the 11th, 14th, and 18th century.  The town has a castle, and parts of it were rebuilt from existing materials that were found in the area.  Years ago vineyards helped to support the town people, but today their money is made from tourism and pottery. 

Look closely at the wall above and you will see the different types of rocks used over the years to construct the wall.

Our guide who walked us through the village and explained the history of  it.  

Pictures of the surrounding areas.  Many people visit this region for rock climbing and hiking.

Today most people live at the bottom of the mountain in newer homes built during the 1950's and 1960's.
Homes in the historic center are used as weekend getaways, or for tourists.   

Painted tile from inside the church

After our tour of the town, we went for a picnic in a park located close by.  Then, toured the art museum, and finally headed back home.  It was a fun and interesting day.     

  

Bilbao and Pamplona

I love jazz...ever since my teens it has been my most favorite type of music.  But...I don't just love any kind of jazz...instead, I prefer vocal jazz...although I will listen to instrumental jazz from time to time.  I think this love affair with jazz started in high school when my sister came home from college with a jazz album by Nina Simone.  To this day, I still listen to songs from that album...except now I stream them on Spotify.  

Over the years my passion for jazz grew.  I remember in my late teens going to Washington Park to see Sarah Vaughan...and years later I actually saw Dizzy Gillespie in my high school auditorium.  I was...and still am an avid fan of Bossa Nova...including Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66 and Astrud Gilberto, who became famous singing the music created by Antonio Carlos Jobim.  I have seen many jazz performers over the years...including Kurt Elling, Brazilian singer... Eliane Elias, Stacey Kent, Patrica Barber, Lizz Wright, Melody Gardot, Cassondra Wilson, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Karrin Allyson, Diana Krall...when she first started making it big, and, Nancy Wilson...twice, once in a tiny nightclub where I could have reached out and touched her...and years later when Lance and I went to Ravinia near Chicago.  I have seen my all time favorite performer, Dianne Reeves, multiple times in different states.  I never grow tired of hearing her sing.    

So...I was delighted when Lance gave me tickets to see Gregory Porter this past Christmas.  Gregory Porter had won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal album in 2014, and I'd been hoping to see him in concert.  This explains how...and why we took a trip to Bilbao, and then Pamplona.

The concert actually was in Pamplona...but there were no flights to that small city.  Therefore, we flew to Bilbao...then later in the week, took Blabla Cars to Pamplona for the concert.  What came as a complete surprise was how beautiful and interesting Bilbao was.  Neither Lance nor I were familiar with the city...and really viewed it as a means to get to Pamplona.  Lance thought that since we were going all that way, we might as well spend a few days there...and I'm so happy we did.

Bilbao is located in the Northeast part of Spain.  It is the de facto capital of Basque Country.  Bilbao is very green, surrounded by mountains, and the weather is windy and much cooler than other parts of Spain that we have visited.  It also rains...a lot...according to the people we talked to that live there.  It is beautiful.  

At one time, Bilbao was an industrial port city...but today it is a service city, and the 10th biggest city in Spain.  The transformation started to take place when the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum was built in 1997.  The city was chosen to house the museum because they offered to cover all expenses associated with building this enormous structure.  It was a worthwhile investment for the city because it transformed the river where it was built from industrial use to culture and leisure.  Today, Bilbao is very cosmopolitan with beautiful shops, gorgoeous architecture, and delicious food.  There is a historic old town near the river and a newer town built sometime during the 1800's.  

I have to be honest...I am not a big fan of modern art, but this building is impressive.
It's worth coming to just see this amazing structure.  The museum offers a permanent modern art collection as well as traveling exhibits.  

Before the Guggenheim was built, this area was filled with industrial containers.
Today, it has lovely green space, a bike path, and a tram all located on the river.  

A view of a bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava.

Below are pictures of some of the other parts of the city. 

A photo taken from inside a historic cafe

A photo of a mural located inside the train station.

We stayed in Bilbao for two days.  During that time, we took a guided tour with a local, visited the Fine Arts Museum and the Guggenheim Museum.  Then, we hired someone from Blabla Cars to drive us to Pamplona.  Blabla Cars is ride sharing...similar to Airbnb.  The man who took us was on his way to Barcelona to attend a convention for Clowns Without Borders.  He was absolutely delightful and we really enjoyed talking to him.  

We had a brief stay in Pamplona...just one night...and took the bus back to Bilbao the following day.  The Gregory Porter concert was great...and Pamplona was okay.  They are best known for the Running of the Bulls.  However, when we were there it wasn't very busy, with very few tourists.  We didn't have much time to explore the city and I don't have any photos to share.  

Overall, the entire trip was great and it was fun to see another part of Spain.