Sunday

Sunset on the Segura River

Waking up in the morning and having to talk at the breakfast table, initially at least, proved difficult for me because, first thing in the morning, my brain is not at its most active and it took a little bit of time to get used to speaking Spanish; however, by the end of the week, my ability to speak at this time had improved considerably.

A detail of the Cathedral

After coffee, fresh orange juice, toasted bread with olive oil and freshly pureed tomatoes - which was a very new experience for me - I was ready to take my first look at the old city of Murcia, which is full of plazas and narrow, labyrinthine streets. 

In the daytime, I needed my map to find my way around and, as I later discovered, it is easy to get lost at night.

The Episcopal Palace

Although I didn’t really stop and take a close look, because I was with Maria - and companions of keen photographers can get easily bored - I saw a lot of public sculpture and, although Spanish secular architecture can be a little bit austere, there were elaborately decorated facades, entrance surrounds and lots of interesting little details everywhere.

This was mainly a day for getting my bearings with a walk around the old city and, except for a very quick look at the interior and exterior of the Cathedral Church of Saint Mary in Murcia, I saw most of the famous historic buildings only in passing. However, it was enough time to get a flavour of the old city and, during one of our stops, I tasted one of the local culinary specialities – pastel de carne.

 

St. Francis of Assisi

In the late afternoon, I was left to my own devices  and, enjoying the warmth and sunshine, I headed off towards the Segura River. I was interested to see the various modern sculptures and a monument that I think relates to the many floods that have taken place here. With little time to take a really good look at the various structures and buildings around the Puente de los Peligros, I saved this for another day.

Judging by the number of seats on the Gran Vía Escultor Francisco Salzillo, I thought that it would be best to stake out a place on the corner of the bridge, so that I could take a few photos of the Reyes Magos parade as it passed. However, I made the mistake of forgetting that it was winter in Murcia and I had left my jumper at home.

An inscription