Cartagena – Romans, Dining, Geocaching and Diving (of course!)
Cartagena is a medium-sized town on the south-east coast of Spain, dominated by an industrial port and an illustrious naval history: the inventor of the submarine was from Cartagena, as commemorated by the huge grey prototype submarine from 1888 that squats down by...
Geocaching: Fun for kids, big kids and gadget freaks
Murcia is blessed with fantastic countryside and one of the best ways to get out to places, that you would otherwise only wonder about as you drive by on the motorway, is a newish pursuit called 'geocaching'. Geocaching came about when gadget freaks wanted an excuse...
Beer Festival Anyone? Feria International Cerveza Murcia…
My friend Javi runs the Feria International Cerveza Murcia in the Plaza de Universidad in Murcia (how curious to be so close to the University!) His facebook page and fan club is growing and he'll have his own website for the Feria soon. Take a look at the facebook...
Calblanque
Calblanque Calblanque is a remote and almost untouched stretch of coast, just south of the Mar Menor. This designated natural park enjoys secluded bays, solitude and an abundance of wild birds and flowers. Boardwalks criss–cross the sand dunes leading down to the...
Food & Drink Cheat Sheet – Spanish & English Words for Common Food items
Here's a handy food and drink cheat sheet, print it out and take it with you when eating out in Spain. Food & Drink Cheat Sheet Comedor Dining room Carta Menu Menú del día Fixed price menu Comida or Almuerzo Lunch La cuenta The bill Platos combinados Mixed...
20 Signed Copies of Going Native In Murcia for just £15 shipped anywhere
I have 20 Signed Copies of Going Native In Murcia available, for just £15 shipped anywhere in the world. All you need to do is click on the paypal button, make sure you have a mailing address, and if you want anything special written in your copy add it to the...
Águilas
Águilas, Murcia Population: 28,000 This southwestern city near the Murcian coast has an arid and mountainous landscape, extensive beaches with crystalline cliffs and small, little frequented coves. There’s the Museum Arqueologico and Centro de Interpretacion del Mar,...
The Levante Pastries – Spanish Savoury & Sweet Pastries
The Levante (South East corner of Spain) is famous for its astonishing variety of sweet and savoury pastries made daily (recien hecho) in the local bakeries (panadería or pastelería). Pastries are a staple of the Levante daily diet since the Moorish times when flour...
Going Native: Eating Like a Spaniard
You may have noticed that Spanish restaurants seem awfully quiet - when you go in. This is probably because you haven't worked out how to eat like a Spaniard yet. Read on to find out how to go native and eat like a Spaniard and understand how military-precision in...
The Game of Caliche
The game of caliche is particular to the Murcia / Levante region of Spain, based on a nationally-played game called herrón. If you, as we did, look up caliche in the English-Spanish dictionary (after seeing it in the itinerary for the local fiesta), you might be...
The Spa
My personal experiences of the luxury of a spa visit have been few and far between and to be honest, a little scary. I had a weekend break at Ragdale Hall, where the food was sparse, the treatments were regimental and the alcohol was non-existent (except for the...
Taking Having Fun Seriously!
Taking Having Fun Seriously! “Eh, hombres, enhorabuenas!” Miguel El Gordo shouted at me and my husband Marcus, over the din of that night’s “entertainment.” The second night of our fiesta was punctuated with the clamour of a heavy rock band. It was two in the morning...
Bando De La Huerta
On the first Tuesday after Easter this one day in particular stands out – Bando De La Huerta (‘proclamation of the countryside’). If there’s one fiesta that you should go to in Murcia (apart from your local village’s, of course), this is it. Simply eschewing shorts...
Our visit to Alcala Del Jucar – David Billington
Alcala Del Jucar is an interesting town that I have visited. It was the middle of February, I had been to visit another village and was passing Alcala mid afternoon whilst on my way back home. The village is basically built into the side of a mountain, on the approach...
Calasparra – David Billington
Calasparra. Santuario de Nuestra Senora de la Esperanza. Calasparra is a town in the mountainous northwest region of Murcia, Spain. The town dates back to the 14th century and covers an area of 193 square kilometres. It is crossed by the rivers: Segura, Quipar, Argos...
