Travel Throwback: Murcia

Last December's quick trip to Murcia made me realize that I never got around to posting about the other trip I took to Murcia at the end of May. When I finished up my stint in Granada, I decided to take one last trip before flying home to the Philippines. So I packed up all my things in Granada (two suitcases, plus a carry-on), and headed to Murcia to visit my mother's family's family friend (quite a mouthful). I brought along another friend, Julie, and Mari Cruz (my mother's friend) picked us up at the bus station.

With Mari Cruz and her daughter Pilar

We spent our first afternoon (Friday), walking around the city and exploring Murcia. Some sights we saw...

La Iglesia Catedral de Santa Maria - One of the things I look for in each Spanish city I visit is its cathedral. They are almost always so beautiful, and Murcia's was no exception. It has a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture. On the left of the picture below is the Torre-campanario (bell tower) which, in the olden days, would ring out warnings or wars and floods.

The Baroque main façade

Side of the Cathedral

Palacio Episcopal (Episcopal Palace) - Situated right beside the Cathedral in the Plaza de Cardenal Belluga, this building has an impressive façade. The building was built in the 18th century as a residence for the bishop. During Christmastime, the main courtyard of the palace is home to Murcia's Belen (Nativity scene).

The Real Casino de Murcia - We didn't go all the way in, just around the entryway and the lobby which had the most lovely interior.

Moorish Art

Moorish Art

In the evening, Mari Cruz and Pilar took us tapas bar hopping, which was quite fun. We got to try many different kinds of tapas. I didn't manage to get pictures of our food, but the tapas in Murcia were quite delicious.

On Saturday we decided to take a day trip to Cartagena, a port city less than an hour away from Murcia. It was a lovely sunny day and we spent the morning exploring the city.

The Town Hall in the main square

We walked around the city center and the main square, grabbed a map from the tourist office, and started exploring. There was a hill we could climb to get some nice views of the city, and also see the ruins of the Roman Theatre (since we didn't want to pay to go inside, haha).

Climbing up the hill

With the Roman Theatre ruins

The Roman Theatre

We took in great views of the city from the hill.

Cartagena, port city

Cartagena is a major naval station; it's been the capital of the Spanish Navy's Maritime Department. When we were there, there was actually an exhibit at the port on the Spanish Navy. There were ships set up that you could visit and look around, but the lines were long so we skipped it.

The port

We didn't realize that the city itself had no beach, so after lunch we hopped on another bus and headed to La Manga del Mar Menor, a seaside spit in Murcia. We got off the bus and spent some time on the sand by the Minor Sea (Mar Menor), and then an hour later, we crossed the 100m sandbar and were by the Mediterranean Sea! We spent the rest of the afternoon talking, chilling, and soaking in the sun, and even tested the waters (it was warm in the Minor Sea, but by the time we got to the Mediterranean side the sun had gone down a bit and it was quite cool).

Mar Menor

Mediterranean Sea

On Sunday we had lunch with Mari Cruz's parents, who remembered my mom and her family quite fondly. In the afternoon, Julie headed back to Madrid, and I stayed for a couple more days just chilling until it was back to Madrid to catch my flight home.

Murcia was quite a lovely city. When I visited in December, it was quite warm, about 16-18º, (on Valladolid on the other hand it was already about 4-5º), which made for an enjoyable visit. December's visit was much more relaxing. I just spent two days there as I had dropped by to pick up a bag I had left, and it was on to Granada to visit another friend. Nevertheless, it was still a lovely trip getting to see Mari Cruz again, and more of her family. :)