I'm a week behind again and so much is happening all the time that my memory needs jogging. Thankfully I have photos to remind me, and that are in chronological order too, another prompt for failing mind.
We biked into Murcia, it's about 9 kms each way along firstly mud tracks amognst the lemon groves, but about a kilometre later along beside the river on a purpose built, well utilised bike track which goes all the way into the centre of Murcia. The photo below is an example of the scenery we passed on the bike ride, nicely planted fields with deep furrows running along beside each line of plants which is flooded with water periodically from the irrigation channels which cross the Murcian hinterland. This paddock had potatoes in it I think.
About 7 kms into our ride we stopped for a drink and short breather, there were these pretty trees, leaf like an acacia, flower a bit like a grevillia. Also pomegranites growing wild and date palms, with dates ripening in the heat.
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| Stopped for a breather |
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| One angle of the Cathedral of Murcia. |
We went to the Casino which is not a place for gambling but a gentleman's club. It is another moderniste building with an Arab influence in the design, it has been renovated over time, for example originally it had a street running through the middle of it which is why the rooms are higher (up a few steps) from the now hall way. Absolutely exquiste building though, wonderful tiling, and we enjoyed a very comprehensive audio-guide commentary as part of the admission. Bits of the building were not open to the public though as it is still a "club" and you could see men sitting around chatting through various windows.
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| Detailing on the street front above the main door |
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| Tiling on the vestibule roof and walls |
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| Pot for decoration and more Arabic tiling |
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| The dome and tiling in main foyer |
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| One of the fancy rooms |
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| Hilary admiring a ceiling |
From the Casino we biked back down the the Cathedral square and to the information centre, by then it was time for lunch so we ate our pre-prepared salad rolls sitting in the sun outside the building below, which is a council building
We headed towards the markets and where we thought the information centre woman had said were some artesan markeys (we had got the instructions wrong) and on our way discovered a museum/sculpture hall, unfortunately it was just locking up for siesta time so we missed out on seeing it, but instead posed beside a sculpture outside.
After a quick walk through of the markets we were going to head to one of the local museums which is an Islamic Arts museum, however it didn't open for an hour or so (siesta time!!!), so we bought a coffee, visited the university to see some architectural delights mentioned in the DK book, and waited in the sun for opening time. The museum was OK but not totally enthralling, (especially after we had seen a stunning and huge arts/gallery and museum in Kuala Lumpur), the best part was its architecture and the fact part of it is still a convent with six elderly nuns living in it. They are cloistered (I didn't realise but you clever people probably know that means they don't leave the convent (ever!!!!, not for a latte, a quick fling at a casino, a beer at the pub..... nothing!!! and these one's don't talk either). We saw one sitting very quietly (of course) knitting and looking incredibly peaceful beside the water feature/pond on the steps in the sun. Good on her I say.
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| Waiting for the museum to open |
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| The cloisters at the university |
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| Inside the convent, cool pool beside which a nun sat. |
