Murcia

There were two other cities to the south I wanted to visit: Murcia and Cartagena. I could do a triangular route, and also decided to spend a night in Cartagena so that I wouldn't have to rush through two cities in a day and return home exhausted. So I booked a room in Cartagena. For one night I would be paying rent on two places but that was unavoidable.

Although there are trains to Murcia, the buses run more often and are more convenient.

I was deposited in the bus station and sought out the cathedral. There are a lot of narrow irregular streets and pedestrian areas in the old quarter. On the way I passed Plaza Flores where there is a fountain with a female statue seated on the rim that people like to pose next to.

Murcia was the warmest place I had visited so far; it hit about 30C that day. No doubt partly due to being inland.

As you can see from this huge signboard, the plaza is a favourite get-together spot. Rules of this plaza: 1. Take a seat. 2. Order a Murcian tapa. 3. Relax and enjoy.

And certainly there is no lack of drinking spots here.

Another view of the fountain.

The Mercado de Verónicas was only a short walk away and I looked in on it. This is one of the end entrances of the market.

What could be more Spanish than olives?

It had the usual collection of stalls.

I always like looking at colourful fruit.

Dried fruits and jamon, in particular the expensive Ibérico variety.

Not far away is the Catedral de Murcia.

Panorama of Plaza

It's in the Plaza de Cardenal Belluga with many restaurants and cafés. It must be pretty in the evening. The building on the left is the Edificio Moneo, named after its architect. The design is a bit controversial.

I had a speciality Columbian coffee in a café. The door handle was intriguing. They gave me a couple of sweets on leaving.

This is the main street Av. de Canalejas which crosses the Rio Segura at the 18th century bridge Puente de los Peligros.

Canoeing on the river. A couple of decades ago this would have been inadvisable as the Rio Segura was one of the most polluted in Europe due to industry and agriculture. A clean-up scheme has restored the river's health.

The Puente de los Peligros.

At the entrance to the botanical gardens is this pedestrian bridge.

The entrance with a statue of St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and the natural environment.

Flower bed around the fountain.

Pigeon amongst the flowers.

Arch and the Baobar tapas bar beyond.

I searched in the city for a suitable lunch spot, and passed the Teatro Romea. The restaurants around there were too upmarket for me, as I wasn't very hungry.

There is a sizeable archaeological site in the city, the Arrabal de la Arrixaca.

Working my way back to the bus station, this is the Parroquia San Nicolás de Bari y Santa Catalina. Saint Nicholas of Bari sure got around.

This small market is just opposite the bus station. I bought a ticket for the 1500 service to Cartagena, and picked a Ecuadorean restaurant nearby, El Rinconcito (The Little Corner) to have lunch. Nothing fancy just roast chicken and fries. They also gave me a couple of sweets on leaving.

At the appointed hour the bus bore us towards Cartagena. It's a pity I didn't get to see Murcia at night.