Podworld - Exploring interesting places

The Easter holiday week is the most important period in the Spanish Christian calendar. From the northern most villages to the Andalucian south, Easter week, or Semana Santa, is celebrated with a variety of parades and festivals. If you are in Spain during this period, you will find one close to you, probably based around a church or monastery. For this blog though we are going to focus on one of the biggest and most extravagant parades in the country. It takes place in the Murcian city of Lorca. The main street through the centre, Av. Juan Carlos I,  is lined with terraces of seats for the parade which takes place on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as the sun sets. It is advisable to book your seats in advance with the most expensive to the front and the cheapest towards the rear. The street is split into white and blue ( blanco y azul ) and where you sit depends upon where you purchase the ticket from (see links.) Prepare then of a parade which combines an historic re...

Sitting on a gorge created by the Jucar river system the old town of Cuenca lies between Madrid and Valencia in the Castille-La Mancha province of Spain. It is a famous for the hanging houses, a number of recently renovated properties that sit at the very edge of the gorge.  There are in fact two Cuencas, the old town and the very much bigger new town. For many staying in the old town where the hanging houses and the cathedral is situated, the prefered choice of accommodation is the Parador. This is situated by a spectacular wooden walkway adjacent to the old town across the gorge. It is well signed as you enter the town by car and parking is available as it an open-air swimming pool. Parador-de-cuenca The Parador, in keeping with tradition, is situated in a former notable building. In this case it is a former convent dating back to the middle ages. It is relatively inexpensive but not cheap. Prices vary around the time of your stay and the area of the hot...

At first glance this may look like a vintage railway carriage but it is a recently preserved area of the Casino in Murcia. Although it is called a casino it is not a gambling den of inequity at all. It was built originally as a gentleman's club in 1847 where merchants and traders would do business it its plush and elegant surroundings. After a complete refurbishment lasting many years the casino is open to visitors once again. Check for opening times and special events http://www.casinomurcia.com/ (there is an English translation). The casino hosts dinners, wine tasting and even classic movies. It is listed in the top three places to visit in Murcia by Lonely Planet.

I took a trip into the Murcia heartlands to check out the spa baths of Balneario de Archena. This was midweek in autumn and the baths were not quiet but neither were they over crowded. There are two main thermal baths, one largely outdoor with an indoor extension under a conservatory, and the other mainly indoor with an outside area. You can use either at anytime and it is just about 25 metres between the two. Massages are also available at a reasonable cost (10-15€ today) but we simply swam and enjoyed the whirlpools and jacuzzis of the two pools. Very enjoyable and a place to recommend.