Cadiz - Do not ...

This sign in Cadiz is saying basically DO NOT dump your unwanted furniture in the street !!

Getting rid of large items is not usually a problem in Spain - take it to the street rubbish bin and the rubbish collectors will take it away on a designated day free of charge - you often see old beds, TV sets and chairs lying by a rubbish bin. Often the " rubbish " will have disappeared before the official rubbish collectors arrive.

So I do not know what the  problem is in Cadiz !

Cadiz - In the back streets.

It's easy to get lost in the old town of Cadiz - the narrow streets prevent you being able to see for any distance. Not usually a worry unless you are late for your coach excursion !!

These shrines are quite common and can be found on numerous street corners.

Cadiz is quite a pleasant place - I'm not the first Englishman to visit - Sir Francis Drake got there first and tried to burn the city down in 1588 ..

Euro 2008

Yes they've done it tonight ...

Spain  1    -   Germany  0

Spain have won Euro 2008 - the winning goal from Fernando Torres the Liverpool player 

A good game - Spain were certainly the  better side and deserved to win.

Lots of celebrations along the costas tonight I would guess ..

When you mess about ...

When you mess about with your camera settings  you can get some strange effects - not sure which setting this was - Solarize or Neg.Art

This is the view from our apartment - high rise buildings , petrol station, swimming pool, trees  and an electric sub station. 

Wish we had the Spanish weather here in the UK today - it has been a continuous heavy rainfall  all afternoon and evening .. now waiting to watch the  Spain - Russia football match on the television ..

Granada - Alhambra

A tranquil scene at the Alhambra, Granada - you would not imagine the number of tourists just around the corner !

Built by the Arabs ( Moors) in the 13th Century as a massive castle - later to become a royal palace.

Alhambra means in Arabic " The Red One " and was built by the founder of the Nasrid dynasty. It was not until January 1492 that it was captured for Christian Spain  by Ferdinand and Isabella.

PhotoHunt - Bright

This bright light is shining out of the darkness from our apartment block in Guardamar on the Costa Blanca, Spain

The road may seem deserted but even quite late there are people about - dog walkers, late night revellers and people just putting their rubbish away in the street refuse bins.

The night this was taken it was quite warm even late at night and bats were flying overhead feeding on the numerous insects. 

PhotoHunt - Water

This is my first attempt !!  

The theme is water - and this - is the Mediterranean Sea on the Costa Blanca, Spain

Picture many thousands of years ago the Romans, Greeks, Carthaginians and Phoenicians sailing all over this sea in their galleys.

PhotoHunt

Guardamar - Beach Art

It's quite common to find these " creations " on the beaches of Spain - the " artists " have a collection dish for the few cents or euros that you may have spare.

This one is on the central beach in Guardamar - the theme changes after each heavy shower ! They can be easily washed away !

Themes vary - but are usually religious - fish - mythical creatures .. This one a huge sand castle.

Deep inside there is a wooden frame - do not be fooled - it is not all sand !

The day seems to be spent spraying a fine liquid over them to prevent the sand drying out and the creation becoming another mound of sand ..

Spring flowers

This spring the dune area of Guardamar was alive with these bright flowers - carpeting the open areas between the pine trees.

Spring is certainly the best time in Spain to see wild flowers ..

Weather

The weather in Spain this spring has been really wet and cool - even so the reservoirs in the Levante ( south east Spain ) are still nowhere full..

Looking at the weather maps of the area it seems that we are now settling down to some hot dry sunny weather so typical of the region.

Let's hope so !

Alicante - View from the castle

Alicante Castle is a good viewing point for a birds eye view of the city.

Either walk up or take the lift !

There is a small cafe and museum at the top - well worth the trip ..

Guardamar -Street Theatre

The last time we visited the Guardamar Moors & Christians Festival we saw a street theatre display.

This consisted of actors parading around the streets setting off firework displays as they passed.  It was really very very good and I hope the picture below gives a flavour of what it was like.

Guardamar - the building slump

A familiar sight now in Spain - work on many construction sites seems to have come to a standstill and many of the workers are now unemployed.

Over capacity is one of the problems - many thousands of homes have been built but the supply of customers has dried up .

And why is this ? - Credit problems : Destruction of the beautiful coastline : Bad Press in the UK and German newspapers : Corruption :   the list can go on and on ....

We'll have to wait and see what happens to the market in future years.

Guadix

Guadix, Andalucía southern Spain is famous for its cathedral and its even more popular cave houses.

The cathedral was started by Diego de Siloé who began the cathedral in Granada.

Guadix is not too far from Granada or Lorca ( Murcia )

Here the famous cave houses backing onto the hill. Dug into the hillside the front of the house looks just like a " normal " house but the rooms are deep in the hillside. Some of the cave houses have been converted to stables or even hotels !

This cave house has been converted into a museum.

Living in a cave house is not as bad as it seems - they stay warm in winter and cool in the very hot summers . Many have all the modern items one would need - electricity , water and of course the TV.