Murcia

It is always a pleasure flying into Murcia San Javier airport in daylight hours. Particularly when the flight path crosses the Mar Menor and allows views like this.



The actual city of Murcia lies 28 miles (45 km) inland from San Javier and happens to be the seventh largest city in Spain.

The city was founded by the Moors in AD 825 and was actually the capital of the last Muslim emirate in Spain from 1223 to 1243. It has been the capital of the province of Murcia since 1833.

As I arrived in the city last week, one of the first sights to greet me me was that of the Town Hall in the flower-filled Glorieta right on the banks of the Segura River.

From there it was very easy to explore the maze of narrow traffic free streets that provided welcome shade from the searing hot sun.




In such places there are always strange and interesting sights to be found. 

For example I wondered what kind of bird had been responsible for this beauty.

Having explored the bullring, the Roman Theatre, the bridges and the many churches I eventually found my way to one of the highlights of this wonderful city, the Cathedral Church of St Mary in Murcia.

Built by King Jaime I on the site of the great mosque, work commenced in 1394 though it was not completed until the 18th century. Consequently a number of different styles were employed with the interior being predominantly Gothic and the main facade being Baroque in style. 







After a final ice-cold drink in the shade of one of the many city squares, I headed for the cooler temperatures of the coast of which more later.