Elche, Spain - City Scenes

Elche is filled with interesting sites.  This is likely due to the mix of cultures of the years, and the preservation of bits and pieces of prior and current cultures.

This map shows our path as we walked the area. The smiley faces mark the major areas that I photographed. (Source: googlemaps)

I had to make this map to figure out what the blue and white dome was.  From what I can see on the map, is simply a blue and white dome.

A variety of cafeterias line the streets.

This tiled piece was on the outside of the building and depicts the story told in "The Mystery of Elche".  Click here for a great description of the medieval play, how it is performed, how long it is performed, and other tidbits.

This brown wooden window shutter is quite fancy.

Flags displayed on the side of a building.

The plaza was a combination of small stones and slate.

This sign caught my eye! Great price for a coffee and croissant!

The sculpture is in Placa del Palau.  I am still trying to figure out what it is!

Green light...go walkers and cyclists.

A piece of the old wall originally part of the fortress.

Advertising for the cafe in the archaeological museum. (MAHE)

The walls of the fortress, now museum.

The letters area a nice way to keep vehicles off of the side walk and plaza area.  The letters spell out the name of the museum "Museo Arqueologico y de Historia de Elche" (Museum Archaeological and History of Elche).

A sidewalk cafe, seen from the bus window.

Advertisements as we leave Elche.

Elche, Spain - Basílica de Santa María - Santa María Basilica

We got off the tour bus at the plaza near the Altamira Castle and slowly made our way to the Basilica.

Altamira Castle, also known as Alcázar de la Señoría, located next to the Municipal Park (which, in turn, is a part of the Elche Palm Grove) It was originally built in Almohad times (12th-13th centuries), and was later renovated with brick exterior in the 15th century. A former fortress, in 1913 it became a fabric plant, it has also been used as the town hall and as a prison during the Spanish Civil War, while today is home to the Elche Archaeology and History Museum (Museo Arqueológico y de Historia de Elche). (Source and more info)

MAHE (Museum of Archaeology and History of Elche) runs under the plaza. This opening, showing the old walls, is visible to us as we walk across the plaza.

Our next destination is the Basilica de Santa Maria.  It is the building across the plaza with the blue dome.

The Santa Maria Basilica is a beautiful church which holds the Mystery of Elche, which is considered a World Humanity Site. It takes place on Aug. 14 and 15 of every year, and is a theatrical presentation of the Assumption of the Virgin to heaven and her Coronation. This is a medieval mystery play and is the only one allowed to be performed in a Catholic Church, given a papal bull in 1632 by Pope Urban VIII. During the play the Virgin is brought up to heaven using ropes that bring the participant towards the false ceiling of the dome. The building is Baroque and dates from the 17th century. The facade is impressive, as is the main altar.

The done is a beautiful blue, and stands out even the sky is nearly as blue.

 The front entrance was under construction so we entered through the side door.  No fee is needed to enter the church.

The door was HUGE, and you can see that we use a small portion at the bottom.

 Inside, your eyes were instantly drawn to the front altar.

The gold gleamed and the wood was highly polished. It was beautiful.

There was a higher window with Santa Maria in it. I don't recall seeing this configuration in other churches.

Stained glass windows, high on the walls, surrounded the santuary.

Of note, if you are traveling in August, plan to stop in Elche for the "Misteri d'Elx" or the Mystery play of Elx.   (More info)

The Mystery Play of Elx (better known as Misteri d'Elx, in Valencian) is a sacral-lyrical medieval drama, dated from the 15th century, which was declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2002. It is played every year in mid August, in the context of the local holidays dedicated to the Assumption of Virgin Mary. Also as a part of this celebration, on the 13th of August is the date of a celebration in Elche called Nit de l'Albà (Night of the Dawn) in which a city-wide night-long show of fireworks takes place.

Elche, Spain - Huerto del Curo

Elche is known for the large groves of palm trees.  Our bus tour started in Alicante (where the ship docked). We drove to Elche. The landscape of Elche is noted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Palmeral of Elche, a landscape of groves of date palms, was formally laid out, with elaborate irrigation systems, at the time the Muslim city of Elche was erected, towards the end of the tenth century A.C., when much of the Iberian peninsula was Arab. The Palmeral is an oasis, a system for agrarian production in arid areas. It is also a unique example of Arab agricultural practices on the European continent. Cultivation of date palms in Elche is known at least since the Iberian times, dating around the fifth century B.C. (Source)

 We started at a beach area in Alicante.  This was a very nice beach, lined with wide beaches and wide walkways.

The housing section of the city had buildings with four to five stories.

As we drove out of the city, the farming communities came in to view.

The dirt and vegetation reminded me of Arizona.

We drove through town and saw park after park filled with palms.  Our first stop was at "Huerto del Curo", an orchard with nearly 500 palm trees.

 The garden was filled with meandering walkways, planted sections, and fountains.  This photo shows the water with a cactus garden section in the background.

 Our tour guide explained that there is a process to make religious decorations to support holidays and festivals.

 I nearly passed viewing the cactus garden, thinking "I have cactus in Arizona!".  I am very glad that I pushed that thought out of my head and visited the cactus garden.

The star of the show in the garden is an imposing eight-armed candelabra Imperial Palm.  It is 170 years old and weighs more than 8 tons. This palm specimen is a rarity.

There is a gift shop on site with baskets made from palms.  You can also buy figs and local fruits, plus get something to drink.

If you need to take a little bio-break, the bathrooms are clearly marked with a water closet (WC) sign.

The bathrooms were very modern and clean.

Nearby was a fountain. I nearly refilled my water bottle, then remembered that we were only to drink bottled water.

The garden had statues and art throughout.

I walked past the cactus garden on my way to the exit and had to stop and marvel at the cactus. Arizona has this type of cactus, but I have never seen them "clumped" like these.

 On the way out of the garden area, I saw this very interesting bird house, inhabited by all white birds.