Virgen del Carmen Mass & Parade (Photos & Videos)
July 17th, 2008 - Chris Marshall
Sandra wrote yesterday about the schedule for the last night of celebration for Virgen del Carmen and last night we went down to participate.
For the first time we went round to the small chapel by the tower to watch the mass. It was held outdoors and had a very impressive turnout - makes you realise just how religious Spain is still. We both said how embarrassed we were that in all the time that we’d been here we hadn’t made the effort to attend. Again it was hard to spot an English face in the crowd which was a real shame. What is the point of coming to live in a country and not participating in and respecting its culture and traditions? Even if, like me, you struggle to learn the language you can still learn so much just from being at these events, and the Spanish as a whole are very welcoming and generous - they really appreciate you making the effort and joining in.
Our plan was to go down and spend a couple of hours in the marina and then come back to change, play with the cats and then go down to the party and the beach events and finally watch the fireworks.
As with all good plans ………
The mass was amazing. No idea what was being said, and it did seem to drag on a bit, but as we walked down towards the tower in a growing group of people we had the feeling of being dragged towards something. Turning the corner we were both surprised to see so many people, and a band. The mass took over 30 minutes after which the parade started through the marina, with the vigin being carried by the marineros. In a way it was weird as people (lots of children included) just walked, respectfully, behind the Virgen del Carmen, and the parade was led by two guys letting off rockets on a frequent basis.
As the parade entered the square we decided that as we were hungry we would stop off at La Plaza and grab a quick bite to eat.
That turned out to be a mistake, although a pleasant one! We had a couple of drinks and a very tasty new tapas of Empanada Chilli (chilli in pastry) and then Sands had her usual Adonis Wrap and I went for the Hot Chicken & Bacon Baguette - which was the mistake! It was very nice but I forgot that it came with garlic mayonnaise, which I just don’t get on with. Individually I am fine with either garlic or mayonnaise, but put them together and 9/10 I will feel sick.
And I did!
Not enough to be ill but by the time we got home and went up on the roof to play with the cats it some became apparent that the most appealing option for me was to slob out on the sofa in front of Sky+ and then watch the fireworks from the balcony. I am glad we did as Moreno in particular still gets very spooked by the noise and we both feel more comfortable being with him!!
Shame that we didn’t get to the party and the beach, but at least I am awake and alert this morning!!
The fireworks were impressive and by 1am all the music and fireworks has stopped so was easy enough to fall asleep after a very pleasant evening, even if it didn’t go to plan …….. again!!!!!
Photos
You can see a larger selection of photos over on Flickr
You can see all the photos in the Web Gallery
Videos
The Mass and Parade Around The Marina
Fireworks At The End Of The Evening
About Almerimar
Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar
Almerimar is a great place to live as an expat amongst the expats, or to work amongst the Spanish. There are all kinds of properties including villas, apartments and town houses for rent or sale. It is a very traditional part of Spain, with traditional Spanish foods so if you plan to travel to Spain either to look for jobs, for your company to trade with companies in Spain, or to learn Spanish and enjoy the Spanish weather then come and take a look.
If you are interested in purchasing a property in Almerimar please visit our sponsors Mediterraspain. If you have purchased a property and need it furnished please check out our Sponsors DBJ who will give you a Exclusive 5% discount with the code AL2008.
If you want to learn Spanish, get help with anything to do with the legal issues in Spain, or want WiFi access in the marina please check out our sponsor CentrePoint who will give you a 10% discount off all services with the code AL2008.
If you want an amazing activity based day out in the mountains and to learn how to ride a motorcycle off road then check out our sponsor The Long Way Round and get 5% off with the code AL2008.
Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.
July 21st, 2008 at 9:32 am
[...] for us, after a somewhat busier week than normal with both the opening of La Barbera and the Virgen del Carmen celebrations, this week is looking equally if not more busy, not least a meeting as a result of my [...]