ALMERIA


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Europe » Spain » Andalusia » Almería
July 9th 2013
Published: July 9th 2013
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My first impression of Almeria was not good and I wondered if I would regret my visit. The town was, for want of another word, shabby, with lots of graffiti. On Friday afternoon I walked down to the waterfront, found the tourist office, despite the sign being turned the wrong way, and got a map. Lonely Planet had described it as ' a tough waterside city with an illustrious history and a handful of important historical monuments'. The waterfront is dominated by the port, a marina and further along, a beach. An afternoon wind had come up and was blowing the sand everywhere.
Saturday - a new day - a new look around! I had worked out a few things that appeared worth visiting. I also wanted to go to the bus station - thankfully part of the train station - and to look for a new bag. I had travelled from Granada with four bags - this was getting ridiculous! I had posted home one parcel weighing just over two kilograms, which had cost my 35 euros! So maybe a larger bag would be a better investment! First stop the bus station - ticket purchased for Monday to Cartagena, laving at 10am and taking two and a half hours. Good that done, off to the Museo Arqueologico. Lonely Planet had said that, ' even if pot shards and bone fragments normally make you yawn, don't skip this - it's a rare example of multimedia technology displayed to excellent effect, touched with a uniquely Spanish flare for the macabre '. Wow! What a recommendation! Can the museum live up to it! The museum specializes in two cultural periods of the province - Los Millares and El Argar, societies from the third and second millennium BC. Reaching 13m from the ground floor is an idealised, life size reproduction of a stratigraphic cross-section. It presents the historical sequence of all the archaeological sites in Almeria. On the first floor is a room devoted to the Symbolic and Funerary World. There is a reconstruction of a funerary monument, into which an audio visual projection shows a burial ritual in progress. Very eerie! The third level has two rooms - one displaying 'Roman Society and Trade in the South East 206BC - 409AD' and the other devoted to Islamic Almeria. One particular piece stands out - it show the engraving of a boat that was found in a Muslim house in present day Acros Street. This museum deserved the review given and to top it all, entry was free!
Later on in the day, I visited the the Andalucian Photographic Centre, with two excellent exhibitions - their permanent one of photographs taken of Cuba by some renown Spanish photographers, and a temporary one, not opening until Monday (but I was allowed in), of 'Chernobyl after 25 Years'. Both of these were exceptionally moving. I trekked from the centre, up hill to the Alcazaba - with beautiful gardens and panoramic views. Astonishingly there was no entry fee for both the centre and the Alcazaba!
I made my back to the hotel, but was distracted from my journey by music coming from inside the Constitution Plaza. A stage was being set up and a band, El Lunatico, were having a sound check. i sat there till nearly dark. No one seemed to care. I could not find out when the actual concert was on!
Sunday morning I wandered down to the beach - and people watched while having cafe with ice cream - Yes that's correct - and buying a t shirt at a charity stall promoting sterilization of cats and dogs. Of course, I had a chat with the three dogs there - a boxer ( with squeaky ball in mouth), a greyhound and a golden lab! My afternoon was spent listening to Wimbledon radio broadcast of the men's singles final between Novak and Andy. Afterwards I toasted Andy's win with a glass or two of 'summer wine'!.
Almeria is well worth a visit! Don't judge a book, or a city, by it's cover!

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