Recently I was fortunate to visit Murcia in Spain as part of a work trip – what a lucky duck I am! Even better, we had a little time to explore and I discovered that Murcia is not only blooming gorgeous, but the food is super delicious (and plentiful). In fact it was all so gorgeous and delicious that I thought it’d make a great blog post.
So, here’s what I’ve learnt about Murcia:
Found in south-east Spain, it is the seventh largest city in the country
It’s pronounced More-thia with lots of lisping, not Mer-sia as my ignorant British mouth kept saying
It’s the capital city of a region by the same name (well, that’s a bit unimaginative…)
It has a really, flipping big and impressive cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary or the Iglesia Catedral de Santa Maria, (is it just me or does everything sound better in Spanish?), really is quite a formidable building and apparently boasts three different architectural styles – renaissance, gothic, and baroque, I think.
Its patroness is, rather unsurprisingly considering its name, the Virgin Mary. What is surprising, however, is that there is a specific statue of the patroness which is said to have been randomly found up in the hills or in a forest, and now once or twice a year they bring her down to the city and thousands gather for her procession into the cathedral. On the other hand the patron, Saint Patrick, is quite forgotten – poor chap! – but he does get a pretty big party elsewhere in the world so I’m sure he’s alright.
It used to be part of a Muslim empire
The locals called them the Moors, but sadly my historical knowledge of Spain and Muslim empires is a little hazy (read: non-existent). But I do know, (because a tour guide told me), that they travelled from North Africa many moons ago and, in fact, the current Cathedral was built on the site of the old mosque.
Ah! An ever-reliable source, (Wikipedia…), tells me that the Moors were medieval Muslim inhabitants from North Africa and Europe, whose empire spread as far as Gibraltar, Spain, Portugal, and parts of France. You learn something new every day, hey?
I find it really interesting that Spain has this big Islamic history, because whenever I think of countries like Spain or Italy, for example, they just seem so very inherently Catholic that it’s strange to think of them as anything else, whether that’s Islamic or pagan.
A main street in the old town is called Traperia, which was named after all the tailors that used to reside there
There’s also another street, Calle Jabóneria, named after the soap makers that were based there
It has a grand old Casino that has nothing to do with gambling
I still don’t quite understand why it was ever called the Casino when it was, and still is, an old nineteenth-century gentlemen’s club. But regardless, it’s a beautifully-strange building.
Each room was decorated to imitate the styles of different countries. I’ll be honest, being the sad patriot that I am, the English Library was my favourite. My least favourite room by far, however, was what used to be the women’s bathroom.
Whoever decorated that room was obviously less bothered about design and more interested in scaring the hell out of everyone with the worrying and petrifying fairy mural on the ceiling! You get the feeling that perhaps the men weren’t overjoyed when the club finally admitted women…
The food was good. So very good
Any fellow vegetarians who have dared to visit Spain will know it is one of the world’s least veggie-friendly destinations. Despite this disadvantage, I still managed to tuck into many a delicious dish and left Spain merrily nursing one heck of food baby.
Every meal was like an education, with an array of intriguing national and local dishes, which the locals seemed so passionate about. I wish I’d taken notes! I remember a lot of bread, which was served with either garlic-y butter, tomato salsa, or a sprinkling of paprika, and always with a healthy pouring of oil. There were plates of patatas bravas (a vegetarian tapas classic), chargrilled local vegetables, Spanish omelette, and mountains of cheese, just to name a few.
One dessert that really stood out was a regional dish, Paparjote. It is, I think, deep-fried lemon tree leaves that are then coated in sugar and cinnamon. We were quickly told not to eat the leaf itself, but rather pick and nibble off the crispy, donut-like coating, which had absorbed a lovely lemon-y flavour. Not the most lady-like task, but pretty darn tasty.
All in all, I’d say a successful trip. I’d definitely recommend it a visit!
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