I saw the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Hope online and thought it looked like a great place to add to my bucket list. I have now visited it and crossed it off my bucket list.

Sanctuary of the Virgin of Hope.

I saw a locally advertised day trip to go and see it. I was picked up in Los Alcázares, and the coach took us first to Murcia City for a couple of hours to look around before continuing to see the sanctuary and having lunch before heading home again.

I enjoyed the short time I spent looking around Murcia, but that wasn't why I purchased the coach tour. When we arrived at the Sanctuary, I was delighted to see the beautiful setting next to the Segura River. When we arrived, it was tranquil, and all that could be heard on the short walk to the Sanctuary from the car park was the noise of birds singing and the roar of the Segura River below us.

Unfortunately, we didn't have a long time here. I first entered the small museum to look at the items on display before entering the Chapel. It was a beautiful chapel, and I first lit two candles in memory of my mum and dad. I looked around the chapel and spent some time looking for the Virgin of Hope. I couldn't find the statue, and when I asked a guide where it was, I was told that the statue of the Virgin was out touring Spain.

When I finished looking around the chapel, I walked to the restaurant at the complex and ate dinner, which was included in the price of the tour. After dinner, I spent a short time sitting under the pine trees, listening to the river's roar. It was beautiful. I wish I had been able to spend more time here so I could have explored down by the river.

The chapel is located around 6 km from the village of Calasparra. The hermitage was initially built in a cave on the side of the Segura River in Murcia, Southern Spain. The story we were told is that when the Virgin was discovered, it was to be moved to a Chapel in Calasparra, but every time an attempt was made to lift and move the Virgin, it became so heavy that it could not be moved. For this reason, the chapel was built around the Virgin in the cave where it was found. It has obviously got bored sitting in the same chapel, and these days, it prefers travelling around and seeing more of the world.