I had seen an advert saying that Rod Stewart was performing at the Bullring in Murcia and I got myself a ticket to go and see him. I decided to go to Murcia earlier in the day, have a look around, see the show, stay overnight in Murcia and go home the next day.
Journey to Murcia and my Hotel.
I left my apartment at around midday to walk to the bus stop near me to catch the bus to Murcia. When I got to the bus stop, it was sweltering hot, and I stood at the rear of the bus stop in the shade while waiting for the bus. Soon, about five people were standing with me, sheltering from the sun at the bus stop, and at 12:35 pm, the bus arrived on time, and we all quickly got on.
The bus felt fantastic, with its air conditioning blowing out really cool air. I should have got a bottle of water to travel with, as it was, I had forgotten but I made a note to myself to ensure I have a bottle when I see Simply Red in Murcia next month. We travelled through Torre Pacheco and on to Murcia, arriving at 1:30 pm.
I got off the bus and walked to my hotel, Hesperia Murcia Centro. It only took about 10 minutes, and I was delighted when I saw how nice it was. I was soon checked in, and as I finished checking in and turned around, my friend Gail walked through the hotel entranceway. We had arranged to meet up to get a drink and something to eat, and her timing was perfect. I went to my room and dropped off my bag before going back down to Gail.
We walked out of the hotel, stopped at the small cafe next door, and got a small beer. We sat chatting for a while before leaving and walking through Murcia for a little while. We walked along the river to see the large Sardine statue in the water before going back towards the Cathedral area. It was very hot, and we stopped at a bar I went to when I came to Murcia to see the Spring Festival Parade. It was great to get out of the heat, and we had a couple of beers in the air-conditioned bar before we moved on to look for somewhere to eat.
We walked to the square next to the Cathedral but were surprised to see all but one of the restaurants and cafes were closed. We sat at the only one that was open and were told that most of the menu was unavailable. Whilst the waiter left us to make up our minds about what we wanted, we made up our minds to leave and go to a Spanish bar I found on Google Maps nearby. After walking around for a bit longer, we found the restaurant, The Taperia Uno and sat inside out of the heat. We both ordered a meal and got a drink. I ordered a goat cheese crouton with jam, as a tapas and pig cheeks in a pepper sauce with tomato, peppers and potato for my meal. It was fantastic, and I really enjoyed it. I will probably come back next month when I am back in Murcia to see Simply Red. We sat chatting about the Rod Stewart concert and about the Mediterranean Cruise that we met on. We were chatting so much that we lost track of time until Gail's friends called her to see where she was. We paid for our meal and headed back to our different hotels.
Once back at the hotel, I rested up for a while before taking a shower to cool off. As I got out of the shower, my phone rang. It was Gail telling me she and her friends were outside. I told them I would catch them up at the concert, and they carried on whilst I got dressed.
Rod Stewart in the Bullring.
I walked towards the Bullring, and as I got there, I saw Gail and her friends in the queue, and I joined them. We were all in the same VIP area, so we didn't have to wait long to get in. Once we were inside, Gail and her friends stood right in front of the stage. I went to the side of the stage to get a beer, but as I walked across, I saw my friends Lynda and David on the other side of the barrier to the area I was in. I went over and stood talking to them for a while. I got myself a beer before returning to talk to Lynda and David, where Gail saw us and came to join us.
The concert soon started, and Gail and I moved closer to the stage, where we spent most of the time dancing. At least Gail was dancing. I was jigging around doing a dad dance. The show was fantastic. Rod went through all his big hits, and he and the girls must have gone through 3 or 4 costume changes. The saxophonist in the group did a couple of numbers on his own while Rod changed his outfit, and he was excellent as well.
The time went by really quickly, and when the concert finished, I said goodbye to Lynda and David and left with Gail and her friends to look for a place to have a cocktail. It was only about 11:30 pm, but all the local bars and cafes were shutting early. This really surprised me as there were thousands of people all spilling out of the bullring, all looking for somewhere to get a drink. We eventually found a bar that was open as we walked towards our hotels. As we entered, the barman told us that they were closing but that we could order a drink if we were quick. We ordered some drinks, in my case, a Pina Colada, and sat in the bar chatting. We finished our drinks quickly and ordered another round. The second Pina Colada was as good as the first one.
When we finished our drinks, we all walked back towards our different hotels, and I said goodbye to the others. I got back to my hotel and was very quickly fast asleep.
Photos from Rod Stewart Concert.
These are photos I took from my spot in front of the stage at Rod Stewart's concert in Murcia.
Rod Stewart in concert in Murcia. 
Rod Stewart on stage in Murcia.
Rod Stewarts backing singers.
My Video from Rod Stewart Concert.
The journey home.
I woke up at about 8:30 am, and once I had cleared away the sleep cobwebs, I got up and took a shower. After my shower, I took my tablets and looked at my mobile phone to get the shortest route to the bus station. I hadn't booked breakfast, but I went to the room where the buffet was served, and it looked terrific. I decided to include it on my next stay in August.
I checked out of the hotel and realised the battery on my phone was dying. I hoped I would get to the bus station okay. After my phone battery died, I asked a bus driver which way the bus station was, and he thankfully pointed me in the right direction. I got to the station at 10:25 am, just in time for my 10:30 am bus back to Los Alcazares. It was nice and comfortable on the air-conditioned bus, and the journey was easy. I got off the bus by the Los Alcazares town hall and walked the short distance home along the beach.
Summary.
I had a great time in Murcia, seeing my friend Gail. The Rod Stewart concert was fantastic and I maybe walked and danced a little too much as my legs were aching when I got home. I would definitely go and see Rod again in the future. What a showman.