I had seen that Simple Minds were playing at the Bullring in Murcia, and since I had been a big fan as a teenager, I bought a ticket to see them.
When I booked my ticket to see Simple Minds, I was sitting at home and thinking about the nightclub I used to go to with my mate Dave when we were younger. We always managed to get into Fifth Avenue nightclub in Southsea, and Simple Minds were one of the big groups that got everyone up dancing when the DJ would play their records, including me and Dave. We were 18 years old, but only looked about 14. Luckily for us, the bouncers on the door knew us and we never had any trouble getting in. We had, after all, been going there since we were 16 with some older guys from the gas board who got us in. I believe the original bouncers were also gas fitters.ย
I was telling my mate Dave's wife, Tracy, that I was going to see them, and she said I should ask Dave to go and see them. I did ask him, and minutes later, we were planning the trip to see them. He would fly over from England and stay with me in Los Alcazares for a few days, and we would go to the concert as well. I was looking forward to it, as I hadn't seen Dave since his sister got married years ago, when I attended her wedding in England.
Bus to Murcia.
We walked to the bus stop just around the corner, just after midday. Our bus was due at 12:35, and it only takes 5 minutes to walk there. We sat at the bus stop, and several other people slowly started to arrive to catch the bus with us. We all stood there waiting, some of the people walked across the road to stand and wait in the shade and get a better view of the road so they could see the bus coming.
The time the bus was due came and went, and it didnt arrive. an hour later another bus arrived, slowed and then continued on without stopping. One of the ladies stood at the bus stop seemed to be making a phone call and soon her husband who had dropped her off picked her back up and they left. another lady made a phone call and her husband arrived but she didnt get in. She spoke to him briefly and he dissapeared, coming abck a few minutes later. He then stood with his wife waiting, and a short time later, a bus arrived and stopped. I'm not sure, but I think the lady's husband had gone home and complained to the bus company, and they had sent another bus for us.
Whatever happened, I was very grateful when the bus arrived, as I had started to feel ill while standing in the midday sun. It was over 35ยฐc and I was flagging. We all got on the bus, and we were soon recovering in the air-conditioned bus. We stopped off at Torre Pacheco bus station and then continued to Murcia.
When we arrived in Murcia, Dave and I got off the bus and took a slow walk to our hotel. I had to stop for a while to catch my breath, as the temperature in the built-up city was over 45 ยฐC. We sat for around 10 minutes on a bench in the shade so I could recover, and then walked the last few hundred metres to our hotel.
Murcia.
I had not stayed at the Hotel Cetina before, but I loved the location, right in the middle of town near the Cathedral and the Casino. We had soon checked in, but it was too hot to go walking around town. We cooled off in the hotel room for a while and then walked to a bar/restaurant that I like to go to when I'm in Murcia, Traperรญa Uno.
We both ordered the pig cheeks, which I love and had recommended to Dave. While I waited, Dave had a quick walk around the Cathedral, which was across from us, returning with lots of new photos and a grin. When our meal arrived, Dave was very impressed and tucked into his meal straight away. Because I had been illย the previous day, I took my time and was pleased when I didn't have an instant acid reflux attack. I began to enjoy the meal, but unfortunately, about halfway through, I had another severe bout of acid reflux. Dave finished my dinner, and my reflux symptoms began to worsen. I demanded the key from Dave and quickly marched back around the corner to the hotel, where the acid reflux struck me down and I threw up what I had managed to eat.
I lay on the bed with the air conditioning on and tried to get comfortable. I was determined not to miss tonight's concert. A short time later, Dave arrived, checked on me, and we both cooled down and relaxed. By about 8:30 pm, I had recovered enough to want to go to the concert, and we left the hotel and walked to the bullring.
As we arrived for the concert and approached the bullring, I heard people calling me by my nickname "Sharky", and realised someone from Los Alcazares must be there. Sure enough, I saw some people I know. I greeted them and introduced them to Dave before we went into the bullring to watch Simple Minds.
Simple Minds at the Bullring.
It wasn'tย crowded when we arrived, and we stood right in front of the barrier in front of the stage to ensure we had a clear view. I got a bottle of water and returned to our vantage point.
The concert started at 9:30 pm and was brilliant. Both Dave and I were pleased that theyย performed many old songs that we both remember from our days of night clubbing in the UK, as well as their new material. We couldn't help but sing along and jig away. There was a lady and her husband next to us, and the lady seemed to be quite drunk when she arrived and continued drinking throughout the show, consuming both her drinks and her husband's, at times holding a drink in each hand. She continually bumped into me and the man on the other side of her while her husband held her up at times.
Simple Minds video will appear here shortly.
At one point during the show, Jim Kerr left the stage and walked down in front of it. He walked along the barrier between the concert goers and the stage, high-fiving everyone who stood there. He sang a song from this position in front of the stage before returning the way he had come back to the stage. It was when he returned to the stage that he high-fived both me and Dave. Another memory made.
Simple Minds Photos.
These photos are from my trip to see the group, Simple Minds, when they were in concert in Murcia.
Click on any image to see a larger version of the image with a description. Use the navigation below the thumbnail images to see the previous set of images, the next set of images, or the previous or following photo albums.
The music was great, and when it finished, we left the bullring. I was so hot and exhausted from the constant dancing and standing that I had to rest on a bench outside the venue for a while. When I was ready, we strolled back to the hotel, stopping to cool off again in a Trebol bar. Even at midnight, the temperature was still around 36 ยฐC.
The walk was only a short one, and when we arrived at the room, I was pleased to find that the air conditioning had kept the room cool. I got in my bed and was asleep within minutes.
Journey home.
We wokeย up around 9 am and got ready to leave. When we left the hotel, we walked through Murcia towards the Segura River so that I could show Dave the giant bronze Sardine monument in the water. We walked along the riverbank, stopped to see the fish, and then continued along the river back up to the road. I had to sit down for a while as we left the river, and Dave patiently sat with me until I got my breath back.
Alan Morris next to the Segura River in Murcia.
Sardine bronze in the Segura River, Murcia.
Alan Morris outside the Murcia bus station.
We headed towards the bus station in the hope of catching an earlier bus. We stopped to get bottles of water in a shop where the owner tried to rip me off, giving me change from a five instead of a ten. Unfortunately for her, my Spanish is good enough to complain in Spanish, and I made sure to get my correct change before we left. We arrived at the bus station, sat outside the first cafe, and had a coffee. It appeared to be a Sunday service, with some buses not running. We went to one platform and were told it was the wrong bus. When we checked at the Information desk, we were sent back to the correct bus stop. When the bus arrived, I checked with the driver, and he said it was the correct bus. Around 20 people were waiting for the bus, but before anyone couldย board, the bus pulled out and left without anyone on it. I guessed that the driver had to refuel, and sure enough, a short time later, he returned, and we were all able to board the bus.
The driver took a different route back to Los Alcazares, but we eventually arrived around 3 pm and got off the bus near my apartment, walking the short distance home. I was hot, tired, and ready for a rest after a great night and short trip away.
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