I had seen adverts for the Murcia Spring Festival for a few years & this year I decided to go along & see it.
Murcia Spring Flower Parade.
David's Coach Tours ran a coach to this year's parade, so I booked to go with them. It cost €12. I was picked up by the Arches in Los Narejos at 3:15 pm. It was supposed to be 3:30 pm, but the bus was early & as everyone was already there, they left early to head towards Balsicas for the final pick-up. Once the last pick-up in Balsicas had been made, we went into Murcia.
The coach drive was uneventful & we were dropped off next to the Sofia Hospital in the centre of Murcia. Neil, our guide, told us which way to walk towards where the parade would be held & what time we had to return for the return trip. I checked precisely where we were with Neil, thinking I recognised the area. After confirming where we were, I walked towards the town centre.
After a short walk, I noticed the chairs alongside the road that had been put out by the parade organisers for people to rent to sit & watch the parade from. They were charging €6 to rent the chairs. I was unsure which direction the parade would be coming from, so I followed the row of chairs on each side of the road, marking the route the parade would take. I walked a short distance looking for somewhere to get something to eat & to get a drink.
After looking at a few cafes & bars, I stopped at a small bar called La Barra de Morata. I ordered a small beer & a Murciano salad. Whilst I sat there, four English ladies came in & as it was busy, I made room for them to share the table I was sitting at. We started chatting & I ordered a small wine. After a while, the ladies asked the staff for their bill & it seemed very large, so I asked for my bill. When my bill arrived, it was for the same amount as the ladies' bill. The staff had put all of our food & drinks on one bill, I told the staff their error & they altered the bills. I was not impressed when I found they had charged me ¨tourist rates¨ for my drinks, charging me €3 for a small beer & €3.50 for a small glass of wine. In Los Alcazares, where I live, it would have been only €1.50 for the beer & €2.50 for the wine. I will not be going back to the bar.
When I left the bar, the parade was still a long wait, so I walked a short distance to La Santera Bar. The bar staff were excellent & the pint I ordered cost me €3, the same price as the bar I had just left charged me for a small beer. When I return to Murcia for more events, I will use this bar, not the previous one.
When I finish my beer, I walk back along the parade route to find somewhere to stand & watch the parade. I watched the parade from several viewpoints, trying to get a better view. As the sun set, the sun was directly in my eyes & I changed position a couple of times so that the light wouldn't blind me. I watched the entire parade & although it was pretty good, it wasn't as big as I expected. I had seen photos before & the floats looked a lot bigger with many more flowers in the images I had seen. After watching the parade, I wondered if the pictures I saw advertising this parade were actually from a different parade. Because I lived in Orlando for a long time, I am often disappointed by parades anywhere else. Disney knows how to do a parade.
When the parade finished, I returned to the hospital, where the coach dropped us off. We had to wait a while for the coach, but I was soon returning home. When I returned to Los Narejos, my friend June was waiting to give me a lift home. My legs were aching a lot by now & I was glad I didn't have to walk the 3 km back to my apartment.
I was glad I went to see the parade, but now I have seen it once, I probably wouldn't bother to go & see it again.