FYI

For those of you that live in the U.S., there is a travel magazine call Beautiful Itineraries. The April/May issue has an interesting article accompany with gorgeous photos of this important holy Spanish city, Murcia.

I never been there, but the article and photos has made me add it to my list of places to visited in Spain.

I subscribe to the magazine to get my bi-monthly diet of information on Italy and once in a while they do articles besides Italy.

Bill

I haven't tried it, but they say the Scuba diving is great around Murcia. For some reason, the Costa Calida it isn't as popular as the Costa del Sol (to its south) or the Costa Blanca (to its north). Maybe it's just not built up for the Tourist trade, yet.

I met a couple from Murcia on a BusEireann in Ireland. Their comments confirmed that it is very warm there.

Of course I am sure that's just in the summertime.

Murcia isn't a major stop for many tourists, but it is a nice city and worth a visit if you are in the neighborhood.

The region itself is quite dry and hot, so you've been told right. In the winter, the temperatures are naturally lower, and it has been known to snow in the hills to the north.

Because of its arid climate, I wouldn't quite call Murcia spectacularly beautiful when compared to other parts of Spain but is does have some places of interest. Besides the capital city, you also have the port city of Cartagena and the town of Caravaca, well-known pilgrimage site.

As for the coast, the most famous resort is probably La Manga, but its pretty crowded. There are also a lot of new golf courses cropping up all over the place.

One of the most surprising things about Murcia is its agricultural production. The "Huerta" of Murcia produces some of the best fruits and vegetables in Spain, like peaches, eggplants and tomatoes. It also has a couple of very interesting wine regions: Jumilla, Yecla and to a lesser extent, Bullas.

The people I know from Murcia are very outgoing and "alegre".