[originally posted by Cindy]

Cindy
Junior Member posted 07-19-2000 11:57 AM
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Hola a todos.... I am really excited about returining to Spain. This time we are staying near Torrevieja near Alicante. We will be traveling from April 6/14 more or less. Am interested in knowing traveling time from that area to Madrid... and some of the surrounding areas of interest. Understand Murcia would be a good bet. Most likely we will fly into Madrid and stay a day or two and drive to la Costa Blanca. We are old buggers now and are taking our 16 year daughter. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Viva Espana!

I'm not sure how long the drive will take you. It took almost 4 hours by train to get from Madrid to Alicante.
BUt, my suggestion is to definately see Alicante. There are many things to see and do there on a Saturday night. The music and shopping around the Port is something your daughter would enjoy. Also, go visit the Island of Tabarca on a day trip. There are ferries that leave from both Alicante and Torrevieja I believe.

Easter Sunday in 2001 will be April 15th, so you are lucky enough to be visiting during Semana Santa (Holy Week).

Every village, town and city has magnificent processions during this week, starting on Palm Sunday. The big cities (Sevilla, Málaga, Cordoba etc.) have stunning processions every night (sometimes 2 or 3), each of which is organised by a different "cofradía" (guild, brotherhood) representing a group from the area - e.g. students.

The processions tell the story of Holy Week, and each includes a huge (and I mean HUGE) float with a scene from the story. These floats are carried on the shoulders of members of the cofradía as it makes its way through the streets, and it sometimes takes 250 or 300 men to carry them.

These processions go on all through the night, especially on the Thursday night / Friday morning. It'd be worth doing a bit of research before arriving so you know what's going on!!

The week is undoubtedly the most important week of the year in many pueblos, so you're very lucky to be in Spain at that time!

(Note that the Thursday and Friday will be public holidays everywhere. However, Easter Monday is not a holiday in Spain.)

If you need to know more, please ask.

davej@wanadoo.es

Its about 3 - 4 hours from Madrid to Torrevieja. If you have time, stop at Chinchilla about half way. Quaint, and small village with a beautiful castle and pleasant town plaza.
If you want a great Semana Santa experience, try Elche for Thursday night, Murcia for Friday during the day, and Cartegena for Friday night. These are all close and you will love it.
Take the time to drive to Granada. This is a must when traveling to Spain.
I lived in Elche for some time and have dear friends that live there and in Torrevieja.
Enjoy!!

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"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."

semana santa in cartagena is certainly worth seeing. cartagena is about 4 or 5 hours outside of madrid. there are few tourists which is amazing for how big the celebration is.

Muchas gracias a todos... that replied to my request for places to see near Alicante. It sounds wonderful all of your suggestions. I have been to Granada and of course it is a must see, but how far by car is it from Torrevieja? 3 or 4 hours?

Another question for anyone? Does anyone know the Spanish names for the participants in the Semana Santa processions and why do they wear the hoods? Something about being sinners...? Thanks.

I'm pretty sure they're called "penitentes", although I may be spelling it wrong. As to the hoods, I'm sure it goes back to the Middle Ages, and as to why exactly, I can not answer that.

Try Sevilla during Holy Week, if it falls in April. It's the place to be during that time. A real spectacle.

Loretta

Cindy and Jen,

I thought there were called "Nazarenos" but I'm not sure.

Loretta,

There are also other beautiful cities where the Holy week is very popular, such as in Zamora.

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