Pilgrimage in Honor of Our Lady Virgen de las Huertas. In Vera.

The first weekend in September is marked on the calendars of Vera´s people. Tradition dictates that they join a pilgrimage to honor the Virgen de las Huertas (Virgin of the orchards). The shrine is a simple building of local architectural tradition dating back to the sixteenth century.

Romeria Hermitage

Given that the patron saint of Vera is the Virgen de las Angustias (Virgin of Sorrows), this is not a major celebration. However, devotion brings neighbors to the shrine located on the outskirts of the town year after year. The pilgrimage is held to pay homage to the people of Lorca who assisted Vera´s population when the town was besieged by the Moorish king Aben Humeya in 1569.

In fact, the city of Lorca did not have to intervene. The Moorish king turned back when he heard relief was on its way shortly after the attack on Vera’s walls had already begun. Thus began the memory and gratitude towards the patron of Lorca.

The celebration is marked by parades of horse drawn carriages that are colourfully decorated flowers and it wouldn’t be Spain without some loud music and dancing. The parade passes the local roads and reaches it’s destination at the Heritage. There the party will continue with Flamenco dancing music and fireworks until late in the night.

On Sunday it will all start again and will include a large Paella and a Children’s Piñatas Contest. There are some links and a google translation of the programme below. Sounds like fun!

ROMERIA VIRGEN DE LAS HUERTAS 2017 PROGRAM OF ACTIVITIES

SATURDAY 2

17:00 h. Begin the journey from La Legua through the usual roads, with all those floats and horses that want to accompany to the hermitage to snack.
9:30 p.m. Performance of the Flamenco Dance Academy “Las Chibancas”
10:30 p.m. Fiesta with the performance of “Ensía de Almería”
00:00 h. Great Musical Piro Show.

SUNDAY 3

11:30 a.m. “Pilgrimage of the Virgin of the Huertas” from its hermitage to make the habitual route.
We want to encourage everyone to participate in our Pilgrimage, dressing in the typical costumes, as well as decorating floats and vehicles without missing horses and riders to give a great color and splendor.
The Queens and Ladies of Honor for children and youth 2016 paraded in a chariot adorned for the occasion, accompanying our Virgin of the Huertas.
2:00 p.m. Arrival of the Romería to the Hermitage and we will be able to taste a paella.
5:30 p.m. Awarding of prizes of the Children’s Piñatas Contest, we encourage all the children to present their original piñata.
6:45 p.m. Performance of the flamenco group “Virgen de las Huertas”
7:30 p.m. Holy Mass officiated by our parish priest D. Carlos Fortes García, accompanied by the Choir of the Fraternity of Our Lady of Rocio de Garrucha.
Then, as is traditional, the Raffle will be held in honor of Our Lady of the Huertas several prizes that will be displayed at the entrance of the hermitage.
To end the party we will have the live music performance of “El Bartolico”

Here you can see some photos and videos of previous years.

A map of the location, click at the top right to enlarge.

Shrine Of Our Lady Of The Orchards
Shrine Of Our Lady Of The Orchards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Romeria Programme

Vuelta Route Garrucha Update

 La Vuelta Route Through Garrucha Has Been Updated.

It has been very hard to find exact information about the route La Vuelta will take through Garrucha and Mojacar but Garrucha town hall have posted this, so you would hope they know which roads need to be closed.

It is fairly self explanatory but is different to the last route I published. I f anyone knows the exact route further along please let me know.

If you’re in the UK be sure to catch the highlights at least, they are on ITV 4 at 7pm on Weds 30th August.

La Vuelta route Garrucha Update

Desert Springs, El Torrente Restaurant

An Evening At El Torrente Restaurant.

Desert Springs RestaurantNot being golfers the beautiful restaurant at Desert Springs doesn’t normally feature when we are recommending a venue. This week we were guests of good friends celebrating their wedding anniversary.

Desert Springs offers a lot more than Golf, there is a Cricket Academy, conveniently located within the resort, within walking distance from team accommodations, comprising an international size world-class quality grass pitch complemented with floodlights, shower and changing facilities. A number of County teams use it for winter and pre-season training camps. They also host Football, Cycling and Tennis camps, have a fully equipped fitness centre and there is the Gym, developed in consultation with Daley Thompson. Ian Botham has a villa here and can often be seen in and around the area.

There is a good choice of places to eat. The Deck at the Club House offers a wide choice of light lunch time food available through daylight hours, including tasty soups, tapas, salads, burgers, pasta, wraps and filled ciabattas.

The Crocodile Club Restaurant & Rosewood Bar. The ‘Croc’ features an eclectic menu of Mediterranean, Pacific Rim and Thai dishes, along with fresh fish and grills, Pastas and Pizzas and Desert Hamburgers; lots for kids and something special for the adults. Tables are available in the restaurant around the open fire or on the terraces or outside in the semi-secluded terraced garden. The restaurant is open for lunch and/or dinner according to the season.

El Chiringuito Pool Bar, serves light lunches and a range of superb healthy fruit punches of the innocent and more grown up variety, the pool bar is a great place to lounge and shoot the breeze.

The Cave Bar, known as La Cueva del Almanzora, this original but refurbished cave has a really cool bar and offers an extraordinary private meeting room and exclusive and atmospheric private dining facilities in its underground gallery.

We went to the El Torrente Restaurant, it is known for its fine Spanish dining including several very special local dishes and fresh fish. It is in a beautiful setting with a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. The main restaurant is open every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also provides a Bar and Deck Menu with a wide choice of light lunch time food available through daylight hours, including tasty soups, tapas, salads, burgers, pasta, wraps and filled ciabattas. We ate from the Chef’s Selection Menu..

CHEF´S SELECTION MENU
STARTERS
Chilled Cream of Almond Soup with Honeyed Croutons and Sweet Tomatoes
Raf Tomato Salad with Longfin Tuna and a Garlic and Parsley Oil
Lightly Battered Pickled Fish with a Carrot Dressing
Iberian Pork Cheek and Goat´s Cheese Vol au Vent
MAIN COURSES
Slow Roasted Pork Shank with a Black Pepper Sauce
Accompanied by Hassleback Potatoes and a Courgette and Yellow Pepper Ratatouille
Baked Swordfish Steak in a Tamarind and Ginger Sauce
Accompanied by Vegetable Basmati Rice
Creamy Rice with Squid, Prawns and Tarragon
Vegetarian Dish – Pasta with a Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
CHEF´S SPECIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Pan Fried Iberian Pork End Loin with Sautéed Garlic and Apple Vinegar
Accompanied by Hassleback Potatoes and a Courgette and Yellow Pepper Ratatouille
Pan Fried Fillet of Norwegian Salmon with a Dijon and Maple Syrup Sauce
Accompanied by Vegetable Basmati Rice
Lamb Chops with Mint Sauce
Accompanied by Hassleback Potatoes and a Courgette and Yellow Pepper Ratatouille
Grilled Fillet Steak 200g / 250g
Accompanied by Chips and Salad
Sunday Roast- Please ask the waiting team for further details
Accompanied by Roast Potatoes and Seasonal Vegetables
DESSERTS
Chilled Coconut Custard
Apple Crumble with Ice Cream
Orange and Chocolate Mousse with Strawberries
Fresh Fruit Salad
Starter, Main Course, Dessert and Coffee

A couple of the “Big Boys” opted for the large steaks and the clean plates told their story. I had the tasty Pork Shank. The ladies had the Cod and Duck and all were very nice. The Muga was a good choice of wine and the “special” chocolate brownies and coffees rounded off a lovely evening.

Desert Springs is well worth a visit for a celebration with friends or a special meal for two.

I can’t comment on price as we were guests but we found it very reasonable! Check out their web site here for lots of information, as we haven’t been to the other restaurants I have used some of their text but I’m sure Desert Springs won’t mind the publicity and we intend to visit the Croc bar soon..
This video gives a “taste” of the restaurant, the sound is not essential!

 

Sweet California Come To Vera

Sweet California

Sweet California are a popular female Spanish band and they will perform in the Bullring on Saturday.

Formed by Sonia Gómez, Alba Reig and Tamy Nsue. They have achieved success thanks to the albums  “Break of Day”, “Head for the stars” , with which they were awarded discs of gold and platinum in Spain, with their last album “3” again set to break records of sales they will tour throughout 2017.  Sweet California  have more than 300,000 followers on  Twitter  and 500,000 on  Facebook , plus more than 85 million views of videos on  Youtube . Sweet California’s songs on Spotify  have been heard by more than 390,000 people.

Enjoy singing along with  Sweet California to the songs that you know by heart,  “Vuelves”, “Hum”, “Good life”, “Empire”  and many more.  Do not miss out on the chance to enjoy Sweet California in concert, on a night you will never forget. The popularity and affection  Sweet California are receiving is growing all the time, both in Spain and Latin America, where they will arrive in 2017 with the “Ladies tour” . They are in great form and they have already obtained Platinum Discs, with more than 100,000 discs sold, as well as  MTV Awards and Prizes Los 40 . Now they are coming to the city … Come on!

Prices: There is a single price for the Vera concert, € 21 (General). Tickets for the Sweet California concert in Vera are available on the RedEntradas.com website and on the phone 958 10 81 81 (Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.). Also on the official website of Sweet California.

You can catch a taste of them here if you can not wait until 22.00 on Saturday.

Flamenco in Vera

Second Flamenco Festival In Vera.

Pastora Galván

On Friday 11th August Pastora Galván will perform in El Palmoral in Vera. Daughter of José Galván , she studied Flameco at the Seville dance school between 1990 and 1998, during which time she began her first professional work. She  has performed all over Latin America, USA and Europe with the Company of Israel Galvan, her brother. It should be quite a night, it starts at 22.30, don’t be late.

Flamenco in Vera

The following night Saturday 12th August sees a Flamenco singing and dancing recital by “Entre Carrillos y Carretas”. Sung by Cristo Heredia, Edu Garcia, and Antonio García, guitarist Antonio Luis López and Eduardo Aguilera, Percussion Moi Santiago, Mariángeles Carrillo, Mariángeles Hernandez, Carmen and Alba Segura. Support is provided by the students of the School of Flamenco de Andalucía of Vera.

Both of the events are free and are sure to be well attended.

Visit To Vera’s Seafood Fair

Seafood Fair In VeraWe paid a visit to Vera’s seafood fair in El Palmeral yesterday. You can choose individual dishes or go for the set platters for two people. Drinks extra of course.

We went at lunchtime and it was very quiet, probably a better atmosphere in the evening. The seafood was good and worth trying.

El Palmeral Vera

 

Vera’s Beaches

Vera is blessed with a 6 Km golden sanded coastline.

Vera Beach Picture

There are 4 separate beaches. Las Marinas-Bolaga, Puerto Rey, Playazo and Quitapellejos. They are about 6Km, a 10 minute drive, most of the year from Finca Arboleda.

Quitapellejos, located to the north of the coastline is a small charming beach free of crowds.

Playa el Playazo, has more than 2Km of golden sand and is very popular but peaceful, it is designated as a nudist beach, so not for everyone.

Puerto Rey, is very popular and home to the lagoon which in itself is home to flora and fauna as well as various types of Ducks. There are various sports and nautical activities available. It also hosts many restaurants catering for all tastes, ideal for lunch and a break from the sunbathing.

Las Marinas-Bolaga, is ideal for those who seek a bit more activity with horse riding, tennis courts, water sports and gyms. The beautiful palm lined promenade has chiringuitos and restaurants.

All the beaches are very well maintained and policed for your safety. It is recommended that you read the “Do and Don’t” boards as you arrive at the beach.

They are very strict on not allowing Dogs on the beach especially in high season. While I can understand this to some extent it would be nice if there was a small strip where people could walk with them early morning or in the evening. This isn’t just a Vera rule but it covers most of Andalusia.

Map of Vera's Beaches

Feria Gallega Del Marisco

Vera Seafood fayre The GALLEGA DEL MARISCO FAIR is on in Vera.

From 13 to 23 July at the El Palmeral Exhibition Centre. Free admission. Open from 12 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to midnight. More information on tel. 666103447

If you love fresh seafood this is a must, we went a couple of years ago and it was tasty and interesting to try dishes that are not easily available locally, washed down with a glass (or  two) of Albariño.

Yummy, try it for yourself.

Vera Seafood fayre