Costa del Sol property - Villas and Apartments for sale in Spain
Villa España A place to savour
The approach to the ancient city of Murcia does not impress. Predictable, ochre-coloured, low-rise blocks of flats succeed each other in neat but boring succession on either side of wide, but unexciting, boulevards, lined with the obligatory majestic palm trees.
It is so like the outskirts of Everywhere España that one's excitement becomes distinctly controllable. If Murcia were a chocolate, it would be one of the last ones left in the box.
Unless, of course, you know what's in the centre - in which case you would snaffle it up at once. Such a blend of flavours, a hint of everything that could possibly tickle the tourist palate. If ever a city could be called yummy, this is it. It comes in bite-sized pieces too; a delicious little square here, a baroque confection there, a hint of hardcore Gothic over yonder, with just a dash of exotic Moorish flavours to add piquancy.
It's hard to say what inspired such a flight of fancy on my part, but it
could be that my tastebuds were working overtime as we strolled around the main square, with enticing aromas emanating from the pavement cafés and restaurants, all serving delicious titbits, tapas-style, as well as coffees; including a strange but delicious concoction involving cinnamon and condensed milk, called Asiatico.
In the golden light of evening, the baroque fa´cade of the cathedral overlooking the square seemed as if it was made of marzipan, with layer upon layer of pediments festooned with sculpted saints. There's so much detail that one is almost grateful that original plans to build it a full storey higher, were put on hold in the 18th century.
As it is, the cathedral boasts one of the tallest towers in Spain.
A handy landmark, it can be seen from almost everywhere in the city - most useful when you are negotiating the maze of tiny streets that follow the original Moorish street plan.
You can hear it everywhere, too - a low, rumbling, almost hoarse boom as it strikes the hour. It's a sound that quickly becomes deeply evocative.
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Mijas costa
Marbella
