It is easy to see why the Palma Cathedral is nicknamed the Cathedral of Light. There are 61 stained glass windows, including the large rose window which has a diameter of 36 feet and more than 1,200 pieces of colorful glass.
A modern work of art also adorns three walls in one of the cathedral's small chapels. The cracked ceramic sculpture, which is the work of Miquel Barcelo, shows the miracle of Jesus multiplying fish and loaves for his followers.
While driving through the countryside to get to the Dragon Caves, we were enthralled by the number of windmills that we saw. Apparently, many of the windmills date back to the 16th century and the most commonly seen mills were used to grind grain or to extract water. There are about three thousand windmills on the island, however, many are in a state of disrepair.
The Dragon Caves, which scientists believe formed between 11 and 5.3 million years ago, are about two and a half miles long and just over 80 feet deep.
The caves, which were formed in limestone by water intrusion from the Mediterranean Sea, have many beautiful formations of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, flowstone, and drapery. The limestone structures grow about one centimeter every 100 years.
Martel Lake, which is almost 400 feet long and 100 feet wide, is located in the Dragon Caves. There is a small amphitheater just above the lake where we sat and listened to a short classical music concert.
Four musicians in a rowboat performed several classical pieces as they moved along the lake. At the end of the concert, we were able to get into a boat and were rowed to the exit of the caves.
Cartagena is an old city that was originally founded in 227 BC and was at its peak during the Roman Empire as an important port city on the Mediterranean Sea.
The Town Hall of Cartagena, which was built between 1900 and 1907, was most impressive. The building's facade is made of white marble and the uniquely shaped domes at the top are coated with zinc.
We strolled along Calle Mayor, which is a pedestrian street with blue marble tiles. It was like walking through a canyon, with tall buildings on either side making up the canyon walls. The bottom floor of the buildings were shops and cafes and the upper floors, which had beautiful balconies of enclosed glass or intricate grillwork, were residences.
The Roman Theater, which was built between 5 and 1 BC, was not actually discovered until 1988 beneath the ruins of the Old Cathedral. It seems that a cathedral had been built in the 13th century on top of the ruins of the Roman Theater. This cathedral was bombed in 1939 during the Spanish Civil War and the ruins remained untouched until 1988.
There is a museum near the Roman Theater that has exhibits with things found during the excavation of the theater as well as displays documenting how the theater was excavated.
Cartagena also has remains of a wall, which dates back to the 3rd century BC, that was built to protect the city during the second Punic War. Near the remains of the wall is a 17th century crypt attributed to San Jose's Brotherhood.
The city name, Almeria, which means "watchtower," comes from the 10th century Alcazaba, or fortress that was built by the Moors to protect the city. Almeria, as a strategic port city, was often under siege and the Moors were finally expelled in the 15th century.
Noted for its silk industry in the 11th century due to the right climate and agricultural conditions to plant the mulberry trees needed to support the silkworms, the region today it still noted for its agriculture. Crops are grown year-round in huge plastic covered greenhouses that are ubiquitous across this region.
As we drove through the Andalusian countryside, passing by large colonies of greenhouses, we began to head up into the mountains on a windy mountain road to see a mountain village. The mountains and scenery felt very familiar and very much like the Santa Monica Mountains we had left behind at home.
Mojacar is a typical Andalusian village with whitewashed houses lined up along meandering cobblestone streets. There are lots of small shops and cafes and village life seems to be slow and relaxed.
The official symbol of the Almeria province is the Indalo, which is represented as a man with outstretched arms holding an arch over his head. The symbol was discovered as a prehistoric pictograph in a cave in this region and it is now a widespread icon painted on homes and businesses to ward off evil and bring good luck.
