MURCIA, SPAIN
MADINA MURSIYA "THE EUROPEAN ORCHARD"
Hello again everybody! Here I am in Spain, Gema's country. I have started to explore it little by little. Lets begin with Murcia!
We flew from Ireland to Spain with VUELING AIRLINES. They made everything very easy and staff were very nice to me. We departed from the International Airport of Dublin (Ireland). This airport is really nice. It has a huge outside area where dogs can stretch their legs and use the restroom before their departures.
However, we landed at the International Airport of Alicante (Spain) and although everything went well and staff were nice too, there wasn't any relief area for dogs, so I had to wait until we got out of the airport and arrived in Murcia.
Murcia city was created by Abderamán II in 825 next to the Segura River. Its Arabic influence is noticeable all along the city, since Arab people created a complex system of irrigation canals, pipes, diversion dams, waterwheels and aqueducts that still remain in the city. All this infrastructure made possible to make te most of the fertile land in Murcia causing a prosperous economic increase from its orchards (vegetables, lemons, oranges, fruit, etc.). Here you can find more information about Murcia:
The landscape diversity is well known in Murcia. Both its beautiful beaches or refreshing rivers and its relaxing mountains, make Murcia a city with a lot of things to do with your humans. In these links you can have some ideas about things you can do:
For example, if you would like to go for a walk, the RIVER WALK is one of the best places for it.
The SEGURA RIVER crosses the city, and all along it, there is a beautiful walk with modern and old bridges which make it unique.
The atmosphere in the Segura River is great, you can find people doing sport, riding their bicycles, rollerblading, skating, kayaking or renting a boat in EL TÍO DE LA BARCA .If you prefer to take your four-legged family to the MOUNTAIN, there are beautiful places in the Murcia Region, such us Sima de la Higuera, Valle del Aceniche, Monte Arabi, Barranco de Gebas, Cañon de Almadenes, Sierra el Cache, Sierra Espuña o la Cresta del Gallo.
One of my favorite places is LA ALBERCA very close to Murcia city.
In La Alberca, there are some nice trails to walk around the Santuario de la Fuensanta
or in El Valle where your humans will be also able to do horse riding.
Here I am with one of my friends in La Alberca. We are about to go for a long walk. 
The view and the colors were very beautiful....
I really loved it 😀💗
There are trees and shaded areas, as well as funny activities for your humans too.
Since dogs can be off-leash, you can play with your ball or frisbee 😜💪
Or go for a relaxing walk to the orchards and see lemon trees, orange trees, fig trees, olive trees, pomegranate trees or vegetables gardens among others... 
Here I am with my Italian friends showing them the Cathedral Square. It is full of cozy terraces where you all can have a drink or something to eat.
The view and the colors were very beautiful....
If you would like to have more information about nature in Murcia, visit this website. You will like it: https://www.murciaturistica.es/en/nature/
Because it is very hot in Murcia during the summer, most of people go to swim to the river or to the beach. About the rivers, there are some nice rivers in Murcia Region, such as El Salto del Usero, Rio Alhárabe, Poza termal de Somogil or Fuente Caputa. However, not all of them are pet-friendly, so you can use this link to check it and to have more information: https://blog.gluubo.com/piscinas-naturales-pozas-rios-murcia/
One pet-friendly river that I liked very much is LA PRESA DEL JARRAL . The water is cold and refreshing and dogs are allowed to swim if they are on the leash.
I really loved it 😀💗
There are trees and shaded areas, as well as funny activities for your humans too.Another amazing pet friendly river to take your humans is the SALTO DEL USERO. It is in the village of Bullas, 40 minutes driving from Murcia city.
Along the Mula river, it is full of cozy places to swim in refreshing water. The legend has it that the Salto del Usero was the secret place where a Christian prince and a Moor princess used to meet to get together. On the night of June 23th there was a storm and the princess went to the main pool of the river to meet the prince as usual. However, when she arrived, she didn't see the prince and she thought that, maybe, he fell down in the water. Therefore, she jumped into the water to look for him and never came out. Since then, the people say that, every Saint John night, you can hear sad moans that come from the water of the river.
To commemorate these events, the residents of Bullas get together every Saint John night in the Salto del Usero where they represent how the moor princess and her entourage go down to the main pool of the river and she gets into the water and disappear.
Anyways, the Salto del Usero is a beautiful place to go for a walk, siwm, admire the nature and enjoy the sun light. If you want to take you hurman, you must book the tickets in advance.
Perhaps you are more a beach dog. In that case, there are some PET-FRIENDLY BEACHES in the Region of Murcia, such as Las Cobaticas, Gachero, Cueva de las Palomas o Matalentisco.
In this link you can find more information about them:
My favorite is PLAYA CANINA LAS MORERAS IN MAZARRÓN
Mazarrón is a small town to the West of Murcia Region in the Mediterranean coast. Its Roman and Arabic influence makes it an unique town where people go to enjoy the beach and the local food. Las Moreras is one of the best beaches for humans and for dogs. It is 500 meters of length and 60 meters of wide. It has gold sand combined with small stones near the shore, as well as it is full of palm trees that cast some shade.
The water is clean ,although some days, there are medium waves that make it difficult for dogs to enter the sea 😜 and therefore, you need some help...
Since dogs can be off-leash, you can play with your ball or frisbee 😜💪In Mazarrón you can do other things with your human family. For example, you can go for a walk to THE PORT and see boats like these ones...
or these ones... 
even this one... 
Next to the port, there is a nice beach were dogs are not allowed. However, you can go for a walk to the promenade that is all along the beach.
Refresh yourself....
Next to the port, there is a nice beach were dogs are not allowed. However, you can go for a walk to the promenade that is all along the beach.
Along both the port and the promenade, there are many bars, restaurants and ice cream shops, all of them with outdoor area where dogs are always welcome. I recommend
the ice cream shop LOS VALENCIANOS. Ice cream is made in Jijona (Alicante), the best ice cream ever!!!
Are you hungry? Do not worry! Puerto de Mazarrón is full of nice restaurants and bars with an outdoor area where dogs are welcome. These restaurants are usually very touristic, so if you prefer something more local, I recommend MORALES RESTAURANT where you can eat amazing sea food, fish and paella for a good price. It has an outdoor area where dogs are very welcome. Your humans will love it!
If after lunch you would like to have a cup of tea, in the Puerto de Mazarrón you will find ALHAMBRA RESTAURAN & TEA SALON, very popular in the area.
If you need some relaxing time, Murcia city is surrounded by small villages called "Pedanias" where you can find lovely spots to get some rest....
Or go for a relaxing walk to the orchards and see lemon trees, orange trees, fig trees, olive trees, pomegranate trees or vegetables gardens among others... 
Even, I had the opportunity to meet two local artists......
This is me with "EL PANTORRILLAS" with the collaboration of "TOMÁS GARCÍA EL HIJO DE LA TOMASA" during their rehearsal for their coming show. They both are amazing folkloric artists well known in Murcia. Here is the El Pantorillas' website:
and this is a short video of their performance. It was great!!
Murcia has many CULTURAL ACTIVITIES AND FESTIVALS that you and your four-legged family can enjoy. The 2 most popular festivals are EL BANDO DE LA HUERTA y LA FERIA DE SEPTIEMBRE. In both of them, people go to the HUERTOS to enjoy delicious local food as well as local beer and "tinto de verano", the most popular Spanish drink in summer 😀
Murcia is a lively city where it is easy to hang out to outdoor places during the whole year because the weather is great. People love going out for the "Aperitivo" for "Tardeo" of for a dinner or a drink. The most popular areas to hang out are: the area of the PLAZA DE LAS FLORES, the area of the TASCAS just next to the Cathedral, and the Zig Zag. These areas are full of bars and restaurants with outdoor area where dogs are welcome.
The city center of Murcia is full of historical buildings and lovely streets, such as the ROMEA THEATRE , the ROYAL CASINO , the PLATERIA AND TRAPERIA STREETS or the CATHEDRAL.
Here I am with my Italian friends showing them the Cathedral Square. It is full of cozy terraces where you all can have a drink or something to eat. If your humans like beer, you can take them to CERVEMUR. It is a bar with 80 types of craft beer and a big salon with pool tables and other recreations. They serve some fast food, although you can also bring your own food from home and order the drinks there. The venue in Santa Catalina has a huge outdoor area where dogs are allowed.
Like I said, most of the bars and restaurants in Murcia city and pedanías have outdoor areas for dogs, however if you prefer INDOOR RESTAURANTS, in these links you can find some pet-friendly bars and restaurants in Murcia:
With all these options, you do not have an excuse, so put your best bandana on and take your humans out for a drink 😜
If what you like is to GO SHOPPING, Murcia city is the perfect place!!! There is a wide variety of areas to go shopping. One of the best is the CITY CENTER SHOPPING AREA, where you can take your humans to buy clothes, shoes and accessories since dogs are welcome in most of the stores. There, you will be able to find the most popular stores such as Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Guess, Levi's and Tous, among others.
In addition, there is the best Department Store in Spain EL CORTE INGLÉS, although since it is indoor, dogs are not allowed. Find more information about the city center shopping area in this link: https://www.dondeirdecompras.com/murcia/
Besides this area, there are two big shopping centers in Murcia city:
THADER It is a combination of outdoor and indoor shopping center. Dogs are allowed in the outdoor area and in some of the indoor stores.
In this shopping center, you can find KIWOKO a great animal store where you can find a broad variety of products for any pet.
NUEVA CONDOMINA It is the biggest shopping center of Murcia. There are many stores and restaurants. Most of the stores welcome dogs, however in the common areas only small dogs are allowed.
Besides these stores and restaurants, there is a big play area for children, as well as cinema, karting and other fun activities for the whole family.
Another cool place where you can go with your humans for shopping is one of the STREET MARKETS or MERCADILLOS that are in different spots of the city every week. There, you can buy fresh vegetables and fruit brought directly from the crops, as well as leather shoes and hand bags, clothes and accessories, all of it for a really good price. These markets are very typical in Spain. You cannot miss it!!!
So far, these are all my escapades in Murcia
SEE YOU IN THE NEXT ADVENTURE!!!
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