The Department of Tourism is once again offering an attractive program of tourist routes. In the month of November, these routes nod to Miguel Hernández, to agriculture and the coast of Orihuela, and to the British population that have made the municipality their home.
“It is a very complete proposal that combines the culture of the historic centre (continuing with the Hernandiano Autumn and the cultural offer) and the nature of the Palmeral and the coast, including a route in English for international residents,” explained Gonzalo Montoya, Councillor of Tourism for Orihuela City Council.
The tours will also delve into interactive science with a “Visit to the Science Museum and Cyanotype Workshop”. This will take place on 5th November at 11am with the tour leaving from the entrance to the Desamparados Campus. This is a perfect opportunity for both children and adults to interact with science, since this interactive museum is a benchmark within its field in the Valencian Community. Additionally, within it there will be a cyatonotype workshop – priced at 3 euros – which is a photographic procedure by which a copy of the original negative is obtained in blue. It is a fairly new type of process that the participants will have the opportunity to do.
Another new tour will be the “Miguel, the Poet Cabrero-Route through the orchard” a tour that perfectly combines the rich Oriolano produce and the famous poet in the same way other tours have focussed on the poet and the historic centre. Additionally, on this route, Miguel’s not-so-usual poems will be recited in an ideal environment, those related to nature and the fields, which reflect the author’s beginnings. This will take place on 11th November at 10am from Plaza del Carmen.
Tours of Orihuela Costa
The international public, especially the British, is in luck as on 17th November a guided tour has been designed aimed at the British community, either visitors or residents of Orihuela Costa. With the “Blue Trail of Cabo Roig” route there will be a tour in English from Playa de la Zenia at 4:30pm.
We continue on the coast and move to the La Caleta Beach parking lot. There, on 26th November at 11:30am the “Military Detachment of Orihuela Costa” will take place. A very good opportunity to discover and learn first-hand about the function of this detachment where the COE soldiers (green berets) will explain what their work is and will allow us to see everything inside, something that is normally very difficult. And all this will be done in a spectacular landscape location, right on the blue trail of Cabo Roig, surrounded by coves with crystal clear water.
Palms and palaces
The 3rd of November will be the “Palmeral and Mining Furnace” tour leaving at 5pm from the Palmeral Interpretation Centre. The Santa Matilde furnace will be visited, located in the San Antón neighbourhood, which forms part of the Cinnabar Mines. It is one of the few ovens of this type that remains in the Iberian Peninsula and, therefore, it is a very interesting heritage jewel to visit.
Finally, on the “Los Palacios y el Velázquez” route (10th November, leaving at 5pm in Plaza del Carmen), the Palace of the Marquis of Arneva and the Episcopal Palace will be visited, where the painting “The Temptation of Saint Thomas Aquinas” by Diego Velázquez can be admired.
Registration is free for all the tours, but places are limited and must be reserved through the website: www.orihuelaturistica.es