Diana Petterson European Continent, Spain

Splendid Spain: Starting in Albacete

Just had to get in another selfie under the “Umbrella Sky” along Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. So happy to meet you and get a chance you, Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)

I’m back…in Spain. Just arrived today and decided to spend the first couple of my nights in a town I’ve never been to, Albacete. It’s about an hour and a half train ride from the capital city of Madrid…which I will visit at the end of my stay in Spain.

I’ve been to Spain several times, during two group tours, traveling with friends and family and on my own. If you want to see more of my Spain travels, just use the search engine on my home page for Spain and a number of posts will appear.

For this 28-day trip, I will be traveling both solo and with family, my sister/cousin Gerri. The cities I’ll be traveling through are Murcia, Cartagena, Granada, Málaga, Ronda, Cádiz, Seville and a couple of days in the capital city of Madrid. More on these adventures in separate posts.

For now, here’s just a brief introductory taste of Albacete during my late evening walk along the Calle Marques de Molins.

Welcome to Spain. Me, under the “Umbrella Sky” along Calle Marqués de Molins just outside my hotel door, the Gran Hotel Albacete. It’s composed of more than 2,000 umbrellas of different colors. (Aug. 6, 2024)

Albacete may not be considered one of the prime tourist destinations in Spain and that’s fine with me. It has just the right amount of interesting sites and all within a less than 20-minute walk. On a rather hot day, things were close enough that I was able to split my sightseeing into a late morning/early afternoon and early evening shifts with a wonderfully restful and cool siesta during the heat of the day.

The origins of Albacete are uncertain but its name in Arabic means “The Flat” which makes it an easy walk.

English is not prevalent here so I’ve had to bring out my broken Spanish and google translate. I do have to work a little harder to figure things out and dip into my limited Spanish vocabulary to communicate but I love it and so far people have been both helpful and accommodating.

Join me for a walk through some of Albacete’s sites before I leave tomorrow for Murcia.

Me at this rock canopy at the Parque de los Jardinillos de la Feria or Fair Gardens Park in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
I began my late morning/early afternoon walk in Albacete through La Plaza Del Altozano with its beautiful gardens just across the way from my hotel, the Gran Hotel Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
A statue dedicated to “The Knives of Albacete” in the beautiful garden of La Plaza Del Altozano. Albacete is known for its knife making history, especially its folding knives. That’s my hotel, the Gran Hotel Albacete in the background. (Aug. 7, 2024)
More of the beautiful garden of La Plaza Del Altozano in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Just a little greenery along the Plaza de la Construcion in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete is a Catholic Church constructed in 1515 in place of a Mudéjar edifice. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Inside the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The main alter inside the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The painted walls cover the entire interior of the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The painted walls cover the entire interior of the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Capilla de Santa Rita de Casia or the Chapel of Saint Rita of Casia inside the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
One of several beautiful chapels inside the Catedral de San Juan Bautista or the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Museo de la Cuchillería or Museum of Knives and Cutting Tools. In Albacete opened in 2004 in this beautiful green-tiled and eclectic Casa del Hortelano or Hortelano’s House with its turrets dating from 1912. The museum, which I did not go into, is said to cover a vast range of knives and scissors in its exhibits tracing the history of knifemaking in Spain, especially Albacete’s folding knives. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Museo de la Cuchillería or Museum of Knives and Cutting Tools in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
A shop along the Calle Marques De Molins displaying its array of knives. Albacete’s knife making is said to date back to the 16th century. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Another beautiful park in the Plaza de la Catedral in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
A street view in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
A street view in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Walking down the Calle Feria towards the Bullring and the Fair grounds Garden Park. This is the Molino de la Feria or Fair Mill. With a population of 174,336 (2020), Albacete is the largest municipality of Castilla–La Mancha. (Aug. 7, 2024)
A close-up of the Molino de la Feria or Fair Mill in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Plaza de Toros de Albacete or Bullring. The city of Albacete has a tradition of bullfighting that goes back centuries. According to the minutes of the city council of 29 May 1564 bullfights were to be held in the plaza del Altozan (downtown at the time) on 24 June in honour of John the Baptist, the patron saint of the town. Construction on this bullring was completed in 1917 but was expanded in the 1980s to accommodate its current capacity of 12,000 people. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Plaza de Toros de Albacete or Bullring. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Plaza de Toros de Albacete or Bullring. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Entrance to the Parque de Los Jardinillos just across the street from the Plaza de Toros de Albacete or Bullring. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The Parque de los Jardinillos or Garden Park in Albacete close to the where the Feria or Fair is held annually in September. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The beautiful rock canopy at the Parque de los Jardinillos de la Feria or Fair Gardens Park in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The beautiful rock canopy at the Parque de los Jardinillos de la Feria or Fair Gardens Park in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Inside the the Pasaje de Lodares or Lodares Passage in Albacete. Built in 1925, this glass-roofed shopping arcade is known for its Italian modernist architecture. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Me inside the Pasaje de Lodares or Lodares Passage in Albacete. Built in 1925, this glass-roofed shopping arcade is known for its Italian modernist architecture. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Another view inside the Pasaje de Lodares or Lodares Passage in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The tree-lined Paseo La Libertad in Albacete. (Aug. 6, 2024)
The Palacio Provincial of Provincial Palace of Albacete along the tree-lined Paseo La Libertad, with statues of Don Quijote and Sancho Panza in its courtyard, is a 19th-century government palace. It was designed in 1877 and construction was completed in 1880. (Aug. 6, 2024)
The Don Quijote and Sancho Panza statues in its courtyard of the Palacio Provincial of Provincial Palace of Albacete. (Aug. 6, 2024)
My hotel, the Gran Hotel Albacete along the Calle Marqués de Molins and at one end of the “Umbrella Sky” showcase of some 2,000 colorful umbrellas. (Aug. 6, 2024)
The “Umbrella Sky” is composed of more than 2,000 umbrellas of different colors along Calle Marqués de Molins just outside my hotel door, the Gran Hotel Albacete. I’ve enjoyed walking along this street and sitting down to relax on the wooden benches along the way. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Views of the “Umbrella Sky” and beautiful architecture along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Views of the “Umbrella Sky” and beautiful architecture along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The “Umbrella Sky” along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The “Umbrella Sky” along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The “Umbrella Sky” along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
The “Umbrella Sky” along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Views of the “Umbrella Sky” and beautiful architecture along the Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Just had to get in another selfie under the “Umbrella Sky” along Calle Marqués de Molins in Albacete. So happy to meet you and get a chance you, Albacete. (Aug. 7, 2024)
Back at the Gran Hotel in Albacete, which is located right in town and was a convenient walk from and to the train station. (Aug. 6, 2024)
My quite comfortable and large hotel room at the Grand Hotel in Albacete. (Aug. 6, 2024)
My nice-sized bathroom to go along with my nice-sized room at the Gran Hotel in Albacete. (Aug. 6, 2024)