"Eternity. It is the sea mingled with the sun L’eternite!"
Arthur Rimbauld
We are now well into the third week of November and the weather is quite wonderful, even by our local standards! The garden is enjoying a bountiful second season with many plants and shrubs providing a late season riot of colour. and the current crop of lemons are ripening nicely on our tree. Most days see the shade temperature comfortably reaching into the 20s (ºC) and our lunches are enjoyed ‘Al fresco’ on one of our patios. Our heating costs so far are well within budget! To augment the central heating, Linda and I spent a busy Sunday morning, sorting and stacking a truck load of olive tree logs which should see us through two seasons of open fires. With the changing of the clocks to winter time, it is now becoming dark at 6:00pm and the evening aroma of olive and orange wood smoke evokes a real winter feel, something which the poor misguided souls we left behind in the UK thought we would miss out on by moving to Spain!
With the blue skies, has come crystal clear visibility across the valley to the sea and distant mountains. The autumn harvest is over and the campo (countryside) produce such as the grapes, almonds, olives and pomegranates has been gathered. Taking their place is the ripening crop of oranges, which adds a bold splash of colour to the roadsides. From my office window, the deep green landscape of the cultivated hillside terraces and pine trees is becoming tinged with autumn gold as the vines begin to shed their leaves.
On the beaches, it seems to be business as usual with many hearty souls of all ages and nationalities (though the majority seem to be Spanish) sunbathing and swimming in a very warm sea. Being well into the low season in terms of visitors, many villas are now vacated by their owners and the local market, shops and restaurants are much quieter.
We enjoyed a day out to Valencia yesterday – not our usual shop and lunch visit to the old city, but to the fabulous new futuristic arts and sciences centre which lies between the city and the port & marina. This whole area has been rejuvenated by the Swiss choosing Valencia as their proxy host for the America’s Cup challenge next year. This is a most prestigious coup for both Valencia and Spain in general. Huge amounts of cash (Spain’s and the EU’s) has been poured into the region with not just the city and marina gaining the advantage, but also huge investment in expanding & modernising Valencia airport, the nearby motor racing circuit (In anticipation of hosting the proposed ‘Mediterranean Grand Prix) and also the road & rail infrastructure to link all to the city. Meanwhile, back at the complex, the dominant attractions are the Palau de les Arts – a Sydney style opera house and theatre and L’Oceanografic – the largest marine park in Europe. L’Oceanografic contains 42m litres of water within nine separate underwater habitats including a huge walk-through marine aquarium and a three part dolphinarium. Other attractions include the Museum of Sciences, which has a very hands-on style of visitor participation, L’Hemisferic, a state of the art planetarium and a true to life ‘Experience Theatre’ featuring three diverse world experiences. Even the roof of the multi-storey car park features the elegant L’Umbracle, a stunning glass promenade of palm trees, sculptures and a myriad of tropical plants.
Meanwhile, in the Bah-Humbug department, we are delighted to report that the seasonal hysteria of Christmas is relatively late arriving in the Spanish calendar. Only now are the Christmas lights and messages of seasonal goodwill being draped across the town & village streets. In true Latino fashion, the fairy lights can obscure the traffic lights but TRANQUILO AMIGOS, the locals have a pretty informal approach to their driving style at the best of times! The festive season may be shorter here in Spain but the celebration, activity and traditional/religious re-enactments etc. are manifold.
Chris Garwood
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View my other journals
2006
November / December
2007
January / February / March / April / May / June / July & August / September
2008
March / April
