In a valley late bees with wining gold,
Thread summer to the loose ends of sleep
Allen Tate (1899-1979)
Once more dear readers I must apologise for combining two month’s journals – August and September. We read in the UK press that the Spanish property market is encountering problems and, additionally, August is traditionally a deadly quiet month for the local real estate action. Well both assertions were proved to be very wide of the mark as we were at our busiest during August and, having enjoyed a week’s visit by our youngest daughter, the summer has really sped by.
The harvest period is now coming to a close and provided us with the usual spectacle and activity. The almond trees are freed of their crop by the positioning of nets under and around the trees, then the nut laden branches are thrashed and beaten with long poles and the fallen nuts gathered up from the ground. The almonds are either sold locally, distributed through out the region via retailers, or made into the traditional Spanish Christmas delicacy called Turron – a nougat based confection, made with local honey and almonds.
The grape harvest is a slightly more sedate affair: the fruit being picked by hand by family members, local volunteers and also imported labour. The grapes are transported by the local rustics with their ‘Burros’ (lit. donkeys, but also used to describe the crude motorised mini tractors used by the local farmers) and open trailers to the local farmer’s co-operativos in nearby Teulada, Gata and Jalon and the queuing convoys through these towns are a familiar and seasonal spectacle. Each year’s prices of almonds, grapes, oranges, olives etc. are agreed, the individual loads are weighed on arrival and the farmers paid out accordingly. Some grapes are sold at the roadside, along with local oranges and tomatoes etc. but the bulk of the grapes are used by the co-operativos to produce the local wines which include the succulent desert wines - Muscatel and Mistela (unfermented grape juice blended with spirit) together with the usual range of reds (tintos), whites (blancos) and rosés (rosados). Also being harvested at this time are the carob beans and the fruits of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo).
One of the nice aspects of having family or friends to stay is that we feel obliged to take time out to visit local sights and other towns and areas. Whilst our daughter, Gemma was with us we spent a day sight-seeing in Valencia. We prefer to drive halfway – to Xeraco then catch the train (always punctual and air-conditioned with piped music) which delivers us to the gloriously ornate arte deco station in the city centre, right next to the bull ring. Being Spain’s ‘third city’ there is so much to see there, this time we looked around the newly refurbished and reopened bull fighting museum; I can’t say we’re fans of the (so called) sport per se, but it was fascinating to learn the history of both bullfighting and the Valencia venue itself. We were surprised by the extremely ornate detailing of the costumes and just how small and slim the matadors, picadors etc. were – and no doubt, still are! We were very impressed with the cathedral and the major churches we visited and on this occasion, we actually managed to find the indoor market, a vast and impressive piece of period architecture. It is the largest permanent covered market in Europe, apparently. The range and quality of the fruit, vegetables, meat charcuterie and fish was very impressive.
After a fine lunch at a local tapas bar (thanks Gemma) we made the rather bad decision to visit the Americas Cup Harbour. Of course, the event finished a couple of months ago but we expected to see something of significance there. All we saw were the deserted hospitality facilities and an empty marina area where the yachts had previously been berthed! Never mind, it seems very likely that Valencia will also be hosting the next round of the challenge in four years time. Meanwhile, work has just commenced on the Formula One motor racing circuit in preparation for its inclusion on the 2008 Grand Prix schedule.
Our social calendar has also been pretty frantic during the past few months. In addition to the usual round of dinner parties, lunches and barbeques we enjoyed a super evening organised by the Javea U3A group at Viva España in Oliva, Nr. Denia. This was a comprehensive evening of entertainment including an outdoor display of Andalusian horsemanship, together with a generous selection of tapas and unlimited (seemingly) Sangria. Then into the restaurant for a good three course meal and an authentic flamenco show, followed by music and dancing.
This was followed, a week or so later, by our first autumn meeting of our Anglo Spanish Assoc. in Javea which included a fascinating illustrated lecture; painstakingly researched and smoothly delivered by one of our members – Peter Atkins, on the ‘modernismo’ architectural works of the Catalan architect, Antonio Gaudì in Barcelona (and elsewhere). His most famous (infamous?) emblematic edifice being the Sagrada Familia (non)cathedral, which is still under construction – and rising, more than eighty years since Gaudì was knocked down and killed by a tram!
Meanwhile the property enquiries keep rolling in and, together with the major task of adding a proper property database to our website, are causing us to put in more hours than ever – I actually got up and started this journal at 04.00hrs this morning!
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
