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October, 2014
No 009 October 2014
Valencia Region Fiesta - Pilar Holiday - Rural Policing - Spas Lago Jardin - ABC Cookery - Culture ! 2015 charity calendar! Join us on Facebook
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October means beer festivals, but a bit more more than just beer as we have two main feasts: the first is the public holiday of the 9th October when the Valencian region celebrates the arrival of King Jaime I into the Valencia City after a six month siege in 1238. A few days later on the 12th is a national holiday in honour of the Virgen del Pilar. when both the armed forces and the Guardia Civil have their own celebration as she is their patron saint. In Madrid there is a spectacular march past the King and civil dignitaries that can be viewed on Spanish television channels. The 12th is also Latin American day honouring the day that Columbus discovered America and you will find that many Costa Blanca towns with a large South American community will provide a large splash of colour and salsa music. !
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Double holiday Valencia and Pilar Pilar by Dave Stewart
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October, 2014
Drink up cheers, !
skol, salud,
Celebrating for some people is about having a good slosh of beer down you. West Yorkshire’s classic bitter of Keighley, Timothy Taylor's Boltmaker, has been crowned the best beer in Britain. Described as “A wellbalanced, genuine Yorkshire Bitter, with a full measure of maltiness and hoppy aroma - Boltmaker is first choice for the discerning drinker - on both sides of the Pennines”.The beer was judged as the best out of finalists from seven different beer categories including bitters, best bitters, strong bitters, golden ales, milds, winter beers, and the speciality class. The beers were judged by the Campaign for Real Ale's (Camra) Great British Beer Festival, around 16 August 2014 in London.!
The Munich Beer Festival is probably the best-known beer-guzzling event in the world where thousands of litres of beer, food and music combine to make an unforgettable atmosphere. ! But for us on the Costa Blanca you can still put on your Bavarian hat and clogs to enjoy the fun as Calpe has had its own Oktoberfest beer festival along the same lines for several years, in fact since 1988. The Mayor will inaugurate the Fiesta by opening the first barrel of beer at 20:00 hours (Fassanstich). During the ten days of fiesta, the tent will open to the public at 18.00 hours, the music will start playing an hour later. As usual, in this spectacular celebration of a taste of Germany, it is expected that over 10,000 people will pass through the tent during the 10 days of celebration.!
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In Torrevieja the well-known wholesale butchers, Cárnicas Ríos, held theirs earlier September in the Habaneras Commercial Centre. The company has been holding an Oktoberfest for ten years for 5,000 beer guzzlers who enjoy a variety of German sausages, Saxon-style chops, roast chicken, smoked ham joints, roast piglet, Bavarian and German puddings, swilled down by some thousand litres of German beer accompanied by live music. Last year Denia and San Fulgencio’s La Marina urbanisation followed suit and no doubt other towns will also toe the bar line to down a few Steiners and munch a number of sauerkrauts, or knuckles of ham. !
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All the Valencian towns Virgen del Pilar in la celebrate the ‘Dia de Valencia’ I n m a c u l a d a C h u r c h on the 9th October, which is a Torreviieja local public holiday in the Region with most shops closed and people take the opportunity to drive to Murcia city for a shopping spree; often one meets people one hasn’t seen for ages on this day in Murcia. ! In Alicante a medieval market is held on the Esplanade, mainly aimed at entertaining children with jesters and street entertainers. Several towns, especially the capital Valencia, have several local events and most shops are closed. This date is a reference point in the history of Valencia when King Jaime I triumphantly entered the city of Valencia in 1238 having ousted the Moors. ! It normally amounts to a flag raising ceremony and the local band playing the Valencian and national anthems, political speeches, maybe some endings by schoolchildren, but not much more than that in Torrevieja. This year it falls on a Thursday.!
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The 12th October is a national public holiday celebrating the feast of the Virgen del Pilar. Often these two dates happily coincide with a weekend, so many people take a long ‘puente’ bridging break. This year the 12th falls on a Sunday so most people lose a day holiday.! According to tradition St. James (the Elder) the Apostle, spent seven years preaching in Spain around 40 AD before returning to Israel, where he was eventually beheaded in the persecutions against the Christians in Jerusalem. He is supposed to have built a temple to the holy virgin Mary in Zaragoza, as she had appeared to him above a marble pillar. This
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Floral homage in Zaragoza to Virgen del Pilar where thousands of people queue up to offer their flowers to the incredible pillar of flowers. Part of t wo weeks of varied celebrations.
led to the devotion of the Virgen del Pilar and today thousands of Spanish girls are named Pilar, so if you know one then be sure to wish her a happy feast day. Spain was a ripe country for evangelization and St. Paul had his sights on it to visit before he had to go to Rome.! Under this title of Pilar the Virgin Mary is regarded as the patroness of Spain and also of the Guardia Civil; there are normally speeches, parades and a flag raising ceremony in front of town halls. She is also patroness of the Armed Forces with a magnificent march past in front of the king in Madrid and this will be the first year that the new King Carlos will take the salute as king. ! It is also a day when links with other Spanish speaking nations are remembered and is known as ‘el dia de Hispanidad’. In Torrevieja the large Latin American community under the auspices of the association ASILA will hold the fourth Latin Cultural festival. This gala event is an opportunity to enjoy some of the traditions, dance and music of several South American countries – the colourful mariachis of Mexico, haunting Peruvian and Ecuadorian flutes, passionate tangos of Argentina, sensual sambas of Brazil, plus invited artistes from other nationalities. !
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Pilar de la Horadada! The 12th is the patronal fiestas at Pilar de la Horadada and many events are arranged throughout the preceding week with sporting events, bull fights, traditional dancing, Parades, concerts and activities for the children. Foreign groups have taken part in the main parade with their own float over recent years. !
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Benejuzar and other Pilgrimages! A romeria is a pilgrimage usually of a town but could be like the long ones such as the Compostella Way or the rocio of Andalucia. Those are two of several international romerias that seems to take its name from Rome as pilgrims headed for the Eternal City. But another root meaning could be romero a herb that pilgrims often stick on a staff as a sign that they are on pilgrimage, but could also be used to give a fresh smell to people who had little opportunity for a nice bath and were a bit whiffy. Romero is an aromatic herb that has excellent properties and helps to keep a youthful appearance as well as Traditional Valencian costume beneficial for some ailments, used by Queen Elizabeth of Hungary in the 14th century. Today in Spain you can hear of the 'agua de la reina de Hungria' a preparation of the herb and alcohol. It is also used as a herbal tea, but because of the tannins not used for pregnant ladies or people with stomach problems. The English equivalent is the lovely rosemary.! A few years ago at BenejĂşzar a new sanctuary was built for the statue of the Virgen del Pilar. At the beginning of the fiestas the statue is carried in a ceremonial procession, then a romeria is held to conduct the image back to the new sanctuary at the end of the festival. The romeria has more than 30,000 people taking part and is a very colourful and emotional event.!
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Among other romerias (pilgrimages) in honour of the Virgen del Pilar on 12th October. These are very common in the Vega Baja area and are of special significance in Pilar de la Horadada, Callosa and BenejĂşzar. In the park Huerto del Cura in Bigastro there is an event worth attending when traditional music and dancing is held; some brave souls make R o m e r o up a human pyramid in the Catalan style and there (rosemary) is carried by are various theatrical events. !
! Angel of the Salt Lakes!
pilgrims as a symbol and practical air refresher
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St. Michael the Archangel is the patron of San Miguel de las Salinas who shares the day with St. Gabriel the Archangel on 29th September. Among events held during the patronal fiestas in San Miguel de Salinas will be the election of the Queen and her Damas de Honor, the parade of floats, go-kart racing, a giant paella and a Grand Dinner/Dance. The Barraca Popular will once again be raised for a variety of exhibitions and concerts.! !
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Saffron pluckers and oro rojo by Pat Hynd! !
One of the most essential ingredients of Valencian paella is saffron, although many people use a yellow colouring. October is harvesting season so in many places there are harvest style festivals. Valencian paella is famous and requires the use of saffron to delicately flavour and colour the rice. During the last two weeks of October saffron growers gather at Consuegra in Toledo province to celebrate the harvest in a fiesta that began in 1963. There is a competition to select La Mancha´s fastest saffron plucker (try saying that fast in English) in the annual Fiesta de la Rosa del Azafran. “Santa Teresa de las Rosas, azafran en las mesas” is the local refrain as the saint associated with this fiesta is the French saint, St Teresa de Lisieux. ! Consuegra is in La Mancha/Castilla region, not far from Toledo, Spain. There on the high plateau where traditional windmills are a distinctive feature of the landscape, much of the world’s saffron is cultivated. The festival timing coincides with the harvest. For
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those who do not know saffron is the stigma of crocus flowers (the yellow bit in the middle) and requires thousands of flowers to be picked then the stamen centre taken out costing almost two thousand euros a kilo! This is why it is locally known as oro rojo or red gold. The flower, crocus sativa, opens up in October, and when it does, the lilac coloured crocus must be gathered quickly and the flowers hand picked by the nimble fingers of the women who remove the orange-red stigma from the centre of the flower. Saffron is characterized by a bitter taste and an iodoform - or hay-like fragrance; these are caused by the chemicals picrocrocin and safranal It also contains a carotenoid dye, crocin, that gives food a rich golden-yellow hue. These traits make saffron a much-sought ingredient in many foods worldwide. Saffron also has medicinal applications and Cleopatra is supposed to have used it in her bath! ! Saffron in Spanish is azafrån, which derives, like many other Spanish words, from Arabic. These contests are for nimble fingers in what are known as the Monda' competitions. Another traditional event is 'Molienda de Paz' - flour-milling in one of the oldest and best preserved windmills in Spain named after Don Quixote’s companion Sancho. Visitors can see wheat flour being ground at the Sancho windmill in Consuegra and get a small bag of the wheat flour as a souvenir. !
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Torrelamata patronal fiestas of Virgen of the Holy Rosary
If you missed the February/March carnival parades, or the August one, then visit this district of Torrevieja for a fun carnival parade with lots of participation from many groups. La Mata has its own season of fiestas and events, including a carnival parade, Sand Castle competition on the beach, plus lots of musical concerts in honour of the Virgen of the Holy Rosary. The usual venue is the plaza de la Embaración that had a new look in 2007. An important event is the Flower Offering and the procession through the streets of a float with the image of the Virgen of the Holy Rosary carried on the shoulders of volunteers. The final highlight is a firework display that was postponed last year because of a traffic accident to the pyrotechnic truck. ! Torrelamata’s church is dedicated to the Virgen who appeared above the Christian forces at the naval battle of Lepanto, 7th October 1571. One of the most famous persons in this battle was Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote. !
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History in Black and White - Rural Policing by Andy Ormiston
! ! In the time of Fernando VII the National Security was in the hands of los Celadores Reales - the Superintendencia General de Policias, with another group under them, the Salvaguardas Nacionales, and then there were los Voluntarios Realistas. In 1842 the ‘Milicias Nacionales’ was set up to combat increasing banditry in rural areas, but was a complete disaster. ! After the War of Independence or as British history teachers will have it - The Peninsular War (1807–1814), many men who had served in the war returned to their former homes only to be dissatisfied with the system. Being trained in arms many of them turned to banditry in rural areas. In 1844 Royal Decrees were executed setting up a new public security force, the Guardia Civil, with its own independent militia type of agents. They tended to work in patrols of pairs to combat the ever-rising number of smugglers and bandits. ! The Guardia Civil was, therefore, a new force, organized on military lines, which quickly built up an impressive reputation. In charge was the Duke of Ahumada, Francisco Javier Girón, who organized twelve regional commands on the mainland followed in 1898 by a command in the Canary Islands. He had been a captain in the army for ten years and the Governor of the Spain, General Narváez, chose him to organize the new force along military lines. It was based on France’s model police force, although there was already a security force in Catalunya - the Mossos de Escuadra, and the new Guardia Civil was built on their experience, but endowing the new corps with its own Code of Practice - the Cartilla. The Guardia Civil was known for its loyalty, discipline, spirit and sense of sacrifice and soon became an important arm of the government and for many years gained the respect of the people. In 1844 there were 3,250 men while today aormi@icloud.com
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there are over 72,000 men and women working in many aspects of Spain’s security. In the early days the Guardia Civil rode in pairs with a fairly wide mandate, wearing their distinctive military-style leather tricorn hat. ! The first Guardia Civil cuartel or post for Torrevieja was inaugurated in 1897 with six agents whose main instruction was to combat smuggling. Guardia precincts are called casas cuartel (garrison posts) which are both minor residential garrisons and fully equipped Police Stations. The Torrevieja section had to fight against a fashionable image of the smuggler as a bit of popular local folk hero who defied authority. The smuggler was even the hero of the Spanish stage, singing with great gusto, to the delight of the audiences ‘Yo que soy contrabandista! Yo ho!’ I am a smuggler, ho ho. Torrevieja had a reputation for smuggling so this cuartel or Duke de Ahumada, Francisco Javier station worked with another at Punta Prima covering Cabo Roig also known as a haunt of smugglers. On 3 January 1874, General Manuel Pavía y Rodríguez de Alburquerque stormed congress and ended the Spanish First Republic with a company of thirty guardias civiles and another group on horseback also ended the hopes of Torrevenjeses who were rooting for the First Republic when they entered the small town.! One traveller, in Spain, the Rev. Hugh Rose, described the guardias as “a fine body of men, the nearest approach to it in organization, perfection and military discipline, being found in the famous Irish Constabulary.” He was an obvious admirer of the Civil Guards as he also considered them to be the champions of law and order “tracking a gypsy horse-thief in the gray campo, quelling a popular insurrection, or superintending the extirpation of locusts...that...hatched in the wastelands of Extremadura.” This is an apt description as the Guardia Civil’s mandate is so far reaching.! On 4th October 1929, the title of Benemérita was officially awarded to the Guardia Civil although the title was favoured before then. Although based on a military concept the Guardia Civil was placed under the command of civil authorities unless there was a war or when the public order was at risk, in which case it came under the Army. This led to conflicts between authorities: there was an unsuccessful attempt during the First Republic to change this and at the Restoration of the monarchy the Guardia Civil was incorporated as part of the Army.!
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The Guardia Civil has, therefore, always had this quasi-military aspect. During the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) individual guards were loyal to both sides of the conflict. At the end of the Civil War General Franco ratified this military aspect in a decision of May 1940, which led to many abuses in carrying out their mandate, leading to a bitter disaffection and disenchantment on the part of the general public and a reputation, which has been difficult to overcome. Franco was army to the core and tried to instill much of the military code into Spanish life, such as railway porters wearing uniforms complete with chevrons. This military characteristic led to disputes in the time of democracy, especially among families who had to continually move with the head of the family to wherever he was stationed. A demonstration in Madrid in early 2007 by Guardia Civil agents confronted the Socialist government of President Zapatero that used the military jurisdiction to try the supposed ringleaders as breaking ranks in public. However, in March the “associations� of the Guardia Civil were duly recognized as legal by the government, but not with the rights of trade unions. ! At the time of the 2nd Republic, prior to the actual Civil War, the Torrevieja Guardia Civil station was attacked and at least two of the Guardia were executed. When Franco died some of the Guardia Civil saw themselves as the guards of the old regime and on 23
Two Guardia Civil agents were killed after their station was attacked in the Second Republic
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February, 1981, Colonel Tejero invaded the parliament with some gun-toting Guardia and held the Delegates hostage overnight at gunpoint - a scene which has been replayed many times over as it was captured on television cameras. A handful of army officers supported the attempted coup but the plot failed. The new young king, Juan Carlos, rallied loyal generals and gave a stirring televised speech to the nation with a clear message that democracy had arrived and anarchy was out. The attempted coup had failed without any bloodshed and Spain (and the king) was viewed with a great deal of respect by other countries. ! Torrevieja, under the first woman Mayor, Rosa Mazón, patiently waited to see the outcome of this attempt and afterwards she wrote thanking the citizens for their civic sprit and serenity in those grave moments. The town pledged support to the Constitución and the King, and condemned the attempt to destabilize the country against Liberty and the Law. The Town Council actually proposed that the young king should be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. ! But this newfound democracy faced other difficulties within from the aspirations of some national politicians in the Basque and Catalonia regions, who wanted complete independence for their own regions.! Torrevieja’s first Guardia were in quarters on the seafront overlooking the bay where the paseo Vista Alegre is located. They had various stations at different times including one still used as municipal property in calle San Pascual/Apollo, part as a Food Kitchen. The gun turrets that were used to protect the enclosed yard and housing are still visible. The police were later moved to new quarters, again on the front of the paseo Vista Alegre and from there they moved to the present modern quarters in May 1992 in a deal where the Vista Alegre buildings would pass to the town. From their new quarters the police have consistently battled against increasing international crime and in 2003 another Traffic section of the Guardia Civil was set up in the Acequion area in “temporary buildings”, formerly the fruit and vegetable market.! Officially there should be over 200 Guardia Civil officers in town, but most times this number has never been reached, except in the summer when extra agents are drafted in from other areas to cope with the increased number of people on holiday. ! aormi@icloud.com
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Crime City according to the telly of Trevor! Trevor MacDonald (later Sir) in a summer 2005 television programme claimed that Torrevieja was the crime capital of Europe, a statement that evoked a tremendous response of rebuttal as most British people who live in the area stated that they felt safer in the Costa Blanca than in U.K. and that although there was crime, it was much less than “back home”. It has to be pointed out that the television reporters making the programme were prejudiced and only advertised for people who had been crime victims and not the hundreds of thousands of others who were not and lived quite happily in the area. Also the interviews were slightly taken out of context and several people’s answers were reframed as reporters’ questions were shot again after the interview and the questions rephrased to be included in the programme. ! Watching the actual programme most of the reported crimes were ones that could have happened in UK or anywhere - apart from the amount of fraud going on in the construction business at t h a t t i m e . Tr e v o r MacDonald never actually visited ‘the scene of the crime’ and the statistics were taken out of context. It has to be noted that the figures coming out of Palace of Justice courtrooms, Torrevieja Torrevieja court rooms and the Guardia Civil are for the whole judicial area and
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not Torrevieja: this is a ! large area taking in Pilar de la Horadada, Orihuela Coast to Guardamar del Segura and inland to San Fulgencio, Rojales and San Miguel de las Salinas; almost three quarters of a million inhabitants, which swells dramatically in summer months. The central government’s figures for 2004 showed that there was a 17.1% decrease in crime in the Valencian region that year and Guardia Civil in dress uniform at Corpus Christi procession overall Torrevieja’s crime in Torrevieja. foto Darbalde/Conesa figures had decreased by just over 25% for the same period according to Guardia Civil figures. In passing it should be noted that the National Police rarely produce crime figures so no one knows how much crime there actually is in places policed by National Police, such as Benidorm, for example. ! In 2009 the responsibility for town security was taken over by the Mayor himself and one of his first duties was to appoint an ex-military intelligence man, Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Javier MĂnguez Parodi,
This Darblade photo of the bay before the harbor wall was constructed, shows the Eras de la Sal to the left and on the other side the fi r s t G u a r d i a Civil station site.
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as Co-coordinator and who produced immediate results by holding joint talks and joint operations by both Local Police and Guardia Civil thus strengthening ties between the two bodies. Later this also was applied to the delineation of traffic responsibilities in specific zones by the two police forces and also in holding j o i n t t r a f fi c c o n t r o l operations resulting in catching drug abusers and traffickers as well as those driving under the influence of alcohol. ! Originally the Administrator of the salt works was the local judge. Eventually a separate magistrate was appointed who dealt with minor offenses and remanded more serious crimes to a higher court in Orihuela or Alicante. Today there is an impressive court building that deals with a The door that leads to the former Guardia variety of crimes and the eternal and Civil station on the paseo Vista Alegre. A infernal Spanish paperwork. These courts deal with all the crime in the building that has lain empty for years and same area as the public hospital, needs rehabilitation to make it useful for the namely, from Pilar de la Horadada to community. Guardamar del Segura and inland from San Miguel, Rojales, San Fulgencio into Torrevieja. The result is that the Torrevieja Courts produce crime figures emanating from Torrevieja that are in fact for the whole area, but on paper looks as though Torrevieja is the centre of crime in Europe. On the other hand police statistics from Orihuela Courts have been reduced as they now deal with a smaller area, previously taking in what Torrevieja district now administers.!
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! ! ! Second Republic deaths! During 1936 several people of Torrevieja had died as a result of the ever-increasing violence and retribution of injuries, real or imagined. On the beach of Moncayo, two 35-yearold Guardia Civil agents met their end on 13th August. Both came from Torrevieja, they were Manuel Bielsa Bermúdez and Juan Monje Redondo and had defended the police station that was attacked the previous day by a mob and shots were fired that killed one of the citizens. Rafal Antón García was only a child, but remembers the shots when the station was attacked as he was visiting his grandparents who lived nearby. His mother quickly swept him up and took him to the safety of his aunt who lived in calle Chapaprieta. The Guardia were not only defending the station but their families who lived with them. They contacted the military base at Los Alcazares and a bus was arranged with a safe conduct to take them to the barracks there, but en route the bus was stopped and the two disarmed agents taken of and the bus allowed to The former uniform now only used continue on its way, and the two men were killed by Real Guard and on special on the beach, presumably found ‘guilty’ by a occasions.! kangaroo court of killing the man the previous day. ! The latest uniform which was first
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tried out in Torrevieja
Modern Force! The Guardia Civil of today is a police force subject to the checks and supervision expected in a democratic society. Their mandate continues to cover a wide range of activities traffic and highway patrol, protection of the Royal Family and the King of Spain, counter drugs operations, still providing antismuggling operations often with cooperation from other countries. The first encounter most visitors have will be at airports where they control customs and ports of entry, including harbors along the Costa Blanca. They deal with arms controls and weapons licenses keeping aormi@icloud.com
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lists of all legal guns. Collectors of arms are supposed to keep their guns in a secure place and disarmed. There are several specialized units such as the bomb squad and explosives, marine section including divers, cyber and internet crime which is now on the increase internationally, and a section dealing with animal rights and the environment - SEPRONA. ! One group is detailed to look after national security with intelligence and counterintelligence collecting information and actively combatting possible threats. This entails anti-terrorism and the coastguards, who are notably overworked with so many hopeful (and hopeless) immigrants arriving by boats from nearby North Africa. They are also the security force in Spanish Embassies abroad. The following is a list of most of these units. ! ! •! ! •! ! •! ! •! ! •! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
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Seguridad Ciudadana - Public Order and Prevention service, which makes up the bulk of the Guardia Civil.! GEAS (Grupo Especial de Actividades Subacuáticas) - Divers.! GRS(Grupo de Reserva y Seguridad) - Riot control! SEMAR (Servicio Marítimo) - Guardia Civil's Naval Service, tasked with seashore surveillance and fisheries inspections.! SEPRONA (Servicio de Protección de la Naturaleza) - Nature Protection Service, for environmental protection.! SAER (Servicio Aéreo) - Guardia Civil Air Service.! Servicio Cinológico - K-9 Unit, for Drugs and explosives detection and people finding.! GREIM (Servicio de Montaña) - Mountain and Speleology Rescue! Jefatura Fiscal y de Fronteras - Customs and Revenue Service! SIGC (Servicio de Informacion de la Guardia Civil) - Intelligence Service! SFCG - Fiscal Service! TEDAX (Técnicos Especialistas en Desactivación de Artefactos Explosivos) - lit, Explosive Artifacts Defuser Specialised Technicians (EOD)! Agrupación de Tráfico - Traffic Group, The Guardia Civil's Highway Patrol, tasked with the control of highways and trunk roads.! GAR (Grupo de Acción Rápida) - Rapid Reaction Group. Special antiterrorist unit, operating within Basque Country provinces.! UCO (Unidad Central Operativa) - Central Operative Unit, a branch of the Policía Judicial focused on complex or nation-wide investigations.! UEI (Unidad Especial de Intervención) - Special Intervention Unit.!
All this entails highly trained men and women, skilled in many anti-crime techniques. There are very tight entry restrictions including height, health, physique, swimming ability, intelligence and educational standards that seem to become higher each year - all resulting in those who pass all the various examinations are the best of the best. ! The Guardia Civil has been involved in operations as peacekeepers, including some from Torrevieja, in United Nations sponsored operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina patrolling by boat rivers, Angola, Congo, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Haiti, East Timor and El Salvador. Often dog handlers and their animal companions are sent to find bodies in disaster areas. Since the Guardia Civil must accommodate the families of its "guardias", it was the first police force in Europe that accommodated a same-sex partner in a military installation. !
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! !
! The symbol of the Guardia Civil consists of the Royal Crown of Spain, a sword and a fasces. The different units have variations of this symbol.!
A modernised new style of working uniform was announced for the Civil Guard in 2011 and tried out in Torevieja, before general use in 2012. This comprises a green baseball-sstyle cap, polo shirt and cargo pants. The historic three-cornered hat is retained for ceremonial parades and duty outside public buildings, together with the army-style tunic and trousers previously worn. The kepi-like "gorra teresiana" is, however, to be abolished. The original historic blue, white and red uniform of the Guardia is now retained only for the Civil Guard Company of the Royal Guard and the gastadores (parade markers) of the Civil Guard Academy. !
There is no truth that Homer Simpson is or ever has been a member of the Guardia Civil..or even been to Spain!
Guardia Civil in TORREVIEJA, ALICANTE : C/ URBANO ARREGUI, S/n! C贸digo postal: 3180. or emergency 062!
Tel茅fono: 96 670 7301
There is an internet page www.guardiacivil.es and also apps for mobile devices available.!
On the 12th October the Guardia Civil honor the flag reminding themselves of their duty to Spain and in Torrevieja there will be a flag raising ceremony in the main square and a Mass for deceased comrades aormi@icloud.com
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There is no National Police station in Torrevieja but there is an office where one can apply for residence permits or Spanish identity cards in call Larramendi. aormi@icloud.com
OFIPOL - Torrevieja is one of the towns with a Guarda Civil pilot scheme of an unmanned cyber office, located in the town centre on the paseo Vista Alegre. Here citizens can enter and via internet communicate any denuncios or seek information or fill in online official forms. This is possible by typing it in on a keyboard and is available in several languages: or by a face to face videoconference system with an agent in a central office. You re q u i re s o m e f o r m o f identification, e.g. passport, that can be scanned in the scanner available so that your identity can be verified. ! However, it is possible to make denuncios via internet too, but these must be followed up by a personal visit to the nearest police station of the Guardia Civil within 72 hours. 902 102 112 is a free National Police number. But for immediate response if you are being attacked for example phone 112 or 091. A web for certain formulas is www.policia.es/ colobora.php or there is another for information www.policia.es There are now apps for contacting the police available for both the Android and IOS systems.
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! !
It is also fiesta time in Callosa dÉn Sarrià and during the first weekend of the month Moors & Christians rule the streets. Exerting a combination of powerful attractions on the local populace, i n c l u d i n g t h e a t r i c s , f a rc e , masquerading and special costumes, music, gunpowder and general revelling, the Moors & Christians festivities have now become the showcase fiestas of the provinces of Alicante and Valencia. !
! Callosa d'en Sarrià is a Valencian town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, still in the province of Alicante, Spain, lying in the valley of the twiorivers of Algar and the river Guadalest, 50 km from the city of Alicante. The Fonts de l’Algar (Algar Waterfalls) are at 3 km from the centre of Callosa, heading towards Bolulla, and Tàrbena. The Algar waterfalls form a natural park with an elevated grade of conservation of the ecological richness and one of those must-sees in a tourist itinerary. The economy of Callosa is chiefly based on tourism and agriculture: it is the main producer of loquat in Spain and also produces medlars..
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The most important monuments in the town are the Catholic archpriestal church of Sant Joan Baptista (Saint John), built in the 18th century, and the Fortress of Bèrnia, built by Engineer Giovani Battitista Antonelli in1562 at the at the top of Originally it was a wonderful and clear exponent of the military architecture ordered by King Philip II. But because it was so far from the actual coast it was demolished by another Phillip III, in 1612. However, you can still see the arches, the fosse, the bastion, the well and the wall remains. The wall measured 100 meters long and 100 meters wide. It has been considered as a Property of Culture Interest since 1997. There are explanatory panels that show the ancient running and use of the Fort.!
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Callosa dÉn Sarria fiestas go back to 1860 and include traditional dancing of the warriors, processions and a Floral Offering to the town’s patroness la Virgen de las Injurias. These fiestas are considered to be part of Spain’s national heritage and have been declared of National Touristic Interest since 1985.! The town’s fiestas are in honour of the Virgen de las Injurias; celebrations that go back to 1866. The town was originally a Moorish one until the 13th century when Jaime I incorporated it into his kingdom. It takes its name from Admiral Bernat de Sarrià who purchased it from king Alfonso I of Valencia and II of Aragon in 1290. During the 16th century the land was bought over on several occasions by different noble families; the most recent in 1767 by the Count of Orgaz. The Rio Algar makes the area fairly fertile and, therefore, attractive. ! The church, dedicated to San Juan Bautista, was reconstructed in the middle of the 17th century. There are still the remains of the original castle in the Plaza del Castell supposedly built by the original Admiral. In the XVIIIth century the stones were gradually used to build other houses nearby. ! During these fiestas a dozen groups of Moors and Christians parade in style. These
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Medlars are a local produce of Callosa d’Sarria, which is close to Guadalest.
celebrations take place from the second Saturday of October. Men and women form the contingents of the two opposing forces of the Moors and Christians, while a castle is set up in front of the Ayuntamiento as the centre piece of the various festival acts. Children have their own part to play in the dance known as el ‘Ball de les Pastoretes’ or dance of the shepherds. ! Distinguishing these events from other ones is the ‘war’ dances which are held at midnight on the Saturday and Sunday in the Plaza del Convento. Another feature is the dance of the Bigheads undertaken by two groups of three pairs representing good and evil. Three pairs of Cabezudos (Bigheads) precede the files of warriors as they chase away the devil and frighten the children who run away screeching and laughing. These Cabezudos have their own peculiar dance at midday on the Saturday. During the fiestas children dress in traditional costumes and perform the Ball de Les Pastoretes: first on the Saturday afternoon in the local church, later at the Floral Offering and then on the Monday at midday in the Church Plaza. There are some unique musical instruments used in the bands and during the Civil War these disappeared only to re-appear once the fighting was over. ! In the procession of the Virgen youngsters dress up as Biblical characters as well as saints such as Santa Bárbara, Santa Úrsula and accompanied by a group called nanos who dance along the way. The actual image of the Virgen is a beautiful piece of workmanship: she is seated on a throne carrying the Child Jesus and surrounded by cherubs.!
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! !
October, 2014
! !
of Spanish Cooking ! by Pat Hynd!
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The grape growers of La Mata have this season produced a new muscatel wine named Acequion, which, as is the other local wines, is a limited production. This year it may be even more limited as 40% of the vines were damaged by rabbits. Most people seek the sea and sand but for others this natural parkland is a green oasis with great rambling trails and bike lanes. It is an ideal location for photographers who can use a ‘hide’ to birdwatch. There is parking space around the information office and a limited parking for disabled near the picnic zone.! !
! The Spanish seem to have a bit of a thing about competing to enter the Guinness Book of Records with entries such as the largest salad of 6,700 kilos topped by a Cesar Salad sauce of 400 litres. 20 cooks with large spatulas mixed seven types of lettuce, three types of tomatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, olives in Pulpi, Almeria.!
! aormi@icloud.com
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El Campello also presented itself in the Guinness records with the longest restaurant table in the world seating 2,000 diners. The menu was a variety of dishes but an important element was the table decoration which was taken into account. Sixty local restaurants collaborated joining their tables together along the promenade, each restaurant cooking for and serving their own tables with their own menus.
! In the district of Moratalaz, Madrid, everyone enjoyed a giant paella cooked over thirteen hours in a specially made 21 metre sarten. A hundred people cooked the 6,000 kilos of rice, 12,000 kilos of chicken and rabbit pieces, 2,000 kilos of vegetables, 275 kilos of salt and 1,100 litres of oil. Nico Jim茅nez is one of the best known ham cutters in Spain and he created a world record in Tokyo cutting one slice measuring 13.5 metres long weighing 2,3 kilogrammes. It was publicity for selling Iberian ham in the Japanese market. The ham was served with wines of Extremadura along with chorizo and
Lamb of Extramadura also has a certification of Denominaci贸n de Origen which was used in a stew using 1,400 kilos of merino lamb. Antonio Granero was the chef in charge and the dish went into the Book of Records when served up in Badajoz serving 5.000 people. The stew included 200 kilos of onions, 100 red peppers, 50 whole garlic heads, almonds, 100 litres of white wine, 80 litres of olive oil, pepper, bay leaves and aormi@icloud.com
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Vitoria city in the Basque country has claimed the record for the largest tortilla in the world using 16,000 eggs, 1,600 kilos of potatoes, 140 litres of Arróniz oil, 26 kilos of onions, 15 kilos of salt. Twelve chefs worked under the supervision of chef Senén González, using a specially made sarten or frying pan. It was made of special teflon coated aluminum plates heated up by an electric air wave system to ensure an even heat and cooking; a complex mechanism made it possible to cook the tortilla on both sides without having to flip it over. The final tortilla was 5,20 metros in diameter, 7cms thick and weighed in at one and a half ton. Part of the exercise was to raise funds for the local association that has a Food Bank and 20 charity volunteers served up 10,000 portions. Juanma Bajo Ulloa a cinema director was on hand to film the event, which will be included in a scene of his latest film «El Rey Gitano». The town mayor expressed his satisfaction as some 30,000 people had gathered to witness the event which is being put before board of the Guinness Book of Records claiming the largest tortilla in the world.
He also said that the number of tourists had increased by 17.5% during the month bringing more business into the town, so it seems that gastronomy in many forms is a real tourist attraction.! However, it takes some time for a record to be recognized by Guinness and the present record for a tortilla is held by Turkey using 110,000 eggs and weighed 4.4 tons. The longest tortilla measured 2.4 km (1.49 mi) and was achieved by CANIRAC La Paz (Mexico) in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, on 3 November 2010 The record-setting tortilla was used to build the largest burrito, which weighed 5,799.44 kg (12,785.576 lbs). The tortilla alone weighed over 2 tonnes.!
!
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Back to ABC and C! Calamares Rellenos is stuffed squid full of ham and onion or other illings such as minced prawns.! A caldera is basically a cooking pot a bit like a cauldron. Some restaurants specialize in this type of utensil for cooking and you can taste various rice dishes, for example, using these. But normally it is for soups or stews.! Calderada is a soup of mixed fish with onions.! Calderada Asturiana is mixed fish and shellfish dish stewed in a hot and spicy tomato, red pepper and onion sauce.! Calderada Extremeña is kid stewed with red peppers, liver, herbs and garlic. ! Calderete de Cordero is tender lamb in a herb and onion sauce.! Calderete Extramadura de Cabata is lamb or kid stewed with garlic and red peppers as we can see on previous page when one entered the Guinness Book of Records. ! In December just before Christmas Candás, a seaside town in Asturias hold a week of gastronomy dedicated Fish is always a prime to this type of cooking. ! ingredient in Spanish cuisine !
and you will find it on every menu. Sometimes visitors look askance at some isn dishes but they are really worth a try ad can be great fun eating. Spanish diners have no problem wiping their hands on a nice clean linen napkin so don’t be pussy footing and get stuck in.! Above: Stuffed Calamares ! Below: An Asturian fish
! aormi@icloud.com
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Mar Menor is famous for its shallow waters and is rich in its harvest of fish. This is a local recipe using typical fish from there.!
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Caldero el estilo del Mar Menor! Mar Menor Fish Stew!
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6 red mullets! 6 whitings! 3 kg. Grey mullet! 2 sea spiders! 1 angler tail! 2 chilli peppers! 1 onion! 1/2 kg. Potatoes! 1 John Dory! 400 gr. rice! 200 gr. ali-oli - a lovely garlic and oil sauce! Seasonings, garlic and bay leaf.!
John Dory
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Cook in plenty of water the angler, sea spider, red mullet, John Dory: cut the onion in quarters, a clove of garlic and the bay leaf, together with small potatoes. Add salt
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and poach for about 30 minutes on a low heat. Add the two chillies and two crushed cloves of garlic. ! Remove from the heat and take out all the fish, the angler tail and the potatoes. Take out all the bones and strain off the stock. Use the stock to boil the rice which should be a bit starchy and liquidy. ! Serve the rice soup first and then the fish arrange on a separate plate with the potatoes. Serve the ali-oli separately. !
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Caldo is a stock which can be made from fish, meat, poultry or vegetables. It is also used on menus describing a clear-based soup like consommĂŠ. Try chicken (pollo) caldo with a touch of lemon juice.! Caldo de Pescado is a fish, onion, garlic, and herb soup.! Caldo de Pimenton is a spicy fish and green pepper soup served with potatoes.! Caldo Gallego is made with dried beans, potatoes and cabbage stewed into a thick soup.!
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Caldo Gallego! ! This takes a bit more than ten minutes, but is a healthy soup, almost a stew, for the incoming cold nights.! 60 grams butter! 1 chopped onion! 450 grams mixed bacon or ham and chorizo.! Half teaspoon crushed garlic! 2 litres stock or water! 700 grams peeled and cubed potatoes! 1 small finely chopped green cabbage! 100 grams kidney or haricot beans! Salt and ground black pepper!
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Melt the butter in a large saucepan before adding the onion and cook slowly until soft. Stir in the garlic and bacon.! Pour in the stock, bring to the boil and add in the potatoes, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the sliced cabbage and cook for 5 minutes more.! Remove the lid, and sprinkle in the seasoning. The soup should be thick so you could remove some of the potatoes and cabbage, mash them and return to the pot. ! Lovely, economical and delicious with crusty bread.!
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Caldo Verde is a potato soup containing sliced sausage and shredded cabbage.!
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Cocido madrileùo ("Madrilenian stew", is a traditional chickpea-based stew from Madrid. A substantial dish prepared with meat and vegetables, it is most popular during the winter, but is served throughout the year in some restaurants. It is a basic dish of the Vega Baja area with chicken and ham bone as the caldo (stock) is strained off and made into a soup with fideos or noodles. The rest of the meat and vegetables are put in a large dish in the center of the table and everyone helps themselves. ! Callos are tripes. Maybe not everyone’s cup of tea but very tasty and also available in tins or frozen ready meals.! Callos a la Austuriana is tripe served in a hot pepper and wine sauce with sausage.! Callos a la Catalana also features tripe in a wine, tomato and onion sauce with potatoes.! Callos a la Madrileùa is tripe cooked with chorizo, black pudding (morcilla) red peppers, wine and laurel. ! Callos con Garbanzos - tripe cookedwith serrano ham, small chorizos, tomate frito, and chickpeas.! Camarones are shrimps.! Canalones are common in Cataluna, being pasta tubes filled with minced beef, chicken, liver, or tuna fish, with tomatoes and covered in a cheese sauce. The pasta is often bought in small squares, cooked in simmering water for a few minutes, then are filled and rolled up, placed in a dish, covered with a suitable sauce, usually bechamel, and baked in the oven. In Barcelona this is usually a tuna and tomato filling when I cooke it with a blognaise filling people were aghast.. but polite and ate it.! Capirotada is a Balearic dish of various meats served with an almond and bread sauce. Not to be confused with the Mexican bread pudding of the same name.! Caracoles are snails and very useful in many recipes including some paella dishes. Before the local construction boom it was common to see old men on their bikes catching them off the long stocks of plants, and also picking some of the wild herbs that used to grow in profusion. ! Caracoles en Salsa (Cargols) are snails cooked in an oil, wine, fennel and tomato sauce. Snails are often used in some areas in paella dishes.! Caracoles Rellenos is another snail dish using snails stuffed with garlic, tomatoes, herbs and wine and then grilled.! aormi@icloud.com
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! This is an interview with Andy Ormiston who is editor of Torrevieja Outlook and a few years ago wrote the only English account of Torrevieja in history with the title of "Torrevieja Cameos”. by Dave Stewart.!
1.! !
What can you say about yourself?! !
Not a lot, but I will try. I was born in Glasgow in Scotland at the beginning of the Second World War. I started work in a large Clyde shipbuilding company before moving on to a smaller toolmaking company where I was trained on a variety of machines. But my real love was cooking and once my apprentice was finished I moved to London where I was fortunate to be with the Jesuits in a variety of Above Andy with artist Maurice positions – catering, secretarial work and was Thacker who designed the book cover.! personal assistant to the Jesuit Provincial based in Below: book signing with Basil Joseph London. This involved travelling extensively getting in the picture throughout the British Isles. It also meant more studies in a variety of courses – commerce, English language and literature, accounting and Mathematics, basic English law, Economic History, religion and spirituality. I have often been involved in what nowadays is called Human Resources, even as an office boy when it was known as the Welfare Department. ! My interest in history has brought about this book, which is a series of related articles of Torrevieja’s place in Spanish history until the debacle of the war against the USA. I am married to a Spanish lovely and we have lived in Spain with our own family since 1986, mostly in Torrevieja. My Spanish work experience has included property selling and after-sales, then writing for local English language journals and newspapers, helping to initiate new ones, using pseudonyms. ! I collaborated in the Castellan/English book about the Delfin submarine that is part of Torrevieja’s floating museum. I am a staunch believer in the need for integration by the foreign community into the Spanish way of life (or any country's) and as such have organised many events for the general community – concerts, art exhibitions, aormi@icloud.com
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competitions and been involved in the town’s European Week in May, mostly with a double intention of raising funds for various town charities. Once retired. I have been beset with several medical problems resulting in a lack of mobility. Is that enough?! !
! 2. ! !
Thought you said you didn’t like talking much..What is your book about?!
! 3. ! !
What made you write it?!
This book is actually a series of articles that have been published in several English language publications over the years by me. Hence the title Cameos and it is intended as one of those books, which is a transfer of knowledge, in this case Spanish sources now available to English readers. Although basically it is about Torrevieja during its first hundred years of being a town, it is presented with some Spanish history as a background so that the reader can have a better understanding of what living in a small village and town meant. A lot of the information is about Orihuela as Torrevieja was part of the city at one time and in fact it was not until the mid 1950’s that the town was able to ‘join up’ the land of Torrelamata, Cabo Cervera and Torrevieja centre and become the town it is today. !
This book has been in the making for several years as part of a larger book. However, it was obvious that it was too big for publication and there were problems with publishers who considered that it only had a limited audience. One reason it has been written is to encourage the British to know more about the area in which they have chosen to live and hopefully be more informed and integrate more easily. I was also fed up with people (including Spaniards) making assertions such as that “Torrevieja takes its name from the old tower near the Masa Hotel”… when in fact it is a recently constructed building as a symbol of a previous tower that was actually in Cabo Cervera. Another reason is now that I am retired I have more time for doing what I like to do. !
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!
4. ! Have you written any other books?!
!
No, I have not written any other books but have written extensively in many newspapers and magazines, appeared on radio and television. I was the first to write a regular weekly column about Torrevieja and the area south of Alicante as it was considered the poor cousin of Benidorm, Denia, Altea etc. I also have a webpage which is at present being updated and entitled www.torreviejaoutlook.com as Press presentation of charity calendar part of a larger project that includes a monthly e-magazine available on the internet “Torrevieja Outlook� and a charity calendar to raise funds for local associations which is available now, thanks to the sponsorship of Bernard van Elmpt and his colleagues who have been beneficiaries to many charities in Torrevieja over the year. One should not underestimate the support of local businesses for charitable associations.!
! 5. Can you give me any interesting facts about Torrevieja's history?! !
Torrevieja Cameos outlines some of the geographical information about the whole area including being in an earthquake zone, as is all the Mediterranean. It looks at the Iberians, Romans, Muslims and the reconquest by the Christians although Torrevieja as such did not exist until around 1760. The two salt lakes have been great revenue providers for the State over the centuries and may have been used for the funding of Columbus’s first trip to the Americas. The first town council was jailed, it has snowed in Torrevieja a couple of times; smugglers and contraband were important sources of independent revenue as well as the salt helping the King's coffers, fishing and boatbuilding. The First Republic was rather like a farce. Frenchman Darblade came to Torrevieja village looking for a man who had robbed him and decided to settle down with the result that the town has a unique collection of photographs. The harbour took almost two centuries to become a reality and is now one of the largest leisure marina centres on the Mediterranean with three marinas inside its embracing wall. Many of the first settlers were foreigners and several families still bear those Italian surnames. !
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! 6. Why did you stop at 1899?!
!
1899 was the turn of a new century and a new air of change with Liberalism, socialism and other fresh political ideas about. These all had their effect on Torrevieja and deserve to be treated more fully than I was able to do in this book. Also at this time The Spanish-American War ended with the destruction of Spain’s importance at an international level and many young men of Torrevieja and other Costa Blanca towns died in this short conflict. !
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7. What does Torrevieja have in common today with its distant past?!
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Really Torrevieja in the 21st century has very little connection with its past as although the salt is a prime industry it only employs just over a hundred people, whereas formerly five thousand or more people earned their living here. The fishing fleet was once the largest along this part of the coast, but is diminished to a handful of boats. Torrevieja has always been a place where tourists from inland towns came as it has a privileged climate and today is one of the largest destinations of all the Spanish resorts; the famous Captain Cook was a visitor in a ruined house after the 1829 earthquake. Since the 1870’s the town has had a strong cultural programme, which has become fabulous in the past two decades and I am pleased that I have been able to participate in it at times. !
St. Andrew’s gala compere with daughter Shani. Below mayor awarding European gold star for Andy’s contribution to the town. Rarely rains in Torrevieja but it did that day.
! 8. Will you be writing 1900-present day next?! !
The next section is well underway and if we can sell enough of Torrevieja Cameos to get the cash back, or if anyone has the money to back it, then it would take about a year to produce a further book which would deal with the 20th century social unrest, modern politics, second republic, civil war and aftermath and the modern construction boom and tourism. A lot of this is dealt with in articles in the Torrevieja Outlook magazine, but I may just go for an internet electronic book.!
Torrevieja Cameos is available in Bargain Books, Torrevieja, or if any problem contact aormi@icloud.com ! aormi@icloud.com
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Spanish Health Tourism - Spas by Pat Hynd There are many aspects to tourism in Spain and a popular one is health and wellbeing making use of water properties. Torrevieja has an Olympic size heated swimming pool open all year round that is used not only by local people and schoolchildren, but also for regional and national swimming events and various championship competitions. In addition there are a couple of nearby camping sites that have their own heated covered pools open to the public. !
Torrevieja is well-known for its salt lagoons. Many people enjoy the curative elements making use of the beneficial waters of the Torrevieja salt lake at Punta Vibora, often spreading themselves with mud that cleanses the skin, then letting it dry on them in the sun. It has to be washed off with fresh water, so a bottle of water needs to be carried down to the shore. During the early part of the 20th century wooden balenarios were built over the sea on the beaches of Torrevieja so that tourists could enjoy the benefits of the seawater. ! There is no doubt that the town has lost at least two good opportunities to provide unique spa facilities thanks to the shenanigans of political parties trying to score points of one another. !
Torrevieja had spas jutting over the sea as per foto in black and white. Today the mud in the salt lagoon at Punta Vibora is popular.
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Torrevieja failed maneuverings
spa
project
because
of
political
One was at Lago Jardin in Los Balcones district of Torrevieja, where the idea was to turn the main listed building into a spa, but could not get the financial support of large health insurance companies nor the political support required. ! The other was the project of a balneario in modern snail-shell like buildings at the salt lake at Punta Vibora, which had been built in the first phase only to receive a stop sign from the infamous Coastal Law as it was considered that the two salt lakes of Torrevieja and their three canals come under coastal command. This three-phased project would have attracted a lot of tourism to the area. But while the so called Green Party took the project to the court, the building was abandoned and finally someone set it on fire. Not so green after all.!
! !
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However, one of the best ways to enjoy hot water is to experience thermal baths. Spain has many of these natural and artificial spas, some of them dating back to Roman times. !
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Pilar de la Horadada has increased the facilities at the municipal swimming pool to include a spa zone, which has Jacuzzi, sauna and Turkish baths. ! Each year some 8,000 retired pensioners living in the Valencian Region are able to enjoy these spas at subsidised prices thanks to a programme of Termalismo Valenciano organised by the Regional Welfare Department. Those taking part highly praise the effects of the spas and the physiotherapy and treatments available. !
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Archena Spa (Balneario de Archena) and Fortuna Spa are to the northwest of Murcia, only an hour’s drive from Torrevieja, and have a 600 sq.m. Pool. Here the water temperature is always between 31º and 34º centigrade.! The water for the Archena spa comes from the natural spring (known as ladera del Salto del Ciervo) at a temperature of 52º and it is rich in minerals including calcium, sodium, chloride and sulphur. This spring was discovered by the Iberians around the 5th century BC and when the Romans came here they built hot baths probably in conjunction with these early Iberians. In the Middle Ages the spa was under the direction of the Knights of Santiago, then came under the auspices of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem who developed it as a place of convalescence for its wounded soldiers. It was later used as a hospital during the War of Independence. More modern improvements have been made and it is
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easier to reach by road; an ancient vineyard was turned into a graceful park in 1876 that has lovely examples of tropical trees and shrubs. The spa can cope with up to 900 bathers a day. It is possible to have a lengthy stay or visit for just the day. There are three hotels with 390 beds between them and prices depend on the season.! The thermal water swimming pool is divided in two parts - one has a translucent movable roof and the other is in the open air; the depth of the water is 1.4metres throughout. There is a hydro-massage tub, a Jacuzzi, high-pressure water jets and bubble jets. Many people use the pool just to relax in and enjoy the benefits of the mineral rich water; others like to swim in the constantly warm water. To get the benefit of this special water they recommend that you stay in the pool for no longer than half an hour at a time, then get out and relax for a while before plunging in again.! There are changing rooms next to the pool with showers, hair dryers, toilets and lockers for your belongings. It is compulsory to wear a swim hat in the pool; and if you haven’t got one you can buy one there. You can hire sun beds for relaxing around the outdoor pool.! Various treatments are available in the spa to treat rheumatic, respiratory and skin conditions using the hot spring water. These include hot baths, underwater massage, sauna, mud application, jet showers and physiotherapy. The amount paid depends on just what type of treatment you want to use.! Whether you go to Archena Spa just for a few hours to wallow in the pool or stay for a few days to be pampered you will come home feeling relaxed and invigorated. There are restaurants that provide decent menus and open to casual visitors.!
!
On the road to Archena there is the town of Fortuna, which also has thermal baths on offer and is fast developing as an inland town for rural tourism. Fortuna has thermal waters coming from a volcanic source that can be reached via a tunnel several hundred metres below the surface, and is privately owned with three hotels and a complex that is a mini-town. This was another Roman area where soldiers would enjoy R and R using the hot volcanic waters in baths and supposedly hold orgies. Each August the town celebrates by holding fiestas in nearby caves with files
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Fortuna spa draws the hot waters from a volcanic spring that was utilized by the Romand for their troops rest and recreation
of marching Roman legionnaires. The spa center has three hotels of differing categories with an underground passage to the source of the thermal water. As in many other similar spas on arrival each patient has a medical assessment and treatment duly offered according to their ailments including rheumatism. The large swimming pool that has vistas over Murcia valleys is open to the public on a daily basis and many people drive there to enjoy these facilities. Stay can be for long or short term with weekend offers. There are also local tours on offer to visit nearby places of interest. !
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Most spas follow a similar routine and offer a variety of health and beauty treatments. Among these are the spas at Los Alcรกzares taking water from the Mar Menor and heating it up. This is a popular place for Spanish pensioners who stay for a week or more, at the family run La Encarnacion Hotel that has been revamped after over 100 years of existence. It takes the water from the sea and heats it through boilers and into large baths. Many bathers in the towns surrounding the Mar Menor will spread the grey sand in the form of a mud pack on to their skin as a toner that cleans off dead skin cells.!
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Hotel Do単a Monse of Torrevieja above, the Laguna Hotel, C. Quesada in the centre and below the Playas Hotel of Guardamar on the beach.
Three hotels in the Torrevieja ambit with spa facilities are the four star hotel Do単a Montses at Los Balcones, Hotel Playas de Guardamar and the Laguna Hotel at C. Quesada. Most hotels provide beauty and relaxation services.! !
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In the Valencian Communidad there are several similar watering holes. Other balnearios dating from 1922 and remodelled in 1996 offering thermal treatment can be found at Hervideros de Cofrentes in the mountainous region inland from Valencia between Requena and Ayora. Further north is the 19th century spa at Chulilla Termas de Fuencaliente at the Embalse de Lorigailla in a very historic mining area near Chiva.! Beyond Sagunt, still going north, is the town of Nules with a lighthouse on the coast. Slightly inland is the balnearios of Villavieja dating from 1785 and remodelled in 1997. Inland from CastellĂł de la Plana before PeĂąĂscola is the Embalse de Arenos-Montanejos and a whole complex of hotels offering thermal waters and
treatment for the visitors. In Mula, Murcia region, there are also baths, but they have the legend that couples who bathe in them tend to get pregnant - the women that is.! So for those who would like that little bit of spoiling there is an alternative to the beach and sun in mineral rich thermal spas.!
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Listed and Still Listing - Lago Jardin
by
Andy Ormiston
! The first time I ever heard of Lago JardĂn was when receiving treatment for a 'frozen shoulder' in a Wigmore Street consultant's clinic. He had publicity pictures of the Torrevieja Lago JardĂn project of a spa on his walls and as I was interested in moving to Torrevieja we chatted about it and he said he intended buying two flats with the intention of sending patients (boxers, footballers etc) for treatment using the salt waters. I should point out that I was a "charity case," the first person to use a medical trust fund instituted by the Queen of an Arab country to give help to those who needed specialist treatment, but couldn't afford it. !
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I looked at Lago JardĂn, but my wife wanted to live nearer the town; however, I did sell a number of houses in the urbanisation and made good friends of clients. The idea had been to use the manor house as a treatment and spa centre, but large companies such as Bupa, although interested, initially failed to invest. Sadly the listed building that gives Los Balconies its name has deteriorated badly and is more 'listed' than ever. ! The house was originally named lo Quesada and is noted for the number of balconies, hence the popular name, and the finca belonged to the Linares family, but changed hands a couple of times in the second half of the 20th century. The small family chapel was renovated by the mostly British residents and a Finnish carpenter made the lovely pews; a bell from England was paid for by a donation of ÂŁ1,000 and made up by a whip around owners to ÂŁ1,600. The chapel is used by the small Anglican community. The chapel was featured in a series of documentaries about aormi@icloud.com
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the Costa Blanca and Murcia on the Discovery Channel, the presenter interviewed the first Anglican priest, Geoff Wakeham, who led the local Anglican congregation. The presenter looked bored and in a break in filming I suggested that he ask Geoff what he did before Spain, and it was a delight to see his face when Geoff said “I was a nuclear scientist". We tend to take people at face value, but so many people retired here to Spain have fascinating experiences and full lives and Geoff had plenty. ! The finca was built in the middle of the 1760's and the tower added much later. One can see a line of pine trees as one enters the urbanisation, but originally this road extended almost to the sea, past the present hospital. The finca bordered on the salt lake on one side and up to almost San Miguel de las Salinas, on the other side up the to the top of the hill where Lago JardĂn II stands. Centuries ago there was a Roman presence on the hill as a British resident in Los Balconies urbanisation uncovered a slab of stone with Roman lettering while digging in the garden of his Villa in the 1980's. ! As in other large properties around Torrevieja the Linares family lived mainly in Orihuela, using the los Balconies house as a summer residence; a custom of many Torrevejense families today. But it was a working finca growing cereals, vegetables, legumbres, almonds, olives and a vineyard, and had their own mill for making olive oil and a wine press for crushing the grapes. Obviously there were outhouses for storing the produce and stables as well as houses for the labourers. The tower offered a good view towards the sea and across the lake to where la Siesta now is, where previously there were other fincas such as Torretas, Chaparral, San Luis, La Hoya and Cerco Casciaro. ! It must have been a lovely house in a U-shape, built on two levels with most rooms having lovely views, the upper ones with a balcony. Some servants also lived in close to the kitchen, and later there was an office, a billiard room, a photographic darkroom and a panelled library with one panel hiding the tower spiral staircase. The house had a large lounge, the dining room could seat about thirty, a couple of games rooms and a lovely marble staircase to the upper floor. There were large terraces overlooking the gardens and the well is a feature of the urbanisation. In the
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Spanish Civil War (1936-39) the finca was refuge for over 120 local people and a long trench was built on the hill as part of the XYZ defence line of the Valencia region.! In the 1950's the land was inherited by two brothers who began selling it, some of the small land parcels were bought by local families to build summer houses that are still in use. ! In 1968 a large area was sold and earmarked for Los Balconies Urbanisation and a Polish entrepreneur living in Madrid sold a lot of plots to build villas for fellow Poles, most were exiles after WWII, including several Jewish families who had survived the Nazi Holocaust. Initially some streets bore Polish names like calle Varsovia (Warsaw). The Lago JardĂn project including a health centre was the brainchild of Mr. Lino Llorente, an estate agent in London, and his friend the amable Juan Rebagliato who bought the land in 1978 to build today's urbanisation which began its life in 1986 with Phase I. Since the outset there has been a wonderful sense of solidarity thanks to people like Stan Costin, Mr. Puckitt, Ken Griffiths, Rosemary Emmett and Peter and Pat Knott among many others. Its a nice estate with plenty of space and gardens, many planted by property owners, and is only marred by the state of the historic building of Los Balconies itself. Danish architect Henriette Baden Lander, wrote her thesis on the house a few years ago and made several suggestions for its reparation and possible use for tourism, but although a listed building it is in private hands and needs a great deal of money to renovate.! !
Los Balcones continues to improve the local amenities with parks and play areas for young and old. aormi@icloud.com
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! Mar Menor is only forty minutes drive from Torrevieja and there are several spa hotels that have become popular with Spanish and foreigners alike. In this article we will have a brief look at Los Alcazares and two spa hotels. !
One of the oldest spas is the Hotel Balneario La Encarnacion, built in 1904 and refurbished on its 100th anniversary but still retaining its old worldly atmosphere. It abuts onto the Mar Menor and draws water from there to be pumped round a filtration and heating system used by patients. A variety of treatments are available with professional therapists. There is an excellent restaurant overlooking the placid waters of the Mar Menor and often people from La Manga sail over here for a quick drink or a nice meal. The inner courtyard is surrounded by the rooms and is popular for sitting and having a quiet drink. The hotel spa is close to the town centre with alternative eating places, especially providing fish and delicacies from the shallow warm waters of the inland sea Mar Menor. !
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Los Alcazares has 9 kilometres of coastline with five good beaches. A walk along the 7 klms. promenade leads to a more modern spa Hotel Costa Narejos a 4-star hotel built in 2006, close to the sea. It has 191 hotel rooms as well as large family rooms that were originally intended for an aparthotel but refused this category by the Tourist Board so only have only a fridge and microwave, but this is no problem. It is a modern complex with central pools, one for children. A large restaurant serves buffet style meals so it is possible to have bed and breakfast, half board or full board. ! There is a large bar/cafeteria that often has live music and a separate room for conferences or seminars. A small theatre also provides live entertainment including regularly the versatile Francis Symonds of Vegetable Market Studios who sings and is a good disco jockey. Another popular group is line dancers with frequent classes and parties. There is usually some sort of entertainment on. The hotel is close to the sea and a good shopping centre and entertainment zone with plenty of pubs and restaurants. ! There are plenty of offers for the spa section and wellbeing area and the hotel is easily accessed for disabled people with 2 jaccuzis, a Finnish sauna, Turkish bath, 3 circular showers, massage rooms. body and face health treatments.! It is well located for visiting other parts of Murcia Region such as Cartagena, Lorca, Murcia city, Caravaca de la Cruz.!
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! A gift, a calendar, a book - a help to those in need.!
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Torrevieja Outlook is producing a You can now follow Torrevieja Outlook on Facebook charity calendar for 2015 that will soon be on sale. This particular with more daily information. Why not join us? calendar has been absent for a couple of years and frequently asked for, but thanks to the sponsorship of some local businesses our team h a s been able to revive it, which will be the ninth of its style. Well established Torrevieja based companies - Álamo Costa Blanco estate agency, Aroca Sequier lawyers, Atlas Insurance Brokers, Mapfre/Brithol Insurance agency are again supporting the calendar. It is full of lovely photographs provided by other local businessmen - Keith Nichol Photography, Javier Torregrosa Electrodomestics, Carlos García graphic designer. The photographs feature local fiestas and well known places in the town.! Each month there is information of annual fiestas, international, national and regional holiday reminders. The calendar has extra pages of information about regular cultural events and a brief look at local Monuments. ! It is a colourful póster calendar to grace any wall and makes a good Christmas gift. There is space for notes of anniversaries, birthdays and doctor appointments. It is a calendar that thinks its a Book and the price of each one sold goes directly to a local charity, usually the one that sells them. We will print a list on Facebook places where it can be bought, once this has been ratified.! !
Torrevieja Municipal Cultural Schools Torrevieja has several schools offering a wide range of opportuni7es to learn for children and adults, mostly based in the Virgen del Carmen Cultural Centre. Professional Musical Conservatory of Francisco Casanovas (Palacio de Musica) -‐ Correo electrónico: conservatorio_torrevieja@hotmail.com Dance School and also Oriental Dance School Photography School Pain7ng School Theatrical School Tai Chi School aormi@icloud.com
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Following the disaster in the Philippines when Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck last year, local singer and songwriter Shani Ormiston was so moved by the trauma and suffering of the Philippino people, broadcast globally by the media, that she felt that she had to do something tangible for those most in need.
Filling a Heart with Hope
Shani, who lives in Torrevieja composed a song en7tled "Fill a Heart With Hope" and with the collabora7on of producer Manuel Ortega, produced a CD which was made available on CDBaby and iTunes to download for only 99 cents. It was Shani’s wish that all monies from the sale of the CD would go directly to help the people of the Philippines. Shani contacted the Torrevieja Costa Lions Club to ask that they handle all proceeds from the CD, in the knowledge that The Lions Club ensure that every single cent raised is used to help those most in need at the point of delivery. Shani came back to the Lions Club and Lion President Iain BenneV was delighted to receive the sum of 330.00 euros which is now on its way to the Philippines. This dona7on brings the total raised by the Torrevieja Costa Lions appeal for the Philippines to 12,120.00 US Dollars. The song ‘Fill a Heart With Hope’ is available on Itunes and CD Baby. To hear a selec7on of music by Shani, go to www.shaniormiston.com To get more informa7on about the Lions Club go to www.torreviejacostalions.org
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