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15 August National Holiday - Elche Festival- Mystery Play - Spanish Pimpernel Jarama Battlefield Tours - Death from the Skies ABC Spanish cooking - Fiesta Food Fun - Cultural programme aormi@icloud.com
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visitelche..com fotos tourist board! Every year August is one of the most packed months, not only for fiestas but for exhibitions, expositions, fairs, beauty queens etc. etc. There are over 400 festivals held in the Valencia area during this month. The 15th August is a national feastday and bank holiday, and nearly every town has its own celebrations; in Madrid the day is celebrated as the feast of the Virgen de la Paloma with traditional Madrid dress for men and women the rule of the day with similar events in towns like Torrevieja..! This is one of the most ancient cities in Spain, but at the same time it is also a busy modern one, which takes under its mantel the airport of Alicante and is a popular centre for business
Huerta means garden and Elche has many including this one with palms and cacti at la Huerta del Cura, a paying garden.
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The celebrations in honour of the Assumption of Mary on 15th August have the Misteri play as the central point of reference: this is a medieval drama that represents the death, assumption into heaven and coronation of the Virgen Mary. This unique play has the approval and seal of no less a body than UNESCO as it is considered to be part of the Culture of Humanity. ! On the night of the 13th August the sky is lit with a spectacular display of colourful fireworks on the Nit d’Alba. People jostle all afternoon, some with picnics, to find the best position to enjoy this dazzling four-hour long display that heralds the main fiesta. At one point the town is blacked out, apart from emergency services such as hospitals. At this point an immense palmeral firework shoots into the air, spreading out to fill the heavens amid exclamations of appreciation. Palm trees are the symbol of Elche and during this display around 500 smaller palmerals fireworks light up the summer sky in a fantastic show that also includes a closed off street where only those permitted to participate are allowed in the battle of Carretules. This is a rather dangerous sport where types of petardos or bangers are thrown at each other. This particular type of firework does not explode, but is like a giant sparkler that can cause burns. These men and women must wear protective glasses and old Elche is renowned for its palms clothes that are sealed off so that the crackers and when Jaime I conquered the thrown are unable to burn them. Despite this there are many minor burns as this fire battle city from the Moors he was takes place. ! astonished at the amount and The Misteri’ d’Elche is a sacred drama of medieval origins, a representation that was the beauty of the palm trees in and work of the Assumptionists, who were in central Europe at that time. After the around the city. He made a prohibition of theatrical representations inside proclamation that they must be churches by the Council of Trent, the Misteri d’Elche was the only one remaining, thanks to conserved and any that were a special papal Bull of Pope Urban VIII in 1632.! One of the differences between the Elche play destroyed must be replaced by and other medieval plays is the part of the two others. Probably this is the Jews. In most plays there are two different groups - Jews and Christians or rather Jews first environmental conservation versus Christians. The Elche play is a real medieval piece set in its day when Jews, Moors order ever made. and Christians lived in harmony; the position of the Jews was accepted as an important part of the general community of the city of Elche. ! aormi@icloud.com Torrevieja Outlook August 2014 on the Nit d’Alba. rejoices 3 display with the pealing of church bells.
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Medieval Elche by Dave Stewart Elche is the centre of a huge shoe making industry and nearby there is a unique shoe museum and a few of the factories also conduct regular tours around the premises with the opportunity to buy something stylish at a reasonable price. ! The city has witnessed Iberians, Phoenicians, Romans and Arab societies that have left marks of their various cultures on the city. These are brought together in August in what is known as the Settlers’ Fiesta with parades of the various cultures in their different and colourful costumes. The Iberians have left us with the famous Dama de Elche bust, an image in stone with curious curled headgear that today is imitated by women in many fiestas of the Valencian Region with hair pieces in coils at either side of the head. On 4th August 1897, a young farm labourer, Manuel, was digging in stony ground when he encountered a larger stone than normal that turned out to be one of the most historic finds in archaeology. He had uncovered the enigmatic Dama de Elche. This turned out to be an Iberian polychrome bust of a woman who could have been a priestess or a noble woman. It has strong Hellenistic influences in its style with the bust having a headdress of huge coils either side of the face and it may have been originally designed as a funerary urn. It is normally on show in the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid and a copy is in the museum of Elche. This area is now an ongoing archaeological site and a museum visited by thousands of people yearly. ! When the discovery of the bust first became known, a collector bought it and transported it to Paris’s Louvre Museum and it was hidden during the Second World War until 1941 when the Vichy government negotiated its return to Spain on 27th June. It was placed in the Prado
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Museum, then moved to its present location. There have been ongoing arguments that she should be returned to Elche and indeed spent a year there in 2006 on the occasion of the anniversary of its discovery. ! Following on from the trading nation the Phoenicians, the Romans also had a strong presence in Elche with one of the main Roman ports at nearby Santa Pola, which was famous for its garum, a commodity greatly valued in Roman gastronomy. The Arabs continued the work of the Iberians and Romans by converting a vast area into a palmeral, a large palm forest. When the Christian King Jaime I conquered the city he was amazed at this huge palm forest and proclaimed laws that constitute possibly the first environmental law, as he ordered that it must be preserved and if a palm was removed, then another had to be planted to replace it. ! The United Nations has proclaimed that this palmeral is considered to be one of mankind’s natural heritages. ! The city has a strong medieval history that is remembered in various fiestas: one begins on 26th December with the Venida de la Virgen, when a replay is made of the discovery of a small boat with a casket
that holds an image of the Virgen Mary on Tamarit beach of Santa Pola, and a coastguard (Francesc Cantó) rides pell-mell to inform the good citizens in Elche. ! This is a prelude to the main August festivals that include the internationally famous Mystery Play of the Virgin’s Assumption into Heaven held in the Basilica. This is listed by UNESCO as part of the patrimony of humankind. Understandingly, Palm Sunday is an important event and fronds are woven into intricate designs, some sent each year to the Spanish Kings and the Pope in Rome.!
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August is one of the busiest months in the year for Elche as there are so many different fiestas and musical events. During August there is a medieval music Festival; the tremendous fireworks of the Nit d’Alba on 13th; Moors & Christian parades and the carnival devoted to the various civilizations that settled in the town. On 3rd February there is a Mig Any celebration of Moors & Christians. There is also an important film festival and competition dedicated to short films. !
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! ! Mig Any Moors & Christians on 3rd February are a prelude to the main parades of 8, 9, 10, 12 August. The wonderful firework display of the Nit d'Alba takes place at midnight on 13th of the month.
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! ! The unique medieval Mystery Play attracts visitors from all around the world. ! The 135 parts of this traditional musical extravaganza are all played by men and boys, with lines and music going back to the Middle Ages. In recent years a medieval market has accompanied the pageant with traders, suitably clad in clothes of the time, selling crafts of that era. Medieval markets are now popular tourist attractions in many towns during fiestas. On even numbered years this wonderful medieval play of the Assumption of the Virgin into heaven is enacted in Elche´s basilica with an extraordinary representation on 31st October to 1st November. The basilica of Saint Mary becomes a theatre and the angels descend from the beautiful reinforced ceiling to take up the body of the Virgin Mary to her home in the heavens to be crowned queen. ! Elche is also famous for its Holy Week processions that obviously begin with Palm Sunday as the city is renowned for its palm groves and the procession held on Palm Sunday is particularly worth seeing as thousands line the streets waving their palms. Palms are blessed at Mass and many palm leaves are ceremoniously burned for distribution among Christian churches for use in the Ash Wednesday services the following year, marking the beginning of Lent and that we came from ash and to ash we will return. In 2009 a new trono was introduced, that of the Virgen de la Palma, an image that follows the Malaga style of artistry. A mixture of men and women carried this addition. The Palm Sunday procession has several groups parading on Palm Sunday. - The Samaritans, Maria del Mayor Dolor, San Juan with the Mantillas, El Lavatorio Romans and the Ecce Hombre. There are 26 guilds with 32 thrones: the first guild was that of 16th century Cofradia de la Sangre de Cristo in which the town´s nobles
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participated. Many of these thrones and their statues are the work of famous artists such as Valentín García Quinto, Lastrucci, José Sánchez Lozano. ! Another unique custom in Elche’s processions takes place on Good Friday known as la Trencá de Guió. This takes place in the Plaza de Baix and is seen as an augur for the coming year. ! There are many fiestas celebrated in Elche, almost on a monthly basis. One of the most awaited days is the 5th January when excited children impatiently await the arrival of los Reyes Magos, the Three Wise Men. This event marks the end of the Christmas cycle of celebrations and in Elche the kings parade through the town in the cabalgata procession. Once again Palms are an integral part of the culture and history of Elche and as a prelude to the arrival of the Kings children burn dry palms ‘les atxes’ at their doors as a symbol of the star of Bethlehem and to show the Kings the way, just in case they don’t know the way and forget to leave any gifts!! Elche has many other attractions with many monumental buildings to visit and has a long length of Mediterranean coastline with some stupendous beaches. ! A great city to visit at any time of the year as it is rich in history with several enlightening museums to visit including the archeological site where the Dama bust was uncovered at L'Alcudia which has been equipped with a video guide system, available in Spanish, Valencian, English, German and in Spanish Sign Language (known in Spain as LSE). Two companies, Pachamama Educación y Talleralia, organise dramatised visits, guided visits, games and workshops with aormi@icloud.com
Holy Week processions include this stunning work of the Last Supper-! Below archeological museum.
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Sea, Sand, Sun and footsteps in the sand by Dave Stewart
various levels of complexity in terms of the explanations given.!
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Although an inland city Elche has nine kilometres of coastline with six beaches, five of them flying the coveted Blue Flag awards. In the north part nearer to Alicante are the beaches of El Altet, Arenales del Sol yand El CarabassĂ an area with opportunities for water sports Then we have El Pinet, La Marina y Les Pesqueres-El Rebollo, with an area of sand dunes and pine woods taking us to the mouth of the River Segura.! El Altet was the former name of the airport that lies in the municipality of Elche and the small town holds its fiestas of San Francisco in October. The beach here has white fine sand and is about two kilometers long and as befitting the Blue Flag has all the necessary services including parking and bus service. ! Arenales del Sol has developed into a modern village with high rise flats overlooking this three kilometer beach of fine sand. There are areas where its possible to windsurf and the long promenade is a popular night paseo to enjoy the splendid yellow/orange colours the setting sun. It is easy to reach from here the Clot de Gavany Nature Reserve, a wetland located amongst the urban area of Arenales del Sol and Gran Alacant. In summer there are two street markets on Tuesday and Friday afternoons. There are plenty of parking areas, lifeguard vigilance, a tourist information centre, an information screen, a service of renting beach umbrellas and deckchairs, chiringuitos snack stalls on the beach, access for people with reduced mobility and a regular bus service linking it with Elche, Alicante and Santa Pola.! El CarabassĂ is partially a nudist beach with golden sands going into dunes and pine trees. It has most of the normal beach services and parking.! El Pinet has an impressive strip of dunes, with a vast pine forest that has a natural extension to the south of the coast of Guardamar del Segura, and to the north, in the Nature Reserve of las aormi@icloud.com
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Salinas (the salt marshes) of Santa Pola. There are two kilometres of fine sand plus most services.!
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La Marina beach often surprises people as they think it belongs to the large sprawling urbanization of that name. One and a half kilometers of dunes of golden sand and a vast pine forest. Located between the beaches of El Pinet and Les Pesqueres-El Rebollo, it can be accessed by the N-332 motorway. At about 300 m you can find the busy centre of La Marina, with cafes, a pharmacy and supermarkets, amongst other services. There is a bus service from La Marina urbanization, about every thirty minutes up to the start of September and also connects with El Pinet beach.!
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F o t o s : To u r i s t Board
Les Pesqueres-El Rebollo, Catalogued with a blue flag status, it is an unspoilt area in which dunes and pines forests mix together, resulting in an ecosystem of high environmental value. An enclosed area that also has a restaurant along the access route, lifeguard vigilance, parking areas and regular bus services running towards and from Elche and the nearby town of San Fulgencio. There is likewise the possibility to do water sports, thanks to an area reserved solely for this purpose. There are two kilometers of sandy beach that link up with the mouth of the River Segura at Guardamar port. There is a bus from La Marina to the Les Pesqueres beach. For 1 Euro, it leaves from the MASA housing development and will stop along the Avenida de la AlegrĂa, in the city centre of the hamlet. It runs with a frequency of 30 minutes until the first week of September.! aormi@icloud.com
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The Parque Arqueol贸gico de l'Alc煤dia held the I Certamen de Teatro Grecolatino Ilici Augusta in May 2014. The Fiesta Museum is only one of several museums in Elche.
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Firework Displays by Dave Stewart!
One of the most spectacular firework displays of the whole fiesta calendar is held in Elche on La Nit de l’Alba on the night of the 13th August. Thousands of people gather in the streets lit with thousands of fairy lights, to see this traditional part of the Elche fiestas. However, everyone should be aware that fireworks are explosives and, therefore, dangerous. They are in integral and traditional part of fiestas in this part of Spain with rockets banging off early in the morning as an early awakening call. ! I have asked manufacturers of artificial fireworks why they have them and always the same reply, a shrug and "its tradition". My personal view is that in the past processions always were accompanied by militia or some armed force and they would fire off their guns occasionally as a warning to animals and bandits. ! Between 1990 and 2001 over 60 people in Spain have died as a result of explosions connected with fireworks, either in their manufacture or in transporting them, or actually during some form of display. So it is advisable to be extra careful, particularly if you have children; and a warning - do not smoke nearby, as there are often flakes of gunpowder escaping into the air. Some 15,000 kilos of gunpowder are used in the fiestas. The Elche Hospitals and ambulance services always puts extra staff on standby on this one night of the year. ! On any occasion that there are fireworks pets, especially dogs, have to be watched as so much noise can frighten them.! In fact the European powers in Brussels made a ban on all these types of fireworks display with effect from the beginning of 2010. In early July there was a terrible accident involving fireworks in Brusels that killed and injured man peopel. However, Spanish fiestas would not be complete without their fireworks and bonfires and all the regions, backed by the municipal authorities, sent a deputation to the European Union Parliament to plead the case of their traditions and the culture of fireworks being used in fiestas, otherwise traditions such as Moors & Christian parades would lose their flavour and die away, resulting in less tourism. In the Valencian Region alone 95% of the 592 municipal areas celebrate events using gunpowder in some way or other. ! Fireworks are classified in four categories according to their dangerousness and noise. There are conditions for their storage and usage – that is for the public or for professionals. The minimum age is 12 years for the most innocuous of fireworks. Guardia Civil enforce the regulations and often confiscate fireworks that have not been officially approved. Quite often this is a result of so much stuff coming in from China where fireworks is not only a tradition, but the home of gunpowder and cannons.! Those fireworks for use in theatres have their own special classification and need a license - each theatrical work is judged by its necessity in the framework. The country’s authorities are obliged to make inspections of factories, warehouses and transport so that the necessary security is affected. Every now and then there are news items of fireworks factories blowing up accidentally and Moors & Christian parades sometimes have accidents that can maim or even kill the participants. ! All rockets and bangers must have an identification sticker naming the factory (or importer), the explosive mix, and the year of fabrication. Normally for a fairly large fireworks display (Castillo de fuegos) then a local license is required and usually a qualified person to organize the display. aormi@icloud.com
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Rob Innes is a freelance journalists who has written Spain Exposed available on internet, in which he talks about a new experience in his life. Here he writes about a visit to a famous Civil War battleground at Jarama Valley http://spainreexposed.wordpress.com/
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You have recently arrived in Spain to join the International Brigade’s fight against Fascism.
The strange languages still confuse you and the oily food unsettles your stomach. After basic military training you have moved up from Albacete to nearer the Madrid front. Now it is day break, you eat an unaccustomed breakfast then climb a steep hill expecting to spend the day digging defensive trenches in preparation for a possible future attack from Franco’s Nationalist troops. However you find your Spanish comrades in retreat. It is then you realise the enemy is not kilometres away, but only a few hundred metres. Next you discover your ammunition will not fit the aged rifle you have been issued with and the battle hardened, well armed experienced Nationalists are approaching - fast.
! Your day is about to get much worse. ! August 2012!
Spanish Sites offer several tours around Spanish Civil War (SCW) battlefields in the Madrid area. I joined their one-day Jarama tour which commenced in the Parque Debod, near Plaza de España, central Madrid.! We were met by Madrid based David Mathieson who organises the tours. He led us up through the park to the elevated terraces behind the temple. The perfect location for him to set the scene of how the Republicans built their Madrid defences against Franco’s attacks.! In July 1936 Franco had managed, with German assistance, to transfer his troops from North Africa to mainland Spain and commence what was planned to be a rapid military coup to overthrow the democratically elected Republican government. His forces swept up through Andalucía and Extremadura with the objective of swiftly taking Madrid.! After initial confusion the forces loyal to the government managed to erect strategic defences around Madrid to repel the Nationalists. Forcing Franco to change plans and swing south east aormi@icloud.com
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to attack the Valencia road in an attempt to sever the links between Madrid and Valencia, where the government had relocated to.! Having got the overview we then left Madrid and made the short journey on the Madrid – Valencia motorway out to the Morata area where the battle of Jarama was fought during February 1937.! Our first stop was at an innocuous looking finca with large wooden gates which, David told us, in 1937 had been commandeered and became known as the ‘cookhouse’ where the Republicans took their last meal before going into the fierce battle.! The surrounding area is extremely hilly, with thickets on the rough stony ground and planted olive groves in the fertile areas. Our morning was bright hot August sunshine. During the Jarama battle the February rains frequently bogged down both sides into the muddy campo hillsides.! Many nationalities including British, Irish, French, Belgium, Germans (opposed to fascism) Americans and Russians amongst others formed the International Brigades and fought side by side. Their equipment was inferior to Franco’s forces that had superior tanks and fighter planes.! A few kilometres away lay the ‘sunken road’ from where we explored the campo areas, which were the main battlefields. It is still not uncommon to find old shell cases and rusty sardine Rob Innes articles are published in various magazines (illustrated with his photos) including TIM where he has appeared monthly since 2008. More! photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/Robi1305
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tins – the contents of which were rations for the troops. Also in evidence are hollowed out areas used as foxholes by both sides trying to avoid the shells and bullets constantly flying around. David told us in the initial hours the inexperienced volunteers thought the high pitched noises were the local insects in the trees before they realised it was deadly flying lead.! The losses were heavy on both sides eventually estimated at up to 20,000 fallen. Outnumbered and outgunned by the battle experienced Nationalists, including fearsome divisions of Moors, the Republicans bravely fought on during days of retreats then advancing again – frequently crossing and re-crossing the same ground.! Many experienced officers fell, and had to be replaced by inexperienced men who made some fatally bad decisions - giving orders to advance into walls of machine gun fire. The scene would have been total chaos as the lines were far from straight with reliable communications usually non-existent.! New types of warfare emerged, later to become ‘standard’ during 1939-45, with deadly German fighter planes and modern heavy tanks successful against the Republicans with their older Russian equipment.! Finally Republican reinforcements arrived before Franco’s commanders realised how depleted, exhausted, starving and out of ammunition their enemy was and the Valencia road was held. By the end of February, with both sides claiming victory in the inevitable propaganda war, the battle fizzled out in a stalemate whilst the war moved north east to Guadalajara.! We left the fields and went down into Morata for a pleasant lunch over more discussion about these historic events. Exchanging knowledge and information made for a lively debate amongst our group. The Jarama battle was the first to provide organised armed determined resistance to the Fascist war machine, which for many gives it great significance in world history. Following lunch we inspected the village’s SCW museum which has a huge variety of exhibits and photos on display and is well worth a visit. Our final stop was at the modern statue symbolising the clenched fist Republican salute located on the road back towards Madrid.! For anyone interested in this period of Spanish history it is well worth booking one of the tours to see the sites and learn more facts about those historic events of 1936-39.! For more: http://spanishsites.org/ ! aormi@icloud.com
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Battleground Tours ! A different type of tourism is visiting battlegrounds, the most popular being the two world wars. Both USA, England as well as Spain, also share this through memories of these countries civil wars.! In this edition journalist Rob Innes describes a guided tour around the deadly Jarama Valley battles. Other towns like Cartagena offer a visit to the cavernous hospital Bunker that served in the Spanish civil war bombings of the town. Santa Pola did attempt some guided tours visiting local sites connected with the civil war. In the hills behind Guardamar, where you can see the large antenna, there are trenches from what was known as the Republican XYZ defense line down the Mediterranean coast, as it was expected that sooner or later the Nationalists would launch a sea attack. There are more trenches behind San Miguel de las Salinas. Not for public viewing, but there is a large shelter under the main plaza de la Constitution of Torrevieja. ! In the village of Puig there are five defense points connected with the Spanish civil war, one of these in the Castell mountain (known locally as la PatĂ ). There is a guided tour that takes visitors around trenches, bunkers, gun posts, tunnels that are part of the line El Puig - Los Carasoles. The tour also takes in other local places of interest plus a good splashing of history. The visits have to be prearranged so contact Tourist Info El Puig Tel: 96 195 90 29 E-mail: elpuig@touristinfo.net! Barcelona was very badly destroyed by German bombing, but apart from that has plenty other bits of civil war history that is explained by Nick Lloyd in his guided tours that show another face to that lovely city's tourist trade. He makes use of photos and his mobile tablet to illustrate his interesting talk - Contact (nick.iberianature@gmail.com!
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El Puig guided tours visits bunkers and trenches aormi@icloud.com
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Death from the Skies
by
Andy Ormiston
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On 25 August there will be a memorial demonstration by people of Republican ideals in memory of those who died in a Torrevieja bombing attack 75 years ago. This article is a summary of what happened.! There were eight different bombing raids in Torrevieja over the period of the war – three aircraft bombed and strafed the port area at 21.00 on 26 August 1937. Others were at 6.30 on 22 July 1938; another one on 22nd August, 1938 at 6.19; then on 25th August 1938 at 11.00: on two consecutive days on 5th and 6th September 1938, and again on 5th March 1939. ! The worst of these was that of 25th August when 31 bombs fell, 22 of these exploding. Houses with patios had to have sacks of sand on hand to deal with fires. A nightly blackout was in effect and windows were taped to prevent splintering of glass that could cut people. Women, children and old people had preference in the refuges. The main air attack on Torrevieja came at nine in the morning of a sunny 25th August 1938, when Italian Savoy seaplanes flying out of Mallorca under a cereleancerulean sky dropped twenty bombs and eleven incendiary bombs on the town. Four bombs failed to explode. The five Italian aircraft came from the direction of Cartagena and were later reported to be Saboya, but at the time many people thought that they were allies since they came from the direction of Los Alcazares airfield, which was still Republican. No wailing warning sounded from the Salinas sirens located in the main plaza, no bell rang out a warning from the town hall, and the observation post in one of the windmills failed to see the danger. Normally the sirens of the salt workings blasted out when there was a change in the shift, but
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during the war they were also utilised to warn of impending air attacks. An emergency office was opened opposite the town hall and one of the sirens installed here. Although Torrevieja did produce fuses for bombs at the Salinas, the town was not considered to be a vital part of the war process, so there were no anti-aircraft batteries, therefore, the oncoming a i r c r a f t w e r e Windmills on the Calvario hill were a skyline unopposedFishing boats sight in Torrevieja. were being unloaded after a night spent at sea. The fishermen’s wharf was full of chatting women, children and old people set on buying sardines, one of the basic food supplies available, rationed at half a kilo per person. Queues had formed stretching from the auction hall to the present plaza of Waldo Calero. As the bombs fell and burst, the women in the fish queue scattered. The blind lottery ticket seller, Melitón Alcañiz, who was obviously disoriented, cried out to know what was happening and one of the women who had been in the queue, Francisca Romero Martínez, grabbed him by the arm and hustled him off to safety.!
Torrevieja bay in early part of 20th century, open to the sea with only small quays. ! foto: Darblade/Conesa
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The attack only lasted seconds, but as can be imagined, caused a great amount of casualties and damage. During this raid 19 people were killed, 45 wounded, various houses were destroyed and a local ship ‘Francisco Vera García’ was sunk. Another boat used by the Republicans was the ‘Constantina Candeira’, which was in for repairs at a co-operative organized by boat builder Ildefonso Rodriguez Vallejos, and this ship may have been the real target of the planes, although all the workers remained unscathed. The timing was when the early morning fishing fleet had arrived and, as in other bombing raids on Republican targets in other towns notably Durango and Guernica, there was a greater concentration of the civilian population. !
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Most of the casualties were civilians, including eight children, the youngest being Francisco Desamparado Sánchez only two month old. Two families lost three members each. Republicans are still around today and 75 years later the group in Orihuela were demanding the abolition of the Monarchical Constitution of 1978. Although not born then, José Manuel Andreu, the Izquierda Unida councillor of Torrevieja, wrote in regard of the 75th Anniversary of the
An exhibition poster shows photos of the crowds watching as the main church was burned by anarchists Photos; Darblade/Conesa
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Second Republic and the deaths of some of his family killed in the bombing raid of 25th August 1938. Some of the lethal bombs fell in the sea, but those that caused the loss of life included his family members. He lost his 33 year-old grandmother, Ángeles Andréu, his recently born uncle Manuel - only 10 months old. Other people have their own memories: José Montesinos, nicknamed the Cat, rescued his mother from the smoking rubble of their house, although he was only two years old at the time. Young José Antonio Gonzalez had the sense to jump into the sea to escape the exploding bombs: evidently his skin was still all wrinkled the next day after his hours fearfully spent in the water. ! The Plaza Oriente was used as a training ground for the military and was an obvious target. The 4th battalion of the 151st Brigade of the Marine Infantry, from the naval base of Cartagena, was posted here and actually on parade. Three soldiers, including two captains, were killed. Bombs were dropped in the bay in an attempt to sink shipping. Others fell on the plaza de Capdepón, and where the present streets now are – calle Juan Mateo, Diego Hernandez, Heraclio, Pedro Lorca, Ulpiano, Apolo, Ramon Gallud, the old gas factory (in los Gases) and the plaza Oriente, where the church of the Sagrado Corazon stands. As can be imagined there was complete chaos, terror and panic in the town as plumes of dense smoke marked the places where damage and death had occurred. ! The nineteen people who died in this attack were: Ángel Garcia Coello, Francisco Hernandez Hernandez, Francisco Desamparado Moreno, Antonio Moreno Guardiola, Joaquina Antolinos Zapata, Maria Antonia Moreno Antoninos, Rafael Clemlemares Sala, Angeles Cerezuela Guardiola, Angeles Andreu Cerezuela, Manuel Andreu Cerezeuela, Anastasia Blanco Ballester, Cayetano Sanchez Sanz, Francisco Desamparado Sanchez, Maria Quer Piorno, Mercedes Martinez Blesa, Josefa Alar Linares, Concepcion Aracil Rives, Francisco Vidal Baños, Rosario Alonso Mindiluces. ! !
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the old church/hermitage that was also burned in the Plaza Oriente
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Bookshelf by Pat Hynd
The Spanish Pimpernel
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History shows us that every difficult situation brings out both the worst and the best in mankind: the Spanish Civil War was no exception and there were terrible cruelties inflicted on both sides, not only in open conflict, but also in the dark of the night. On the other hand many good deeds were carried out in a clandestine manner by a variety of people. ! The hero of this book by C.E. Lucas Phillips (author of Cockleshell heroes) won the D.S.O.when he was a junior officer and quoted in the London Gazette 26 September 1917: for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. He was the only officer left of his battalion when the final objective was reached in Ypres in WWI. Both flanks of his battalion were exposed and they were almost surrounded by the enemy. Thereupon he skillfully withdrew his men from a difficult position to a strong one 200 yards in the rear, checked the advance of the enemy, and held on under intense artillery fire until relieved two days later. The sound tactics, cool judgement and the daring example which he set his men undoubtedly secured a very important position. This was just one of many medals won by an extraordinary man who had deserted his previous regiment, King Edward's Horse, to sign up again with the West Yorkshire Regiment which was posted to France and later Russia. He was posted to the 6th Battalion, Somerset Light Infantry, where he was made a 2nd Lieutenant, at one time serving as a Captain. But this book is about his time in Spain during the civil war.! He is one of those persons whose memory has almost been forgotten - Captain Edwin Christopher Lance who had connections with the former Hotel Victoria in Alicante. Christopher Lance was born in 1892, the son of a clergyman of Wells Cathedral. He studied civil engineering, but when World War I started he joined the army as a private and ended up being commissioned on the field where he was awarded the DSO in France in 1916 for his bravery and leadership. He had an easygoing manner enjoying a drink, a cigarette, good company, but also relished the risks of danger as he went on to fight in other fronts as well. He also fought in the frozen area of Karelia in Russia in 1919 and was badly injured and awarded a Russian medal. He met and married his wife, part-English partNorwegian, Inger Mary Church ( affectionately known as Jinks) in Buenos Aires in 1925. His first working trip to Spain was in 1926 where he met the head of state, General Primo de Rivera, and later returned to South America again.! In 1931 he was employed in Madrid as a civil engineer representing British financial interests on a number of projects by the firm Gines Navarro & Sons connected with the Second Republic; because of his familiar attitude and his command of Spanish aormi@icloud.com
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he made many friends and useful acquaintances. Throughout those first years in Madrid he and Jinks spent many happy times in different parts of Spain, including one of his passions - sailing out of Alicante port. He was always a gentleman in the sense of willing to help anyone who asked for help or advice. ! When the civil war broke out in 1936 he was a first hand witness to many of the atrocities of the Republican militia in Madrid against suspected fascists and watched helplessly the ruthless bombing of Madrid by the Nationalists. As was normal the British and other embassies had already left steamy Madrid and moved to their cooler summer residences in San Sebastian, leaving a skeleton staff behind. Although not attached to the embassy, Christopher Lance took upon himself the obligation and responsibility of housing British nationalities and families in the embassy itself, as it was well known that Franco had made a point of marking out an area around the embassies with orders that his bombers should not bomb within those parameters. In the intense summer heat Lance, through his contacts, obtained travel permits to organise convoys with safe passage for dozens of people to Valencia where he had arranged transport on board British ships. He was aided by the dauntless Margery Hill who also housed refugees in her little hospital, and also a formidable kilted Scotswoman, Miss Fernanda Jackson, with tartan trimmed bonnet, who was in charge of a volunteer Scottish Ambulance Unit provided by the generosity of Scottish sympathizers of the Republic; even after the war she continued to help run social kitchens. He insisted that his wife go back to England where she helped refugees on their arrival in Britain. His knowledge of the docks and the Spanish love affair with documentation and rubber stamps later helped him to also organise the smuggling of non-Republican Spaniards to escape what would have been a certain death if the Republican militia had caught them. It was the British sailors who nicknamed him the “Spanish Pimpernel” and who were always willing to help smuggle people out of Spain.! On his trips to inspect how his engineering projects were going on (most of them had ground to a halt), he was able to move around both Republican and Nationalist areas and was actually captured by Franco’s troops, paraded in front of the general who ordered him to rescue people on a list he gave Lance… or else Lance would be executed as a spy for the Republicans. !
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He also met the communist leader Dolores Ibarruri (La Pasionara foto here) who similarly accused him of being a Nationalist spy when it was found out that he had been in the Nationalist camp. It was while he was on one of these field trips that he aormi@icloud.com
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discovered mass graves of murdered people and returned to the scene at night, measuring the length of the trenches and calculating how many bodies were buried within them. This information he passed on to the British government, who failed to react, much as happened later with the Nazi concentration camps in WWII. ! ! He used Valencia and Alicante ports, persuading British captains to risk their ships and crews, paying ten pounds for every person smuggled out, which included some of those on the list Franco had given him. These were listed as oranges as the Republic depended on foreign revenue from the orange trade. The doorman of the Victoria Hotel was also an aide who covered up for Lance on occasions and it seems he and his family were later refugees in Oran. He had almost reached the hundred mark of these refugees when one of them disobeyed his orders about going to England and disembarked at Gibraltar instead, reaching Franco’s headquarters where he boasted of how he had got out of Spain, which in turn led to the Republican security forces discovering the part played by the quick-witted Englishman in the bright check jacket and trilby hat who was so affable to all and was so prominent wherever he went, which was part of his successful disguise. ! He was captured and spent sixteen horrifying months in various @jennyormi Republican jails, sometimes visited by his friends Marjory and Fernanda. Lance also befriended King a London soldier inside jail who became a bosom pal. In the final days of the war, with an obvious outcome of failure by Republicans, prisoners in Barcelona were being executed so that they would not fall into Nationalist hands; there was no need for these killings it was sheer revenge. Lance found out that his number 250 was due to come up soon and it was only at the last minute that the British attachÊ managed to gain Captain Lance’s release (along with British subjects King and an Indian named Dutt) and he was sent back to England and his wife. ! In 1961 the Spanish government of Franco finally acknowledged his humanitarian assistance in helping people to escape the conflict and certain death. In San Miguel de las Salinas this was also recognized and a street was named after him, only to be later changed to calle Lorca. He did all this, not for political motivations, but for pure humanitarian reasons. ! Thanks to Barbara of the former Sweetie Shop for her information and Peter Little at San Miguel for sussing out the street history connection.!
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Some of the entities involved in the Spanish War The two opposing sides were the Republicans and the Nationalists, both made up of various groups.!
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Republicans: Those who fought on the side of the democratically elected 1931 Republic government and finally lost the civil war, thousands taken as prisoners and used as forced labour, were executed or fled to other countries, where again thousands ended up in Nazi concentration camps. Many volunteers from other countries supported the Republic in its fight of the Civil War (1936-39) plus assistance from Soviet Russia.! Anarchists: voluntary groups of people whose philosophical belief was that all government is bad, and that people should form their own “people’s party” and fought within the Republican ranks as members of the CNT.! C.N.T. (Confederación Nacional de Trabajo): the Anarchists’ trade union. ! F.I.A. (Federación Anarquista Iberica): an anarchist secret society that worked through terrorising opponents! P.O.U.M. (Partido Obrero de Unificación Marxista): Spanish communist movement based on Trotskyism and fought for the republic.! U.G.T. (Unión General de Trabajadores): Socialist Trade Union for workers that included members of the PSOE (1878 - Partido Socialista Obrero Español) which today is one of the two main political parties.! Communists: An ideal arising from the theory of socialism, but extended to the principle “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” which was bloodily enforced in Russia and seen by many in Spain as the redistribution of power and wealth among the people.!
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Nationalists (or Rebels): Those who fought under General Franco for a unified Spain rebelling against the democratically elected Republic government and eventually won the civil war that led to a dictatorship under Franco. These were allied with Nazi Socialism of Germany and Mussolini’s fascist Italian Republic who supplied troops and armaments. There were volunteers from other countries who saw the Republic as a communist bastion and anti-Christian because of the anti-clericism, pillaging of churches and murder of priests and nuns in the early part of the Republic, mostly by anarchists.! Carlists: a para-military organization that fought for the return of the monarchy existing in the bloodline from Don Carlos and they took the side of the Nationalists under Franco.! Falange: A Spanish Fascist movement, founded by José Antonio de Rivera, who was executed in Alicante prison and his group allied themselves with Franco, who himself appears to have viewed Jose Antonio as a possible rival leader.. ! Fascism: a nationalist, anti-Communist organization whose ideals included being ruled by a single-party dictatorship.! JONS was another fascist party initially made up of Madrid students and later incorporated into the Falangist movement.!
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Christopher Nevinson's WWI painting 'Paths of Glory' in Imperial War Museum
Suicide in the Trenches!
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I knew a simple soldier boy! Who grinned at life in empty joy,! Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,! And whistled early with the lark.!
War Kill
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In winter trenches, cowed and glum,! With crumps and lice and lack of rum,! He put a bullet through his brain.! No one spoke of him again.!
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You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye! Who cheer when soldier lads march by,! Sneak home and pray you'll never know! The hell where youth and laughter go. ! Siegfried Sassoon
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Last July we had what NASA call a super moon. If you have missed it don’t worry because although somewhat rare, there is another on 10 August, and a third on 9 September. ! It is a phenomenon that happens when the moon becomes full on the same day as its perigee - the point in the moon’s orbit when it is closest to Mother Earth.! This type of event occurs roughly very 13 months and 18 days, according to an expert at the U.S. Naval Observatory and last year we had a similar triple-perigee moons in a row. For example last year in June the moon was 14per cent brighter and 30 per cent bigger than other full moons. Sometimes it is hard to note the difference as the sky can be a bit hazy as in this picture. ! These columns are Torrevieja monument dedicated to the Mediterranean civilizations; visible is the Egyptian column and the Greek one. Two others are dedicated to Roman culture and the seafaring aormi@icloud.com Torrevieja Outlook August 2014 Phoenicians. The other is a homage to Spain itself and its seafaring community.
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! ! of Spanish Cookery ! by Pat Hynd!
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Eating the Med Pyramid Way!
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I suppose everyone has heard umpteen cookery writers praise the Mediterranean diet, so what is it all about. Really it is about eating sensibly, with various fresh products, plenty of fruit, veg, fish a little red meat, a glass of wine, using herbs and spices. Variety is an important item in menú planning and with imagination the same ingredients can offer several alternative meals. ! ! The so called Mediterranean diet is often represented by a pyramid on a basis of regular exercise that does not over exert our physical limitations and state of health. The pyramid was based on the dietary traditions of Crete, Greece, southern Italy and Spain in the 1960's at a time when the rates of chronic disease among populations there were among the lowest in the world, and adult life expectancy was among the highest with little heart disease. Of course that idea of healthy eating has been usurped by fast food incursions, producing an obesity problem among the young, a sitting time bomb for future medical resources. Fortunately Spanish health authorities are aware of the problem and there several educating plans underway in schools encouraging more salads, legumbres, pulses and fish, and less hamburgers, hot dogs, kebaps and other so called fast foods. Eat slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to tell your brain you’re full. When you eat fast, it’s easy to overeat. Eating in front of the TV can mean you eat more without noticing or enjoying your food - as well as not very sociable.! ! It is essential to eat plenty of vegetables, either cooked or raw in salads, even in some instances blended into a juice. Eat less meat, more fish foods such as 'blue' fish - tuna, salmon and sardines, which are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and shellfish including mussels, oysters, and clams have similar benefits for brain and heart health. It is important to have a good breakfast and start the day with fibre rich foods like whole grain cereals, and fruit. Other prime ingredients in Spanish gastronomy are the wide variety of beans and pulses, rices and pastas.! ! Use olive oil, and add nuts into your diet unless you have an allergy to them. Yoghurt is now a popular addition to the Méd diet and do try Spanish cheeses. A Spanish meal always ends with fresh fruit. Herbs and spices also add flavour to a lot of Spanish dishes and are readily available.! Allied to the Mediterranean Diet are daily exercise, sharing meals with others, and fostering a deep appreciation for the pleasures of eating healthy and delicious foods. There is another classical Mediterranean Pyramid that focuses on healthy eating. Important to bear in mind that eating is a social occasion and both food and company should be enjoyable.!
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! ! !
Meats and sweets are nice treats, but not too often.
Wine is fine but you gotta drink a lotta water
Poultry, eggs, cheese and yoghurts daily to weekly, but in small spurts.
Fish and seafood as often as you like, but at least once a week.
Fruit, vegetables, pulses, olive oil, nuts, legumes, seeds, herbs, spices - as often as you like, but better daily.
Enjoy your life with some sort of physical activity, walking, dancing, keep fit on the beach, and remember eating is a social occasion, so enjoy that as well
aormi@icloud.com
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Food = Fun = Fiesta
! Still talking of food. Gastronomy is an important part of the tourist trade in Spain, with its rich Mediterranean diet. Nowadays there are hordes of tapa trails and other snacks.Almost every fiesta or saint's day is associated with a particular pie or pastry or dessert. It's not surprising that this love with food has become allied with other fiestas that include street battles, many that originated with surpluses in crops, others as protests. Probably the best known one at international level is the Tomatina tomato battle that is now imitated in other countries. In this article we will have a look at alternative ways that food is used in Spanish fiestas.!
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So let's begin with the saucy tomato throw-up in the Valencian town of Bu単ol. In a way it is the fruit of its own success that attracts over 40.000 tomato chuckers from all over the world. What started out in 1945 as the protest of a group of local youngsters because they were not allowed to take part in a parade; they repeated it the next year and were arrested amid protests. Eventually in 1957 the town hall gave in and joined the fun and it has become a giant battle that uses more than 125.000 kilos of tomatoes chucked, squashed and splashed, turning everything into a red tomato sauce. Several trucks carry tomatoes in abundance in the Plaza del Pueblo. The tomatoes must be crushed before being thrown so as to reduce the risk of injury. The estimated number of tomatoes used are around 150,000. La Tomatina is held on the last Wednesday of August so if you go prepare for large crowds of Aussies and Yanks, and do wear old clothes. !
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Spain's Grapes of Wrath Festivals ! Wine is part of the daily meal and a delight at night, watching the sun go down. September onwards the harvests come in and every vineyard will celebrate their new wines. Often this will involve a ritual trampling of the grapes in a big tub that filters the juice, some traditional dancing and enjoying some of the previous years wines with some selected viands.! This is the type of fiesta held in La Mata in Slate August, las Tonillas, along with traditional dancing. !
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Other wine fiestas are more spectacular such as in the wine growing region of La Rioja when the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul on 29 June attract thousands to Haro. It's not just a tasting event, but a rowdy O l d p r e s s i n battle of throwing wine and drenching one another, locals agricultural gardens and visitors alike. ! of La Mata
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The wine fight starts the night before, on the evening before the 28th. This is the biggest party night that Haro sees involving the whole town, from children to grandparents, partying the night away in the town’s streets, bars and town squares. On the 29th those still on their feet, dressed in white, head for the hills about five kilometers away where cistern trucks full of wine supplies everyone with wine and battle begins, accompanied by musicians who get drenched as well. People are prepared with buckets, stirrup pumps, backpack containers with wine spraying hoses. After a few hours the fight descends the mountain and moves into the town, where the only battling is done with traditional dances and general revelry – the kind that can only be induced by hours of red wine poured down thirsty throats.! !June's main fiesta is around the summer solstice marked by St. John the Baptist feast on 24th. Granada combines the famous local ham with the pure water from the natural springs of Alpujarras. Weapons used in this battle is a red wine chucked by buckets, hose pipes and modern water guns. Midnight is the magic hour, not quite high noon, but the same effect - a shootout with water to soak anyone who crosses your path. Of course as the night progresses more than water is consumed along with slices of ham.! ! Another Rioja Wine Harvest at Logroùo with a great carnival procession around September 20 to offer the proceeds of the first harvest to La Rioja's patron saint. The grape juice is made by two men in traditional garb in a large wooden tub. While the men slave to provide a drink for the saint, the rest of the town is reveling that includes gastronomic tastings, live music concerts and bullfighting. !
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More Beer, dear?!
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Everyone knows about German and Austrian beer festivals and we have similar, though smaller events in Spain, many of them introduced by German residents and beer manufacturers. Calpe's Octoberfest is well established and attempts have been made to repeat the success in Orihuela Costa, Los Montesinos and Torrevieja. Rios Carniceria, butchers to you, have held one in their warehouse in the Torevieja industrial estate for many years accompanied by the usual selection of barbecued meats that the company produces.! Madrid in May provides a beer festival with music at the annual IPA Beer Festival in the middle of the month. ! ! A Bavarian Oktoberfest is held in early March in the leisure area of Alicante harbour - Volvo de Puerto de Alicante. A large marquee with predominantly blue and white colors of Bavaria houses the beer guzzling revellers who can enjoy a wide variety of Bavarian beers. It's a scene reminiscent of The Student Prince film with the song:!
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"Drink, drink, let the toast start! May young hearts never part! Drink, drink, drink! Let every true lover salute his sweetheart."!
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as there is the typical layout of long tables, benches, serving wenches, music and dancing. All accompanied by traditional sausages such as - Bratwurst, Frankfurt and Weisswurst. !
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! The first weekend of September is normally Barcelona's time to indulge in the best of Spanish beer. The Barcelona Maritime Museum is dedicated to the maritime culture with over 80 years of history. set in the building of the Royal Shipyards, on the city’s seafront at the foot of Montjuïc mountain. In mid-April a unique beer festival is held where you purchase your own festival glass and coins to be used, not to mention an informative 80-page booklet. This past one included non-alcohol beers, as well as drinks for coeliac sufferers. Its an easy place to get to and has wheelchair access and there is a limited capacity. Barcelona is one of the towns that now has a system of bicycles and there are several parking areas close by.!
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September is the month that Barcelona celebrates their patroness la Mercedes and during this time, beer lovers gather in Birasso to smell, taste and savor the texture of all types of beer available in the Spanish market. Birasso is part of the arty Pueblo Espanyol district, so combines all the good beer with engrossing live music performances by leading acts and art exhibitions. Apart from the normal beers served in bars you should expect to taste beers made by Freiburg, Cerveteca, Resistencia, and Ale and Hope among other brewers. ! aormi@icloud.com
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! Flour Power!
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A Flour battle that uses 100 kilos of flour began in 1988 when children pinched flour from their grannies and started throwing it at each o t h e r. T h i s h a s developed into an annual event held in mid-August in
Valdervejo, Cuenca. ! Probably the better known flour battle is nearer to home at Ibi on the Day of the Innocents, 28 December, Spain's equivalent to April Fools Day. The Els Enfarinats ('the coated with flour ones'). This fiesta is over 200 years old, when two rival groups battle for local power and today they control the town by appointing their own political leaders and pelt each other with eggs and flour..or anyone else who breaks the crazy laws proclaimed for the day., such as not walking in the shade or sunlight. It's noisy as well with lots of gunpowder fired off and firecrackers in the fun day. And it is only for one day that the Enfarinats seize power in a 'coup', "battering" trespassers with eggs and flour.!
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Mucky Meringue Mock fights! The Catalans are renowned for their chocolatiers and the amazing sculptures they create. In fact there are many different meals, especially cakes and pastries associated with different fiestas. But the people of Vilanova i la Geltrú near Barcelona take to the streets to throw meringue at each other. This tradition dates back to the 1940s just after the civil war when Franco forbade Carnival celebrations throughout Spain. The austerity associated with Lent was promoted, but the locals of this village didn’t take it too well and started a tradition of demonstrating on the Thursday before Lent, expressing their anger using sweets as their weapons. They still do it today, on the Saturday, when the whole town becomes a battlefield of white sticky meringue.!
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! ! ! Winter veg fest! !
Unfortunately artichokes are underrated by the British, but it is a very versatile vegetable and ideal on paella and tortilla as it adds a distinctive flavour. The peak of the artichoke season is at the beginning of the year and there is a corresponding festival for this humble vegetable.This takes place in Benicarlo, in the heart of Valencia each January, for a very specific reason. The artichokes grown at this location have been given a ‘Designation of Origin’ seal to mark their unique taste and quality, and if you visit at the time of the artichoke festival you’ll be spoiled for choice of ways to enjoy these vegetables, including ‘la torra’ where large quantities of artichokes are roasted over a bed of hot coals, or tender nutty tasting raw artichoke hearts in salads..!
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Snail Festival ! Spain and especially Catalonia and Valencia regions consider snails, or caracoles, a delicacy that find their way into various rice dishes. The snail festival is a way of the celebrating the culinary delights buried in mollusks. Indulging in these and then downing several glasses of sherry would be a bright way to embrace a fiesta Spain offers in May. The XXXV APLEC DEL CARAGOL Camps Elisis Lleida snail or caracol fiesta was held this year, now considered as a fiesta of National Tourist Interest. !
! ! ! Butiful Butifarra! !
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On the island of Mallorca, you’ll find that many restaurants serve ‘butifarra’, a sausage made from pork and various kinds of spices. Residents of the town of Saint Joan are particularly large fans of butifarra, so much so that they hold an entire festival dedicated to the sausage on the third Saturday in October! At the Fiesta de la Butifarra there will be numerous stalls offering freshly cooked butifarra as well as many other types of sausage, music, dancing and plenty of drink.!
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Crushing Your Nuts! Mallorca also uses almonds as an excuse to have a fiesta in February. Among the games people play is crushing your nuts, but don't get alarmed lads, as in this case its as many almonds as you can in a timescale of 30 minutes. Its a cheap, fun way to collect crushed almonds as the almonds are collected into baskets, separate from the husks. Of course there is also plenty of music, dancing, wining and dining.!
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Flaming Summer!
There is no doubt that Spain is an ideal climate for barbecues or barbies or BBQ, especially here on the Mediterranean coastline. I still never suss out why its a domain of men to cook on an outside grill, perhaps goes back to our ape ancestors? Especially nowadays when so much of the preparation is done beforehand in the kitchen..by the woman of the house.! Time for a joke- A customer at Carrefour was returning a disposable barbecue. When asked why she was returning the barbecue, she replied, 'There was no meat in in it.'The shop assistant patiently explained that the disposable barbecue was simply to cook the meat and it did not include any food. Whereupon, the customer looked very embarrassed indeed.! The assistant checked the receipt and asked: 'There are 3 barbecues on here, are you returning the other two as well?! 'I can't', said the woman, 'they are at home in the freezer'.!
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Seriously be careful of fire for even a small spark can set fire to a forest. !
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Firemen, police, medical services - 112 in an emergency only.!
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Spain on the internet
Torrevieja Outlook is an electronic magazine about living in Spain, and by no means the only one, and there are plenty of good internet sites providing useful information and advice for English speakers. One of the most outstanding that we can recommend is This is Spain.info - Steve is also behind several regional emags as Grapevine.! Not only does it provide excellently researched information, but has numerous easy to use links to other good places that are full of different aspects of living in Spain. Although the emphasis is on the Costa del Sol there's lots of information about Costa Blanca, Canaries, Balearics, Catalonia, hints on moving and living in Spain, book suggestions, sports, activities, opinions, language, property links, and suggestions for finding individual contacts who can help others settle in to Spain.! The basic idea behind ThisIsSpain.info is to provide information about Spain for anybody interested in Spain, whether you simply want to know a little about how the country “works”, or you have plans to move to Spain for a short or long period. It is the brainchild of entrepreneur Steve Hall, who many know as he lived in the Torrevieja area for several years and started exhibitions among other things.! Among useful connections is the HomeCareontheWeb, the property management division of HolidayRentalontheWeb,who have produced a free guide to making the most of your rental property called ‘Secrets of Successful Rentals’. Visit www.homecareontheweb.com and click on ‘Free Insider Guides’ to download it. ! There are now many online forums, newsgroups dedicated to Spain or a particular part of Spain and one rated very highly is The Spain Forum on the www.expatforum.com that strives to be a welcoming community where experienced ex-pats living in Spain offer first hand advice. The help offered may not be as pretty as the dream, but it is genuine and offered by caring members who want you to learn from their experiences and mistakes.! The Spain Forum is a true mix of members with interests in Spain. The mix includes those who are starting to think about emigrating and retiring, all the way through to members who have been enjoying the Spanish way of life for many years. Feel free to sign up and be a part of the community, you will enjoy it and learn from people in similar situations.! This Is Spain S.L. who are the owners of www.thisisspain.info are like us - that is fanatical about encouraging people to learn Spanish if they intend to stay in Spain for more than a holiday. They are delighted to have teamed up with Rocket Languages to offer a FREE 6 part Spanish mini-course which takes you through the basics. Obviously you are not going to be fluent after 6 short lessons and will at least be able to introduce yourself ask for help and order “the perfect coffee”but more advanced lessons are available.! aormi@icloud.com
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Carry on Cycling
! Steve Hall is the owner of ThisIsSpain and in the past few years Steve has undertaken cycle tours visiting football clubs en route and adding their team shirt to his collection that is sewed together to make the biggest football strip in the world. It has been a journey that has caused him a great deal of effort with lots of mishaps and personal injuries.He intends carrying on in 2015 and has this to say.!
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"In 2009 I was surfing the web and found a great story about a Norwegian, Bjørn Heidenstrøm, who was cycling from Oslo to South Africa in 2009/2010 (10 months of cycling through Europe/Africa!). I made contact and said, “Can I help?” I was enthusiastically welcomed. Quickly, I got sucked in to the project and was inspired by his commitment and his focus. Please visit his site and say “hei”. !
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I acted as his volunteer PR and back-up on that ride as he successfully completed that massive journey to raise awareness for the world’s 45 million refugees who have no home and little hope. His chosen partner was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees who have always given him tremendous support. The Guinness Book of Records confirmed it as the biggest shirt in the world! We received massive support from FIFA, UEFA and hundreds of clubs from the VERY biggest (Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool) to the most humble level 7 clubs in hamlets in deepest Latvia. We have also received support from celebrities such as Sir Elton John, Iron Maiden, Slade, The Liverpool Legends and many national football associations from Bhutan to Belgium, Ireland to Italy …….and everything/everybody in between! Please visit his site and say “hi”. You will see many of the shirts and supporters of this epic journey! Despite a hit-and-run incident which left me in hospital in Newcastle for four days and left my bike in two bin bags, I successfully completed the 92 grounds. Sadly I lost all my worldly possessions in a storage centre fire in Spain during the journey but four months after my first tricky mile I arrived in West Ham’s ground to tick off the last stadium. !
! ! A GREAT feeling!" ! ! ! ! ! aormi@icloud.com
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! ! Steve was collecting football shirts along the way and they were all sewn together to form the world’s biggest ever shirt which was on display during the World Cup in South Africa that summer.!
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aormi@icloud.com
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Inland Alicante Hondon de los Frailes Hondon de las Nieves by Dave Stewart
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The first time I visited the two small villages of Hondon was to see the hillside villa a friend had bought for his wife before he died of cancer. I thought to myself, “Bloody hell, there’s nothing here.” But since then there has been a steady build up of the population, especially by the British who have integrated nicely, bought businesses and participate in local fiestas as well as adding to the local lifestyle by our typical British clubs and associations such as Neighborhood Watch, Residents Association, Petanca, dance groups, and the British Legion. My thanks to Geoff Salter for his input.! Hondon de los Frailes owes its origins to the Dominicans who were endowed a parcel of land on 12 January 1916 located between Aspe and Novelda. There was a further division when Hondon de las Nieves was formed. The origins of the two towns is visible in the various religious connotations such as that of the devotion to the Virgen de la Salud (Our Lady of Good Health), which is the local church at los Frailes, which seems fitting for an agricultural area growing grapes, almonds and olives in the main, which are mostly marketed through a cooperative and bodega. The local vegetation is mainly made up of pine trees, holm oaks, kermes oaks and rosemary. The landscape clearly displays the traditional retailing walls for agriculture terraces, skilfully made with the dry stone techniques. This has led to a popular rambling route known as the Sendero de Jaime Barbudo that offers a great opportunity to discover all this natural and ethnological wealth. It’s just over ten kilometers considered to be of low to medium difficulty aiming for the the peak of San Cayetano and the hill of Sant Juri. Spectacular views accompany the walker and about half way up there is a viewpoint overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, even though it is about half an hour drive away. ! Bodega
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Hondon de las Nieves is near Aspe with summer time fiestas in August. These include activities and concerts with a medieval market. There is also a paella making competition as well as a traditional Romeria in honour of the Virgen de los Nieves. This small town has a lovely plaza in front of the town hall where you can still get a decent menu del dia. Hondon means ‘the bottom’ but I would imagine that the snow
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connection is actually derived from one of the oldest Church devotions with its own Roman legend dating from 352-366. The story of Our Lady of the Snows is that the mother of Jesus appeared to a childless couple in Rome and asked that they build her a chapel. They’d know the site for it because it would be covered with snow. On a hot August morning, Esquiline Hill was covered with snow in only one small area and six years later, the church honoring Our Lady of the Snows was built. It’s been reconstructed over the years, and is now known as the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Most Latin countries have some sort of cult dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows and there is a national shrine in USA. Robert Louis Stevenson has a poem dedicated to Mary under his title.! The image of the Virgen is supposed to have appeared in the hermitage dedicated to San Pedro de Hondon in 1418 and the townsfolk of Aspe decided she was to be called the Virgen de las Nieves and today is shared between the two places.!
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Hondon los Frailes has various fiestas throughout the year associated with nature such as San Anton on 17 January, Spain's patron saint for animals. Then the Thursday before Lent begins it is picnic day when people eat the traditional mona bread, though in other towns this is usually after Easter. Carnival parades are attracting the input from the expats as is a group that participates in the Semana Santa processions. San Isidro is patron of agriculture and his feast of 15th May has a celebration on the weekend nearest to the date with a romeria , music dancing, and of course eating local produce. The small town's main fiestas are this month on the last weekend of August with a carriage parade, flower offering, a wet run, music and revelry over the few days and the inevitable fireworks.!
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A disastrous Mediterranean cruise ! by Andy Ormiston
1767 - 2nd April‌ soldiers moved stealthily, surrounding colleges and houses of the Spanish Jesuits following a similar operation two nights previously in Madrid. Never had this type of action been carried out before with such secrecy, not even when the Jews or Moors had been expelled. This time it was another expulsion of all the members of the Society of Jesus whose members answered a knock at the door or a shouted request for the sacraments for a dying person. Once inside, the soldiers with bayonets at the ready, shepherded the priests and brothers, and even the novices and scholastics into a dining room or the compound where the proclamation of King Carlos III was read out announcing the deportation of all Spanish Jesuits. They were permitted to carry a change of clothing and their breviary for saying the daily prayers of the Church. Some were kept behind to organize the handing over of properties, libraries, recording any works of art and anything else of value, the King taking possession of everything apart from a bit that was to be used as a bi-annual pension that barely bought food. This pension was only for Spanish Jesuit priests and excluded any foreigners, brothers or novices. ! ! ! Already waiting in place at various ports ships awaited the Jesuits to take them into exile. Warships and hired merchant vessels were loaded to ferry them to the Civitavecchia states of
Jesuits expulsion from Spain 1767 aormi@icloud.com
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the Pope that were in existence. That was the plan, but the exodus became a terrible experience of being shunted around the Mediterranean, from island to island where no one wanted to receive such an influx of refugees. Over the centuries there are numerous stories of shiploads of refugees being refused entry into port, last month we wrote about the Stanbrook Saga. Their suffering being added to by the confinement of cramped ship quarters, bad hygiene, beset by fleas, spreading diseases, seasickness, shortage of food and water. And we still see it today as people from civil wars flee their homes, only desiring peace, work and a decent livelihood for their families and most rejected to spend their lives in uncertainty in refugee camps.! The reason for this particular article is the modern Jesuits are celebrating in August the restoration of their Order 200 years ago after it was banned by the then Pope under pressure from European governments and monarchs, especially the combined Bourbons who reigned in several countries. We have to see any political action in the context of its times and the Bourbons hated the Church and the authority wielded by the Pope, and as the Jesuits were considered to be "the Pope's men", because of their fourth vow of obedience to the Pontiff, as well as poverty, chastity and obedience to their superiors. The monarchs wanted complete authority over everything and everyone, including ecclesiastical matters. !
! The first Spanish college of the Jesuits! !
Going back a bit further in time. Five years after the Society was founded by St. Ignatius (1540), it authorized the founding of a school in Valencia. P. Jerome Domenech, Valencian Jesuit and former canon of the Cathedral, was the driving force behind the idea. Pope Paul III blessed the work and the "St. Paul School" or as it is now known "Instituto Luis Vives" was founded. Since then it has been closed several times by the political authorities With the advent of the Second Republic in 1931, the Jesuits in Spain had to leave their residences. In 1932 the school was seized by the state headquarters and became an Institute for workers and
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a ‘Normal School of Education’. During this period, parents of students created the "Mutua Valenciana de Cultura" that inaugurated the "Academy Ausias March" in April 1932, first located in St. Stephen Pl n ° 2, and the next course in the C / Orihuela No 30, where classes were taught by Jesuits Frs. Leon Parres, H. Planell, working as lay teachers, until the end of 1935-36.! After the war when Franco's army occupied Valencia, Jesuits returned to their former college. A huge renovation programme was undertaken as in all the schools and colleges there was bomb damage, mounds of earth to be moved, the chapels desecrated. The authorities officially handed the College over to Fr. Leon on 10 April 1939, whereby it was possible to start the school activity during 1939-40. On December 8, 1939 the feast of la Inmaculada was held once again and a new statue made, using the head recovered from the previous statue.!
Over the centuries there are numerous stories of shiploads of refugees being refused entry into port, their suffering being added to by the confinement of cramped ship quarters, bad hygiene, beset by fleas, spreading diseases, seasickness, shortage of food and water.
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But two centuries ago Jesuits were banned by the King Carlos III from writing about their exile, though several kept diaries and at least one kept in touch with his brother, a member of the royal court. These latter letters have been gathered together by a professor at Alicante University and published, but so far I have been unable to find a copy nor the name of the professor. Some of the diaries have been published or are in the process. ! The men suffered dreadfully during the sixty or seventy days it took them to reach Civitavecchia where they were not met with kind welcoming words, but by cannons. King Carlos only notified the Pope Clement XIII after the event and the Pope's reaction was that he could not cope with the present crowds of exiled Jesuits from France and Portugal, so refused to let the Spaniards disembark. The Spanish minister Grimaldi replied that the Jesuits would be forcibly abandoned in papal lands, whether the Pope wanted them or not. The king, however, refused to proceed on this assumption. An alternative plan was to send the exiles to the island of Elba, but in the end the decision was made to leave them on Corsica, which at the time was in a state of war. Three factions were involved in the island conflict: the republic of Genoa, which had sovereignty over Corsica; the rebel Paoli aormi@icloud.com
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forces fighting for independence; and France, which supported Genoa since the latter did not have the military forces needed to put down the uprising. The island was therefore a powder keg. The French would not let them land, so the ships sailed around the Corsican coast for several months, in the midst of summer heat, pestilence, and frequent storms. A number of Jesuits died on board ship. Eventually they did land and put in "detention centers� in Corsica between July and September of 1767 where they stayed for another year. They continued with the studies of the scholastic student priests, managing to keep a sense of community according to their various regional provinces.! New royal commissioners arrived to guard the Jesuits and prepare for other Jesuits arriving mainly from the Americas and Phillipines, a journey that had taken a year. In the meantime discussions between King Carlos and the Pope continued, until the Pope wilted and agreed to let the almost five thousand Spanish Jesuits stay in various Italian cities until 1773-74. The next Pope Clement XIV was elected due to pressure by the Bourbons, but only after he made a verbal commitment to suppress the Jesuits completely. Despite procrastinations this weak Pope suppressed the Society of Jesus by a Brief (important as it's not as binding as a Bull decree) in 1773. Playing a decisive role in this process was the Spanish ambassador, JosÊ Moùino, who was later rewarded by being made count of Floridablanca in Murcia where there are lovely gardens of this name. After forty years, during which the Society was preserved only in Poland and White Russia, it was restored by Pius VII on August 7th, 1814, when he published his Bull entitled "Sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum". In 1801, a year after his election, the Pope had already given his approval for the existence of the Society within the borders of Russia; in 1804 he extended that permission to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. ! The Jesuits are a bit like a bouncing ball and returned, which is what the Spanish Jesuits will be celebrating on 7th August. There were various reasons why the Jesuits incurred the wrath of the European countries, but that is a separate issue from this article, which deals solely with the Spaniards' exile. !
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Interestingly an important part of the work of the modern Jesuits is the international Jesuit Refugee Service, the brainchild of Spanish Jesuit Pedro Arrupe who was horrified at the plight of the Vietnam boat people. The motivation for this arm of the Jesuit apostolate is found in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius written four hundred years ago - to see people "so diverse in dress and behaviour: some white and others black, some in peace and others at war, some weeping and others laughing, some healthy and others sick, some being born and others dying" (St Ignatius, Spiritual Exercises). The present pope is the first Jesuit to have been elected as pope and on his election, other cardinals jokingly proposed the name of Clement.!
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A White Night, Mite? Wots that? !
A popular end of summer party on the Costa Blanca is what is known as a White Night Party where everyone dresses in white clothes. Often it is in the open air such as the one that is held every year on the Torrevieja harbor walkway, and so far they have enjoyed good weather to make the most the open air.! As a party there is always food, drink, music and dance, with lots of frivolity. So bring out the cricket gear, dear, or the tennis outfit still unworn, and get out and enjoy a white party among your friends. We can’t promise that Elvis will turn up.! aormi@icloud.com
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! Torrevieja Cultural Programme August! ! ! Some extracts from the Programme:! Saturday 2 August: The Municipal Theatre, Zarzuela - “Luisa Fernanda”.! —La Mata plaza Habaneras Concert! Sunday 3 August: the Municipal Theatre, a local dramatisation of "The Mayor of Zalamea".! Monday 4th - ABBA 40 The Musical! Thurs. 7th Flamenca Show in Municipal Theatre.! 7 -15 Fiestas of San Roque & Santa Ana.! Friday 8 August: in the Eras de la Sal, the second edition of “Torrevieja Fishing Reggae Fest” music festival. ! Saturday 9 August: At the Eras de la Sal, a performance by Spanish singer, India Martinez.! —La Mata Verbena of the los Toneles.! Sunday 10 - ASILA concert Municipal Theatre.! Tues. 12 - Municipal Theatre - Peter Pan Musical! Wed. 13 - Municipal Theatre - Peter Pan Musical! Thursday 14 August: At the Eras de la Sal, the children's show "Drilo Tours”.! —Electromar Music Festival - Antonio Soria Park! Friday 15: in Municipal Theatre, a concert by the “Camera de Colonia” Chamber Orchestra.! Sunday 17 - Municipal Theatre Soul Dance ‘La Reina de a Sal’.! Tuesday 19 - Ballet of Cossack in Municipal Theatre! Wednesday 20: International pop group “Kool and the Gang” will appear at the Eras de la Sal arena.! —Chenoa in Concert in Municipal Theatre.! Friday 22 - GODSPELL - Municipal Theatre! — Virgen del Carmen - Marilu dance musical! Saturday 23: At the Eras de la Sal, Bertín Osborne and Arévalo, present the comedy film "Class act in crisis." ! — Lucentum Ensemble Concert - Palace of Music! Sunday 24: the Municipal Theatre,“Michael: The legend” (about Michael Jackson).! — La Mata plaza Brainfood Soundsystem Reggae! Tuesday 26 August: The XIII International Band Festival will commence at 21:00 with a street parade leading to the first show in the Municipal Theatre, featuring the musical “Remembering Nino Bravo”. Continues until 30 August with the same parades. Organized by the “Salineros” Music Society with special tribute to the music of Nino Bravo. !
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EXHIBITIONS!
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Right through to the 6th September in a large marquee in the fairground area an excellent exhibition ¡Erase Una Vez El Habla!! ONCE UPON A TIME - HE SPOKE!! traces the origins of communication, not only of man but nature in general. It is remarkable how human communication has grown in the past thirty years with the use of internet and social media. This exhibition tours Spain throughout the year and is in Spanish with some interactive panels!
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12 August at 21:30 at the Cala de Higueras on the Torrevieja coast the observation of the annual falling stars known as The Tears of San Lorenzo or Las “Perseidas”.! !
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15 August - 7 September - Sculpture and Art Exhibition of artist Aitor Alonso Cayuelas in VistaAlegre exhibition centre. He was born in early 1990 in Torrevieja, but today due to his studies in the Bachelor of Fine Arts, lives in Altea. Part of his background in entering the world of art, was his involvement in graffiti in early 2001. Currently combining his studies at the faculty with the creation of personal pictures, sculptures, commissions, murals, design and decoration of premises and homes. At the moment, his work has grown in the field of art with all kinds of technical and innovations in his work, giving each piece an innovative twist on time and the characteristic of its parts.! aormi@icloud.com
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San Fulgencio Heroes Its a great thing that communities recognize the work and achievements of their members and on 11 July the people of San Fulgencio, including La Marina urbanization, honored some of those neighbors nominated in various categories - Child of Courage,Fundraiser of the Year, Sports Achievement Award, Parent/Guardian of the Year, Student of the Year, Teacher of the Year, Bravery Award, Emergency Services Award, Good Neighbour Award, Special Recognition Award. A wonderful night in the Cardinal Belluga Theatre was sponsored by several local businesses, well organized by a dedicated team and judges, with entertainment by the beautiful and talented Shani Ormiston. Funds of over 1,100 euros were raised for the AEEC and gratefully collected by Maria and her Pink Ladies.! The citizens of La Marina and San Fulgencio have a lot to proud of with so many selflessly dedicated people among them.!
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From 12 to 14 September: An “Instagram” Mobile devices Photography Congress with Exhibition will take place at the Municipal Theatre. MOWO are exhibitions, workshops, talks, round table discussions, photowalks, excursions, children's activities, competitions, prizes, fun, music, fiesta and photography..and lots of other surprises. Rules:! 1). New photographs using mobile devices combined with their appropriate apps. ! 2). Follow @mowo_es in Instagram and mention @mowo_es in the title of the photo.! 3). Use three labels #mowo2014, #mowocostablanca and #torrevieja2014.! 4). Free choice of theme.! 5). Photos to be presented between 21 July to the 21st August at 23:59 Spanish peninsular time.! 6). A jury of MOWO will choose 100 photographs. !
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Saturday 13 September: A concert performed by the “Ars Aetheria" Symphony Orchestra of Torrevieja will take place within the International Auditorium Hall.!
Park of Nations 30 July - 3rd August, party in the park in honour of San Emigdio, co-patron of Torrevieja.! 31 July - 21:00 opening with disco, dancing, bar, and raffle.! 1 August - 21:30 - disco dancing! 2 August - 19:00 children party time! followed at 21:30 with dance! 3 August - 20:00 Eucharist at San Emigdio chapel in the park, with procession of the image to Calvario district and a firework display.!
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21 Sept. Memory Walk in aid of the Alzheimers Association AFA - so get your walking shoes on.
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