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when September comes...

We’ve managed to survive the heat and excitement of the summer and are now looking forward to the cooler months ahead of us. The temperatures will still be good enough to enjoy a nice coffee in a secluded plaza somewhere whilst reading through our magazine.

This month we visit the village of Lliria on page 10 to sample some of the delights of one of the Valencian Community’s many beautiful pueblos. We bring the usual news, reviews, albums, films, sport and also the best of the rest of the local area. With Scotland playing Spain in the Euro 12 qualifiers later next month, we pitch two real legends against each other in I heart Valencia on page 6, Lia takes us through another of her wonderful recipes on

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page 24, and we’ve gone all interactive for the coming school year on page 17.

For those of you new to Valencia and/or new to inVLC, we hope that you find what you hold in your hands a useful introduction. We take pride in working hard to bring you everything you need and providing you with interesting and original content.

Please remember to ‘like’ us on Facebook and also to ‘follow’ us on our recently created Twitter page to keep yourself up-to-date with what’s going on around you. And, of course, enjoy the read!

Andy, Kelly & Sean

A lo largo de esta revista encontrarás distintos niveles de dificultad indicados en la parte superior de cada página y recuadros con vocabulario debajo del texto. Para la pronunciación hemos incluido la fonética.

about us inVLC is for all people in the community of Valencia: whether born here, visiting for a day, or living a new life in the sun.

We hope to guide you on what’s going on in the community, help those living in it, and support language learning with a bit of added fun.

Translations Clara and Javier Photos Marcin (cover) & Lia (fiesta) Contact information email invlceditor@gmail.com phone 639 740 746 - English speakers phone 628 831 400 - Spanish speakers facebook inVLC If you have any thoughts, comments or complaints or want to advertise, please email or phone us.

Important numbers & Embassies / consulates Fire | 080 Local police | 092 Medical | 061 General | 112 French | 96 351 0359 USA | 96 351 6973 British | 96 521 60 22 Dutch | 96 341 4633 German | 96 310 62 53 Legal chat We do our very best to strive for accuracy in this magazine but we cannot accept responsibility for unintentional errors or omissions, accuracy of advertisements or contributors’ opinions. We aim at all times not to offend. depósito legal V-816-2006 We use CreatorSilk paper It’s chlorine free & the wood used is from sustainably managed forests. We do this because we’re nice & want to reduce our environmental impact.

index 4 5 6 9 10 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

The latest You asked, we listened we've been busy Hotspots Free in Valencia is at the port I heart Valencia is fighting it out Holidays and fiestas are all for love Valencia Community we visit Lliria Restaurant of the month is spicy Shop of the month angels at work Let's talk Expat life! Eoghan is reviewing his experience Map Talking teaching is technologically advanced Art & culture Music hot new musical releases Live events only the best make it to the list Sport hot news The cinema v.o releases in Valencia Read me Iain loves his books Your photos of 'laughter' Lifestyle Recipe Lia is on the salads Green Declan is growing his own Artist Terry Hampton paints the view Art to see visits 2 great exhibitions A day in the life Laura hits the markets Cocktails are ice cold Animal it's a slow mover at number 30 Events & classifieds keeps you in the know

15/09/1890. UK. Birthdate of Miss Marple & Hercule Poirot creator, Agatha Christie. She's the world's best selling crime author with 4 billion books in 103 languages. Poirot is the only fictional character to be given an obituary in the NY Times.

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inVLC on...

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You asked, we listened

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hank you to all of those readers who have taken the time to give us feedback on inVLC. We love getting your emails, calls and even letters! And we've taken on some of your suggestions.

Remember to tell your friends so they know too!

Delivery locations As this is a magazine for the Valencian Community and the city, Get your copy of inVLC from: Olocau Alborache we now deliver to even more places than before! Find us at 70 L'Eliana Alboraya locations in 24 Community towns and 75 city locations!

Montroy Alcoy Montserrat Calicante Delivery dates Pedralba Casinos Our monthly delivery is on the 15th of the month, except in the Puzol Chiva Summer when we produce two 6-week editions.

Real de Montroy Chulilla If you can't find a copy, remember we also put all back copies of Ribaroja Concetaina the magazine online at www.issuu.com/invlceditor Torrent Domeño Turis El Puig Community content Valencia Lliria You asked us for all the community fiestas & public holidays too.

Villamarxant Llombai We now print a list of all fiestas in the Valencian Community, plus a few over the border in Alicante and Castellon (page 9).

If you have or know of any events, let us know and we'll tell the rest of the Community.

We also update Facebook inVLC with events & exciting news - 'like us' to receive the latest!

You asked for local information about events in the Community.

We now print the times and locations of the rastros (page 31).

We also print the days of the markets (page 31).

And we promote lots of Community events in the classifieds, and many different art exhibitions (page 26).

You asked us to highlight places to visit in the Community.

We cover a town in the Community every month (page 10).

You asked us to be involved in the Community.

We continue to support a community charity, P.E.P.A (page 30).

We also support local artists and businesses (pages 12, 13 & 26).

You told us that you always get lost in the city but never have a map.

We now print a handy city map (page 17).

16/09/1857. US. 'Jingle Bells' is copyrighted under the title 'One Horse Open Sleigh' in Boston. Originally penned for Thanksgiving rather than Christmas it tells the tale of sleigh races on Salem Street in Medford, Massachusetts.

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ant to see the Valencian Community on the cheap? Every month we'll list some great spots where you can enjoy Spanish culture, nature and good, low cost fun. This month we'll be: 1| eyeing up the local graffiti. It might not be to everyone's taste, but there is no denying that a lot of the work in El Carmen is eye-catching.

2| visiting the port, to listen to the mesmerising sounds of the boats in the breeze, to smell the fresh sea air, and to enjoy a beer in the harbour.

3| heading out to see the Queen's Baths, Baños de la Reina in Calpe. If you believe local legend, these are the Roman remains of the natural sea baths, which the Queen used after travelling through hidden tunnels from her palace.

Graffiti (from Greek graphein - to write) is a controversial 'art' form.

The earliest form of graffiti goes back to 30,000 BC when cave paintings of hunting and of animals were made by our ancestors. Evidence of Roman graffiti in Egypt has also been found with love declarations, poems and political content.

Modern graffiti includes large conceptual works, tagging (writing a name), stenciling, or using stickers (which are removable).

Banksy, the world's best known

graffiti artist, famous for his satirical comments on society, has moved from vandal to bona fide artist with exhibitions resulting in huge sales.

In a sign of changing perspectives, Lliria is currently holding a competition for young graffiti artists to present their ideas in order to win public space for their work, and entire buildings in Valencia are newly adorned.

Historical graffiti educates us on the culture & education from those times.

What will todays graffiti say about the values and concerns of our era?

17/09/1967. US. The Who place explosives in their drum kit to set off at the end of a live TV performance. The bang almost blew up the studio while shrapnel flew into Keith Moon's arm and Pete Townshend's hair was badly singed. Rock'n'Roll.

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Free/cheap in Valencia

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I heart Valencia

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very month we pitch something from the wonderful world of Valencia up against something from elsewhere. With Scotland heading to Spain to play football we thought we'd pitch up two of the most famous people to have ever come from their respective lands. This month sees Sir William Wallace of Scotland aka Braveheart go up against Spain’s Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar aka El Cid Campeador.

Round d 1| 1| Background Bac ackg k ro r und & Family Sir William Will lli m Wa llia ll W Wall all lla ace (or Uilliam Uallas in Scottish Gaelic) Wallace was a Scottish knight who became instrumental instrum in the Wars of Scottish Independence. There is no n concrete evidence in terms of his actual birth date, date with dates ranging between 1260-1278. His father may have been Sir Malcolm Wallace, a Welshman who came to Scotland to serve under King David I or Alan Wallace, a landowner who appeared on The Ragman’s Role and was a loyal subject to Edward I. There is a commonly held view that he was born in Elderslie, Renfrewshire, just outside Glasgow.

El Cid was born in 1043 in Vivar, a small village in Castille not far from the capital Burgos. His father was a courtier, bureaucrat and cavalryman and his mother was known to have been from an aristocratic background.

He married Jimena Díaz in 1075 after being apparently enamoured by her incredible beauty. They had three children; his two daughters married into nobility and his son died in battle fighting invading Muslims in 1097.

WINNER – Draw Round 2| Fights At the Battle of Stirling Bridge on September 11, 1297, William Wallace beat the Earl of Surrey. King Edward’s treasurer Hugh Cressingham was apparently captured, killed and then stripped of his flesh, a long strip of which Wallace used to decorate his sword. This event kick-started Wallace's retaliation invasion of England and he and his army managed to get as far south as York before being turned back. He returned to Scotland laden with riches and was knighted by the man he believed to be his true King: John Balliol. He was eventually betrayed by the Scottish nobles loyal to King Edward and was taken to London for trial and execution.

In 1057 El Cid beat the Moors in Zaragoza. In 1063 he fought against Cinca, in Zaragoza in the Battle of Graus. It was during this battle that he beat an Aroganese knight in single combat, earning him the nickname of Campeador (champion). He fought Emir Abdullah of Granada in the Battle of Cabra in 1079; which led to his exile. He is thought to have led a large Moorish force in the Battle of Sagrajas in 1086. Then he commanded a ChristianMoorish army capturing Ramón Berenguer of Barcelona in 1090 and then laid siege to Valencia, eventually capturing it in 1094.

WINNER – El Cid - Pure tenacity!

Round 3| Monuments & Statues A large statue of El Cid can be found in Plaza de España right here in Valencia, where he sits atop a horse with his spear held proudly over his head. There is also another famous statue in Burgos, where his body is buried. The monument was inaugurated in 1955 and was sculpted by Juan Cristobál González. There is also one more in The California Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco.

19/09/1975. UK. First edition of Fawlty Towers is shown on the BBC. Manuel's character of the ever-enduring waiter from Barcelona was altered to Paolo from Italy in the Spanish dubbed version and Manuel from Mexico in Catalan.

Wallace has a monument at the summit of Abbey Craig – a hilltop near Stirling called the National Wallace Monument. The monument was completed in 1869 as part of a resurgence of Scottish national identity and was partly funded by Giuseppe Garibaldi. It cost £18,000. There is a 246-step spiral staircase to the top of the 67-metre tower and, inside, various artifacts, such as Wallace’s sword, can be found. Abbey Craig was thought to be where Wallace watched the gathering of Edward I’s troops before the Battle of Stirling Bridge. Another (albeit smaller) statue was built by mason Tom Church in 1996 after the film Braveheart was released. The statue, called ‘Freedom’ is repeatedly vandalized by locals and has been called both “amongst the most loathed pieces of public art in Scotland” by the Independent and a “lump of crap” by a disgruntled local. It is, however, popular with tourists.

WINNER – Wallace (a full on monument at Abbey Craig and a terrible one in Stirling, El Cid’s are all fairly middle of the road really!)

Round 4| Death Wallace was betrayed by a Scottish knight called John de Menteith, who turned him over to Edward I’s forces.

He was tried for treason on 5 August 1305 to which he famously said: “I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject.” He was then stripped naked, dragged through the city by a horse, strangled by hanging but released alive, drawn & quartered, castrated, eviscerated and his bowels were burnt. He was then beheaded, cut into four parts, his head was dipped in tar and placed on a pike on top of London Bridge. The rest of his limbs were displayed separately in Newcastle upon Tyne, Berwickupon-Tweed, Stirling & Aberdeen.

©Basilio

El Cid

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Valencia came under attack by the Almoravids. During a fight with one of the men, El Cid was pierced through the heart by an arrow and died in battle. Legend has it that his wife – Jimena – strapped his dead body to his horse and sent him into battle to boost morale. The battle was won, but she fled to Burgos with his body where it can now be found at the centre of Burgos Cathedral.

WINNER – Wallace for suffering all that.

Round 5| Legacy William Wallace is a widely celebrated Scottish hero and has been the subject of many novels, stories and poems for centuries by writers like Sir Walter Scott. Wallace’s defiant stand against the English crown eventually led to the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath, which gave Scotland its independence in 1320. Mel Gibson’s film Braveheart (written by Randall Wallace), despite a number of historical inaccuracies, revived the legend of Wallace again in 1995 winning five academy awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

El Cid was loved by Christians & Muslims alike and managed to forge a relationship with both sides during times when they were often viciously opposed. He has been portrayed in a countless number of books, poems, art and even operas. Most famously, he was portrayed

by Charlton Heston in the 1961 film El Cid. He has been celebrated in many paintings, one of which – Las Hijas del Cid can be seen in the Diputación de Valencia located on Plaza Manises.

WINNER – Wallace for his international fame.

Sir William Wallace

OVERALL W WINNER 3.5 - 1.5 William Will Wallace!

His life was hard, his death was harder, and he's loved all round the world. wo What a guy!

20/09/1946. France. 1st Cannes film festival takes place. Originally set up in 1939 to oppose the fascist-orientated film festival in Venice, it had to be cancelled due to the outbreak of war. The first festival attracted 300 fans.

First certificate

I heart Valencia

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Learn Better with the British Council

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alencia is busy preparing itself for the big national and local holidays which take place in October.

Remember that 7- 9 October National holidays National Day of Valencia A full day of will mean fewer buses, excitement, costumes and marching. and most shops, banks th 7 7.30pm El Palau de la Música. Concierto Día, and supermarkets a free concert by the Municipal band of Valencia. will be closed. th 8 - midnight - Fireworks near Puente Las Flores.

9th - 11.30am Plaza Ayuntamiento. Speeches, Anthem, and the ceremonial lowering of the flag.

A procession to Jaume II in el Jardin del Parterre stopping at the Cathedral for 'Te Deum' (a hymn of praise).

The flag will then be taken to the History Museum, and a 12 October - National Day of Spain & Day of Armed forces mascletà will take place in Plaza Ayuntamiento.

These are mostly celebrated in Madrid, combined 4pm Plaza de la Virgen, traditional dancing. together with processions with important political figures 5pm Centre, Moors & Christians procession, followed by and armed forces displays. a mascletà.

9 October - St. Dyonisius A day of love and passion.

Men offer their female favourites (including their mothers) a Mocadorà (a handkerchief with a marzipan fruit or vegetable-shaped sweet tied inside). The tradition is to keep the handkerchief after devouring the tasty & occasionally phallic treat.

In the community and the neighbouring towns | 15-31 Sept 15| Higueruelas, Santísimo Cristo de la Piedad, Càrcer, Virgen de Gracia 16| Beniarjó, Canals, Feria de Septiembre, Càrcer, Santísimo Cristo de la Agonía, Sedaví, Ibi (Ali) 19| Albalat dels sorells, Fiesta del Santísimo Cristo, Bellús, Santos de la Piedra, Quart de les Valls, Cristo de la Agonía, Ibi (Ali), Chilches, Día de Almas (Cast) 21| Anna, Ráfol de Salem, El Salvador.

22| Anna, Atzeneta D’lbaida, Bellreguard, San Miguel, Benicàssim, Santo Tomás de Villanueva (Cast), Puebla de Arenoso, Virgen del Loreto (Cast), Soneja, Festividad del Santísimo Cristo de la Sangre (Cast) 23| (San miguel) Algar de Palancia, San Pedro Nolasco, Atzeneta D’Albaida, Bellreguard, Gátova, Santísimo Cristo de la Misericordia, L'Alqueria D’asnar (Ali), Altura (Cast), Soneja (Cast) 26| Massamagrell, Virgen del Rosario, L'alqueria D’asnar (Ali), Altea, (Ali), Almenara (Cast) 27| Altea, (Ali) 28| Cotes, San Isidro Labrador

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Holidays and parties

12 October - Feast Day of Our Lady of the Pillar Mary is the Patroness of Spain. She is called Our Lady of the Pillar as she appeared on the 2 January 40AD to James the Greater (one of the 12 apostles of Jesus) at one of his low moments.

She gave him a pillar with angels and an image of the Mother on top, and he was instructed to build a church on that spot. This church was to provide support for others who are feeling low.

29| (San Miguel) Massamagrell: San Juan Apóstol, Carrícola, Catarroja, Cotes, Enguera, Jalance, Llíria, Massamagrell, San Juan Apóstol, Puebla de San Miguel, Tous, Viver (Cast) 30| Burjassot, Virgen de la Cabeza, Enguera, Virgen de Fátima, Llíria, Tous, San Miguel Arcángel, Planes (Ali) 1-15 October 3 (San Francisco de Borja) Benirredrá, Gandia 3 & 4 Náquera, Virgen de la Encarnación, San Francisco, Sella, La Virgen de la Divina Aurora (Ali) 4 La Granja de la Costera, San Francisco de Asís 7 Domeño, Día de la Municipalidad, (Virgen del Rosario) Dos Aguas, Pobla de Vallbona, Albaida, Alfauir, Olocau, Almassora (Cast) 10 Foios, La Vall D’uixó, Festividad de la Sagrada Familia (Cast) 11 Benicolet, Navarrés, Festividad del Cristo 13 Bonrepòs i Mirambell 13 & 14 (Santa Bárbara, San Honorato) Vinalesa, Vinalesa 14 La Pobla Llarga, San Calixto, Carcaixent, San Bonifacio, Villalonga, Divina Aurora.

15 Teresa, Santa Teresa (Cast) Courtesy of www.Docv.Gva.Es

All information correct at time of print. Check with the local tourist information when making plans.

21/09/1779. US. Spanish troops take Baton Rouge from the British and open up the Mississippi River as a supply line for the Spanish for food and ammunition as far north as Ohio. A major event in the American Revolutionary War.

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Valencia community | Llíria

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s the last stop on the #1 metro line (the yellow line), it's very easy to journey to this little town steeped in history. Its position made it a key location for settlers, with the Iberians establishing themselves here, followed later on by the Romans. This makes it a very interesting place to visit for those who enjoy seeing the well preserved past nestling comfortably with the present.

Liria, or Llíria (in Valencian) is inland 25kms north west of Valencia. In Iberian times it was called Edeta.

The Iberian settlement was on top of the hill and this was destroyed by the Romans in 76BC, who then moved the town down the hill to its current location. It was a very important location under Roman rule and their presence has been left behind through many treasures and ruins. The ruins include temples and baths, both inside and outside of the town, and can be visited either privately or on independent tours. They are particularly demonstrative of how important the town was at that time.

The discoveries include the largest find of coins in Spain from the 1st and 3rd centuries, called the Treasure of the Calle Duque of Lliria, ceramics, and even a replica of 'The twelve labours of Hercules' mosaic which can be found at the local museum.

We arrived, by coincidence, on market day when bustling lines of stallholders were selling their various goods to the throngs of locals which, I always feel, raises a wonderful feeling of activity and life to little towns. Once the market finished, just before siesta time, the centre cleared out and the only movement to be had was that of the street cleaners busily getting rid of all evidence of the previous few hours' activity. The town is filled with great little bars, cafes and restaurants, and siesta hour is a great opportunity to find a cosy place to treat yourself to a café bombón and a selection of local biscuits. Gastronomically, this town is rich with local food which are all worth sampling and are made from the produce of the farms surrounding the town. They specialise in orchard fruits, vegetables, pastries and sausages with large celebrations of their foods in the September and November months.

The tourist information is incredibly helpful, and they should be the first spot to visit for a map of the local top spots and tour routes. It is in the Plaza Major, neighbouring the town hall and the imposing Iglesia de la Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. The church is unmissable with its Baroque, intricate carvings built into the deep red stone which depicts the triumph of the church over paganism.

Armed with our maps we headed into the old city, some reasonably steep streets climbing upward to the location of the Iglesia de la Sangre and the Museo Arqueológico.

The museum has a fascinating video which shows the history of the town, which in itself was worth the small entry fee, and the shelves are brimming with various artefacts from local discoveries.

Next-door is the Iglesia de la Sangre, the first church built in Llíria which was built on the site of a mosque in 1238 by King Jaime 1 of Aragon and gives a great view of the town. For the price of €1.20 you can pop into the Romanesque and gothic constructions to look at the intricate 13th century blue wall paintings, the hand-painted ceiling of plants, mythological animals and scenes from the medieval world. Climb up the solid stairs to take a closer view of the work, and enjoy the peace.

Outside the city is el parque de Sant Vicent, which, intriguingly, includes a Roman temple dedicated to nymphs. The park is reachable by bike, bus or car, and there are many bike and hiking routes around the area. As we were running short of time we chose to leave this for another day, already sure we would make another visit.

Liria fact file Population | 22.441 (2008) Patron | San Miguel Km to Valencia | 25km Places of interest | Iglesia de la Sang El Parque de Sant Vicent Fiestas | 29 April, Romería of San Vicente Ferrer, 29 Sept Saint Michael Useful info | Tourist info | 96 279 15 22 Mon-Sun 10am-2pm lliria@touristinfo.net Market day | Thursdays

22/09/1980. Iran. President Saddam Hussein of Iraq orders his troops into Iran over a long-standing feud over country boundaries. This led to 8 years of fighting in which Iraq used chemical weapons and many lives were lost.

The town is also known as the City of Music and is the musical capital of the area due to the passion that the locals have for their local bands. If you have the chance, try to visit when the bands are playing to witness the locals doing what they do best: entertaining and having fun.

The Centro Social del Ateneo Musical Banda Primitiva www.bandaprimitiva.org and the headquarters of the Unión Musical de Llíria www.unionmusicaldeliria.com regularly play local musical masterpieces.

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Car | CV35. Takes 30 mins Bus | Edetania bus. Takes 1 hour, roughly every hour. www.edetaniabus.com.

Metro | Line 1. 40 mins.

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What struck us most about the town though, was just how friendly the locals were to us. From simple smiles in the street to actively stopping us and directing us when we were quite clearly lost, the people here made us feel welcome.

Don't forget that Spainsburys has also now just reopened in the town under the new ownership of Neil and Dina. So, if you fancy having something from the UK why not have a look at their products if you're in the area. There's bound to be something to tempt you.

Check with the tourist information or www.lliria.es for prices and times of local places of interest.

23/09/1994. The story of Andy Dufresne and Red taken from the Stephen King book 'Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption' is released. How this film was beaten by Forrest Gump at the Oscars is anyone's guess.

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Valencia community | Llíria

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Restuarant | Dhaba

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ust a quick walk from Mercado Central, behind the church facing La Lonja, on C/ de Belluga, you’ll find not just the wonderful Don Juan de Villarrasa plaza complete with fountain and all, but a wonderful taste of India in the form of Dhaba restaurant.

I had heard about the restaurant and came across it purely by chance when trying to negotiate my way through El Carmen looking for a completely different place, where I had arranged to meet a friend. It was a nice little find. I’d been craving a curry for over a year and the other restaurants in Valencia and the surrounding areas were sadly lacking.

Owner Dhani has been in Valencia for over nine years and, before that, plied his trade in various restaurants and cocktail bars in London. Lively, friendly, and willing to help when you’re not sure what to order, it was a warm welcome into a new environment.

The interior of the restaurant, designed by Dhani himself, is modern and well lit with just the right amount of tables and chairs for it not to feel too crowded. This also allows for an intimate atmosphere for those wanting to treat somebody to that romantic meal for two.

A portion of tapa will set you back around €6/7, whereas a curry will cost around €10. A doble & small tapa costs about €2.50 and the selections of wine and beer on offer are from the local area. I was particularly surprised to find that it stocked local, Valencian beer Tyris and new arrival Vipa (Valencian Indian Pale Ale), which are quite hard to come by.

You’ve not just got the restaurant either, it's possible to pop along for a few cañas and a couple of tapas out on the terrace – as splendid place as any to have a beer on a nice warm, Valencian afternoon. At night, after dinner, you can stay for a tasty cocktail from the long list on offer.

A 'Thali' or Menu del Día will cost about €10 per head and is perfect for those who aren’t sure exactly what to order and prefer a ‘bit of everything’ approach. It’s also the perfect opportunity to sample a range of different, typical Hindu dishes. There are four different 'Thalis': fish, vegetarian, chicken & lamb. At night-time menu will set you back €16 and includes a starter, a main course, a dessert or café and a bottle of the house wine.

Pl. Don Juan de Villarasa, 6 (B).

Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm Tues - Sat 12.00-16:00 Mon - Sat 20:00-close +34 963 910 019 www.dhaba.es 24/09/1936. US. Birthdate of the Muppets' creator Jim Henson. With Kermit, Miss Piggy, Beaker, The Count, The Swedish Chef, Waldorf and Statler and of course Animal entertaining us every week, how could they go wrong? MANAMANA!!

Shop | Angelitos Negros

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They explained to me that the workshops are completely customised to the requirements of the people attending, anything from structural repairs to varnishing and painting.

Some people come to learn how to restore one item, which takes about a month of workshops, and some people come to learn about the general area of restoration. “You can’t place a time on how long it takes to learn everything about restoration. Every piece is different, all the time you come across new challenges you’ve never dealt with before.”

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ucked away in the tiny alleyway behind Calle de La Paz there’s a fascinating little furniture shop with more to it than meets the eye. From the outside Angelitos Negros looks almost like a cross between an antiques boutique and a vintage toy shop, but, in the back, it opens up into an enormous working studio where the lovely folks who manage the shop run customized workshops for learning about object restoration.

Antonio, one of two extremely friendly people who run the shop, showed me around. They mainly sell objects from the 70s, furniture and toys, and separately they sell chemicals and tools for use in restoration. He explained t that everything they sell has been c collected, purchased and restored by t apart from some of the Lego. them, I saw a Lego man leaning back with a bottle of beer in his hand - clearly someone has a sense of humour.

He then showed me the giant workshop in the back; around the outsides were pieces of all descriptions in the middle of restoration. Lola, his colleague, was in the middle of working on a giant painting. “We do a lot of restoration work as well; this one is for the church.” Antonio added: “Here we do a little bit of everything, you know?”

“Sometimes people contract us to fix something up for them and I know right away that the cost of doing so will be far greater than the value of the item. But that doesn’t matter at all, because, to them, this thing really means something special.” Lola told me.

You can tell within minutes of talking to Antonio & Lola that they are deeply passionate about this kind of work.

This is not just a job; restoration is clearly something they love. The workshop has actually been operating restoring pieces for over 12 years, but they just acquired the store front last year. They also have some people who hunt out pieces for them to acquire and restore, but, apart from that, the business is entirely run by just the two of them.

Ask in store for more details about the workshops.

There’s an average of about 12 people per workshop and although the timetable is flexible they normally run them on Tuesday and Thursday mornings or afternoons. They are in Spanish, but Lola assured me that there’s always someone attending who is happy to translate.

Rich Nolan

Everyone who attends will need at least one item to work on, but, if you don’t have something, then Antonio and Lola can find one for you. For most people restoration is about fixing pieces of great sentimental value.

LOVELY SELF CONTAINED DOUBLE WITH EN-SUITE 8Km outside of Cheste, ideal for the Moto GP & Touring Cars at The Circuito Ricardo Tormo

Available daily at only 25€ For more information e-mail: rentalapartment-info@yahoo.co.uk or see more on our website at: www.cheste-apartmentrental.com

Calle Bonaire, 16 Bajo.

Mon-Fri 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm Sat 10am-2pm +34 96 351 35 77 www.anangelitosnegros.blogspot.com angelitos.negros@yahoo.es

25/09/1932. Spain. Catalonia becomes autonomous with its own parliament, language and flag. It lost that autonomy with the fall of the Second Spanish Republic at the end of the Spanish Civil War in 1939.

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Expat life | I, Volunteer

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s I write this, I am starting into my last week with The Edith Wilkins Street Children Foundation in Darjeeling, India. By the time it is published I will be back in the sun in Valencia, a thought that brings a smile to my face.

Coming from Ireland, which has a huge culture of charity, fundraising here in Valencia for this trip was always going to be a different challenge.

The thing with volunteering is that, generally speaking, three groups of people do it. Professionals, such as doctors and engineers, take career breaks to work with organizations like, Doctors Without Borders. The other groups, teachers and students, have two factors in common: they have time to commit, but generally don’t have a lot of money, so, in order to volunteer, fundraising is essential.

During the fundraising, it was important to be as informative as possible. This was not fundraising for an end of term blowout in Mallorca. This was not ‘Voluntourism’. If I were looking for a free holiday, I certainly wouldn’t have chosen the foothills of the Himalayas during monsoon season. At the same time, I was educating myself on the situation and the industry and freely admit that my understanding before I left was very limited and in many ways inaccurate.

What benefit was there for the kids of Darjeeling in my The financial and moral support I received from being there, you may well ask? I worked full-time at the friends and indeed friends of friends from throughout EWSCF centre for four weeks. This generally involved five the community was fantastic and showed that the idea hours of contact with the kids per day, facilitating games, of compassion fatigue is rubbish, and there is a real activities, sports, teaching classes and helping them willingness to help when the opportunity arises. individually with their homework.

It was reassuring to come across other individuals and I worked with the teachers on their English as well as organizations in Valencia doing similar things, from building coaching them on alternative teaching methods. We put projects in South Africa, to another NGO, called Namaste, a new reporting procedure in place to allow for a more doing similar things to the EWSCF just over the border in structured approach to education in the Drop in Centre and Nepal.

With that in mind, to all my kind supporters… I say thank Coaching Classes. This will help the kids to make tangible you, and I think it only right to give you an idea of where progress and hopefully give them more options in the your money went. future.

Getting here was, of course, the biggest expense. The The idea of a volunteer coming for a month and ‘making train, three flights and the scariest drive of my life up into a difference’ is something I find a bit condescending to the the mountains, were covered by the benefit concert and brilliant people who work with these kids, day in day out, all year round. But, an outsider can give a renewed sense of football tournament in Valencia. Other expenses, including perspective and new energy to the project and any bit of a a donation to the foundation, were paid for from donations leg up these kids can get is a good thing. from Ireland, Lenguas Vivas Language Academy, Home España and from my own pocket.

26/09/1687. Greece. The Parthenon in Athens is turned into the ruin it is today when Turkish gunpowder supplies held there are set off by mortar fire from Venetians. The explosion blew off its roof and caused extensive damage to the walls.

Expat life | I, Volunteer

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The hardest part of the job was when the stories and the personalities came together. Hearing reports of the horrendous things that some of these kids have gone through is not pleasant, but when you put a face to the story and get to know them, it becomes very real.

There are kids here with cancer, heart problems, treatment resistant TB. They have been abused and neglected and let's not forget the every-day struggle of abject poverty.

While the sad stories need to be told in order to inform, educate and pull on the heart strings, the key message I want to bring back to everyone who supported me is that this centre is doing fantastic work, the kids are getting the support they need to be safe, healthy, educated and have a shot at a decent life.

Eoghan Ryan

Valencia language exchanges

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o you want to meet people from other countries and learn new phrases along the way?

Language exchange nights are a fun way to learn. The organisation of each one varies, some are more relaxed affairs, others more structured, some cost and others offer treats, so it's worth thinking about what you want and trying a few out. (In Valencia unless specified otherwise.)

Cafe de las Horas, Centro 8pm Monday Portland Ale House, Canovas 8.30pm The Bohemian Café, Tarongers 8.30pm La Sidrita, Aragon 9.30pm La Cruz Del Sur, Ramon de Campoamor 57, Ciutat Jardi 8pm El Laboratorio, (Sp/Eng + Sp/Jap) Centro 8pm La Gnocca de la Tia (Ital/Sp), Centro 8.30pm L'Ermità, Centro 7pm Café Infinito, Ciutat Jardi 7pm Bar La Red Rose, Torrent 8pm Portland Ale House, Canovas 8.30pm La Ola Fresca, Benimaclet 8.30pm

Thomas & Johnson, Aragon 8pm

Wednesday

Sunday

Ubik Café, Ruzafa 8.30pm Café Llebeig, Aragon 9pm St. Patrick's Irish Pub, Canovas 8.30pm Dublin House, Centro 9.45pm Finnegans, Centro 9pm (every 2 weeks) Thomas & Johnson, Aragon 8pm The Lounge Café Bar, Centro 8pm Valencia Language Exchange, Facebook Active English (excursions), www.groups.google.com - Active-English

Tuesday

Thursday

Various

28/09/1978. Italy. Pope John Paul I is found dead after being Pope for just 33 days. Due to the short term of his papacy and seemingly contradictory stories from the Vatican foul play was suspected. No proof of this has ever been found.

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La Galeria, C/ Baja, 38 KandA Books, C/ Tapineria, 18 Dhaba, Pl. de Don Juan de Vilarrasa, 6b Lenguas Vivas, C/ Palleter, 43 Centro Quiroprรกctico, C/ Cirilo Amoros, 20 Portland Ale House, C/ Salamanca, 10 Blue Moon, C/ Ercilla, 1

(c) OpenStreetMap contributors, CC-BY-SA www.openstreetmap.org/

Talking Teaching with Orange Language Academy

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magine a surgeon, an architect, an engineer and a teacher from 200 years ago all brought back to life and sent into their respective workplaces. A surgeon, an architect and an engineer would find themselves in completely different environments with new tools and methods that might seem strange and alien to them. Would they even be able to do their job? Then think of the teacher, who simply walks into a classroom, picks up a board marker (not that much different from chalk) and begins teaching. Simple. When you consider the technological advancements that have affected any profession, the world of teaching seems to have been left largely neglected.

This was a conversatio conversation on that h I had had nearly nearly l thre three h ee years ago with h a good fr friend of mine miine ne (and fellow teacher) Javi. He had just course, during just been on a cou ou urs rse, e d u ing ur ing in which an interactive had been ractive whiteboard ha h db een unveiled. unvvei eile ile led d.

I wasn’t even sure su ure what wha hat he hat ha h was talking about was even real: an en entire interactive nti t re iinter era er active workspace with no limit to the number umbe b r off pages, adding in video links, be internet connectivity, ectivityy, online dictionaries, online games, an encyclopaedic cyclopae aedic collection of images for immediate use, returning something se, returni ing to someth thin th ing in g that you would have otherwise rubbed earlier… therwise rub bbe bed do off ff the board boa bo ard ea ar ard arl rlie ierr…

It couldn’t be true, surely?

It was true or, true. What these or rather, rather is true whiteboards offer, teachers and students alike, is the opportunity for a much more interesting learning experience. For children, especially, it can enhance a lesson by making it more visually entertaining. It’s also much easier for students to read typed writing than a teacher’s horrible scrawl. After completing one academic year, it’s rewarding for my colleagues and I to see all of our lesson plans for the year, carefully stored in a folder to be used again at the click of a button. Next year, we have already decided, is going to be a lot easier. Publishers are now spending money on interactive course books which have drop-down menus with answers and allow for listenings to be played by merely clicking on an icon – gone are the days of jumpy CDs and broken CD players.

We started a trial with one interactive whiteboard two years ago and now every classroom has one.

Half way through last year’s course, there was a sudden downpour of rain and the electricity in our building went out. I was left with fourteen screaming students, who I could barely make out in the darkness of the emergency lighting, and a completely redundant interactive whiteboard, which contained the entire contents of everything I had planned for the rest of that class. I managed to calm them down for a moment, turned to find a board pen so that I could continue the class, and realised that

class. used I didn’t did di dn’t have one in my cla ass. In fact, I hadn’t ha one since the e beginning g of o last year.

Arguably, no A Ar rgu g ab a lyy, myy cclassroom la lass ass ssro sro oom has has n o external exte ex tern windows te dark would and an d itt was d ark k out so tthose hose windows win i dows wo external have provided no e xternal illumination to t help us whiteboard or not. continue anyway anywa ay – interactive whiteboa I left ftt my my class clas lasss in search of a fuse box only onl to find my ccolleagues ollle o l ague ue es running around. We were unable to continue cont tin inue ue e our o planned classes, and, for tthe first time, we really seemed at a loss as to what to do. Had w se become so dependent on them in less than th a year? all able to Luckily, all being experienced, we were a fall back on 'old school' methods until the power eventually came back on.

The revolution has started. Interactive whiteboards are becoming more and more popular.

You might even find one in your classroom after your summer break. The way we are teaching is beginning to change. I think back to Javi, to that conversation and wonder if those teachers from 200 years before, brought back to life now, might finally find themselves, in an alien world obscured by technological advancement.

Thanks to Javi for inspiring this article.

Orange Language Academy has been an American run language school for the city of Valencia and its provinces since 2005 offering all types of language related services.

They run the Mon language exchange at The Bohemian Café and the Tues and Weds nights at the Portland Ale House. Find out more at www.orangeidiomas.com

For those of you who really want to get down to learning the language, we'll be bringing you an expression each month. This is our job. Your job? Get out there and use it! Then tell us how you get on... chupar banquillo - to be on the bench e.g. ¿Por qué no juega Andy? Jugó fatal la semana pasada así que está chupando banquillo.

Why isn’t Andy playing? He played terribly last week so he’s on the bench.

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Music

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very month we bring you the news and reviews of what’s going on in the musical world from Sean and serial reviewer PJ Evans! This month is a real mixture of sounds. Let us know if you hear something we should review!

Album to rock out to | I’m With You – Red Hot Chili Peppers Where do we start with these guys? Do they still have something to offer after nearly 30 years? Well, listening to this album: yes. From the opening track Monarchy Of Roses, this album grabs you by the scruff of the neck and doesn’t let go. Admittedly, I wasn’t too impressed with their last effort (Stadium Arcadium, 2006), but it’s nice to see them back on form with this one. Pumping bass that forms the root of their sound, that stilting guitar work that characterised their comeback album By The Way is rife throughout, and Kiedis’ unmistakeable vocals make for a rounded product. For some, it might seem a little samey, but they still pack the punch that they did when it came on to the scene in 1983.

Standout Tracks| Monarchy Of Roses, Did I Let You Know Album to jump around to | A Different Kind Of Fix - Bombay Bicycle Club With a rocking first album followed by an acoustic second album, we were unsure where BBC would go with this one. Well, true to fashion, they’ve changed their sound, so at least we can’t call them inconsistent. Vocals that echo, plucked guitars with lots of chorus, piano loops, yet still, unmistakably a BBC album. While it sometimes fails to capture the imagination in parts due to the vibrancy of previous albums, you can’t help but want to hit the repeat button once it’s finished so varied and multi-layered are the tracks. For me, the magic lies in the faster tracks, where they really flex their muscles in an attempt to reach that ‘big’ sound that bands so strive for.

Standout Tracks| Shuffle, What You Want, Leave It

Album to roll to | SBTRKT – SBTRKT This first album by masked London DJ SBTRKT is as good a début album as I have ever heard and has, in the UK at least, received both commercial success and critical acclaim. Although many names have been banded around 'Post-Dubstep' seems to be the one that's stuck for the genre that SBRTKT typifies with this album. So if you like Jamie Woon or James Blake this is definitely for you. Like his peers SBTRKT has appealed to more people than he would have done before Dubstep appeared. So give it a go. You might just find yourself confessing, “Hey, I actually quite like this”.

Standout Tracks | Never Never and Wildfire Other releases | Alice Cooper, Kasabian, Julian Lennon, Björk, Jim Cuddy, Bush.

Music news| Sir Paul McCartney’s ballet composition ‘Ocean’s Kingdom’ is due its album release in October. The performance itself will receive its debut in New York on September 22.

Welsh knicker magnet Tom Jones was admitted into hospital on August 30 and told by doctors to cancel forthcoming gigs due to a case of ‘severe dehydration.’ Jones, 71, is in a stable condition and thought to be in no danger.

Florence and The Machine’s new track ‘What The Water Gave Me’ has received rave reviews from fans and critics alike. The single, which can be found here: florenceandthemachine. net, is the first thing recorded by the group since 2009 album Lungs.

Festival Urbano Valencia| A new ‘urban’ festival has been announced taking place in venues throughout the city. Acts include: Jorge Ilegal y Los Magnificos (Sala Mirror; 4 Nov), Los Coronas & Arizona Baby and DJ Chema Rey (Wah Wah; 11/12 Nov) and Russian Red (Palau de la Música; 12 Nov). More acts to confirm. www.festivalurbano.org for more. Tickets €tbc

29/09/1916. US. John Rockefeller, founder of the Standard Oil Company, becomes the world's first billionaire. Adjusted for inflation, Fortune Magazine called him the richest person in history with an equivalent $663.4 billion (est) in 2007.

Live events

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very month we pick out the best live music in and around the Valencia Community for those of you who want to find the live music on offer. If we hear of anything coming up, we'll Facebook it.

Cut Copy| 28/10 (21:30) Off the back of the European summer festival circuit, these Aussie electro boppers will be paying us a visit before heading home for a well earned break (one would imagine!). www.discomirror.es.

Anna Calvi| 17/09 (23:00) The Mercury Price nominated (2011), Wild Western, Roy Orbison-like Londoner will be visiting the Wah Wah after a year of touring and showcasing her debut album. Not to be missed! €15/20.

Sala Wah Wah| C/ Campoamor, 58 (VLC) 23/09 Barrence (is this where the diminutive ‘Barry’ comes from: Terrance = Terry, Lawrence = Larry?)

Whitfield and The Savages will be playing with support from Electric Cabin (22:00; €15/18).

24/09 Indie rockers and Beatleslovers Sexy Sadie will be playing with support from No Frosth (22:00; €12/15). www.wahwahclub.com.

Sala El Loco| C/ Erudito Orellana, 12 (VLC) 15/09 Are you a Mop Top or a Rocker? The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones in a night sure to be good fun (23:00-00:00, €tbc).

24/09 Chicago-based JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound will fill El Loco with their mixture of soul, punk and funk (22:00; €12/16).

01/10 After supporting Coldplay on their last world tour, Kitty, Daisy & Lewis will bring their two-tone sound to VLC at the beginning of the month (21:30, €22/25).

13/10 Rock and roller Paul Collins will showcase his new album King Of Power Pop in the spirit of The Nerves, The Breakaways, & The Beat (22:00; €12/16). www.lococlub.org Sala Matisse| C/ Campoamor, 60 (VLC) 17/09 Somrice will visit us with their Spanish/ English mixture of rock/ pop/ reggae/ jazz (20:30; €5). The song I listened to on myspace made me want to buy Vitalite.

24/09 After three records and extended radio play throughout Spain, Devolver will be visiting Matisse again with their rocking sounds (23:00; €6). www.salamatisse.es.

Jimmy Glass| C/ Baja, 28 (VLC) This place often features some great talent from the local & international scene.

20/09 The Nelson Cascais Quintet feat. Logan Richardson will be bopping off some jazz beats (21:30, €13).

27/09 Sedajazz Ensemble will be playing in celebration on Jimmy Glass’ 20th anniversary (21:30, €14).

Fridays feature Piano Du Sessions which cost about €4. www.jimmyglassjazz.net Pop Club Deluxe| C/ Poeta Mas y Ros, 42 (VLC) Always a safe bet for a bit of music.

15/09 I Am Dive & Polonio y el Ministerio sel Interior (22:30, €6) www.deluxepopclub.com.

El Palau de la Musica| (VLC) On 03 & 04/10 the abonos will go on sale for the 2011/2012 season for regular goers who fancy saving some cash. €tbc.

The conciertos para todos will take place every Friday at 19:30 (entrance free) until the end of September.

The Valencian Philharmonic Society will take place every Monday at 19:15 up until Christmas (members only).

08/10 The Valencian Orchestra will perform a free concert for the Día de la Comunidad Valenciana (19:30). www.palaudevalencia.com Café Mercedes| C/ Sueca, 27 (VLC) A nice, cheap jazz venue in the heart of Ruzafa with free jam sessions on Sundays from 20:30. No acts for this month announced as yet, but keep an eye on www.cafemercedes.es Durango| C/ Llanterners 35, Poligono La Closa (Meliana) 24/09 Rock on! Local metal groups will be taking part in ‘Metal Femme Festival’ (22:00; €5).

07/10 Southern rock courtesy of The Delta Saints in an attempt to evoke that old delta blues spirit on an industrial estate (visit website for info).

08/10 More metal! Yes! Courtesy of, this time, Samael, Melechesh and Keep Of Kalessin. Sweet! (20:00; €24/28) 11/10 Oh, somebody stop the madness! They’ve only got a Gene Vincent tribute band on too! A celebration of the 40th anniversary of his death will take place to the rockabilly sound of The Bellhops (23:00; €tbc). www.durangoclub.es Excuse me| C/Tomasos 14 (VLC) Always an eclectic taste from Northern Soul to rock, pop and indie. On Facebook.

La Caverna| C/ Cuenca, 70 (VLC) A very cosy venue which you would normally just dismiss as another bar, but step inside and you’ll often find a mad gig going on. Keep an eye on their blog (lacavernaclub.blogspot.com) as news is normally word of mouth.

Disco Sala Mirror| San Vicente Martir, 200 (VLC) A popular place for dance music lovers with an excellent venue and a wide variety of DJs. Also, during the week, it’s a magnet for big acts passing through. www.discomirror.es Café del Duende| C/ Turia, 62 (VLC) A great place to catch decent flamenco from Thurs-Sat from 23:30. www.cafedelduende.com Music Box| C/ Pintor Zariñera, 16 (VLC) & Radio City| C/ Santa Teresa 19 (VLC) Open daily with visiting DJs and Tuesdays offer live flamenco music at Radio City (23:00, €7 with free drink). www.myspace.com/themusicboxclub and www.radiocityvalencia.com

30/09/1955. Aged 24 and already the Rebel Without A Cause, James Dean crashes his Porsche en route to a motor racing event in California. He only ever starred in three films having the lead role in each one.

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Sport

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ootball| Gooooooooooooooal! Some great games heading this way over the next month.

Valencia CF will be hosting Barcelona and Chelsea (with ex-'Che' Juan Mata in their ranks) at the Mestalla and tickets, as usual, will be hard to come by but not impossible.

The club shop will be selling tickets closer to the game dates but you'll have to get there early on their release date as demand will be huge. Check www.valenciacf.com for more details.

Levante host Real Madrid this month too and you should check www.levanteud.com for more details about tickets for that one.

© Valencia Basket

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asketball| Bounce, bounce bounce. For fans of basketball the season also gets underway this month on the weekend of 8-9 October as Valencia Basketball Club return to try to emulate their great season last year.

They managed to finish third in the league behind the big guns of Barcelona and Real Madrid and also reached the quarter-finals of the Euroleague against the rest of Europe's finest.

Games are fast, furious, well supported and great fun so if you fancy checking it out head to Avd Hermanos Maristas and the Pabellón Fuente de San Luis.

www.valenciabasket.com

Valencia Community sees the World Cup and Euro Championship winning Spanish national team come to Alicante when Scotland come to play at the 30,000 Hercules CF ground on 11 October. This Euro 2012 qualifier is the second time the two teams will meet in Group I after the two teams played out a 2-3 game in Glasgow in October 2010. Tickets will, of course, be either impossible to get or cost a small fortune but if you are lucky enough to get a ticket you'll get to see the best team in the world. And Spain too of course!

Valencia fixtures| 18/09 Sporting de Gijon - Valencia 21/09 Valencia - Barcelona 25/09 Sevilla - Valencia 28/09 Valencia - Chelsea 02/10 Valencia - Granada Levante fixtures| 18/09 Levante - Real Madrid 21/09 Rayo Vallecano - Levante 25/09 Levante - Espanyol 02/10 Real Betis - Levante

01/10/1843. UK. The News of The World first rolls off the printing presses. Now defunct after widespread allegations of phone hacking, the paper sold up to 9 million copies a week in the early 1950s.

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elcome to our popular cinema section, which brings you the best original version films (V.O.S.) on offer in local venues. And we love that Yelmo cinemas will be showing big-hitters for only 4,50€. Download a coupon from www.yelmocines.es/cine/yelmo-cines-valencia

The Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes| (Rupert Wyatt) James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto In an attempt to cure Alzheimer’s, scientist Will Rodman (Franco) manages to invent a formula that makes one of his test monkeys super intelligent.

This leads to obvious mayhem on the streets of the Rodman’s native home of San Francisco and, invariably, sets the scene for previous films starring muscled gun loon Charlton Heston.

Yelmo Cines: 20:20, 22:30

Conan The Barbarian| (Marcus Nispel) Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan Muscled, longhaired lunatic goes on a massive rampage to avenge the murder of his father. No it’s not another one of those outrageous looting headlines from the UK! One wonders if this film is destined to achieve the cult status of previous Conan films, which boded well for Mr. Schwarzenegger.

Momoa’s stance on guns is, as yet, unknown although he clearly does have big muscles.

Yelmo Cines: 17:25, 19:50, 22:15

Super 8| (J.J. Abrams) Elle Fanning, Amanda Michalka, Kyle Chandler With 'J.J. Abrams' and 'Steven Spielberg' plastered all over the film posters, it was always going to be a contender as a top grossing film this summer.

Filming their own horror film on a Super 8 camera, a group of friends accidentally witness a train crash, which is then followed by a number of strange occurrences in their town.

Things become more interesting when they realise the camera, which had kept rolling during the crash, managed to film something completely unexpected.

Neither Abrams or Speilberg are particularly muscular, but Steven apparently loves firstperson shooters on basically any format.

Yelmo: 17:35, 20:00, 22:25 for a full listing see www.yelmocines.es

OTHER VENUE - Babel| A variety of original language films will be shown, including Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (19:00 & 23:00) starring Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, and Marion Cotillard, and you can check out David Hyde Pierce going bonkers in Nick Tomnay’s The Perfect Host!

Italian film Le Quattro Volte, written & directed by Michaelangelo Frammartino has turned a lot of heads amongst critics since its release last year (16:45, 18:35 & 23:00) as well as the Russian/ French thriller Farewell (16:45, 21:00), which was released in 2009 starring Willem Defoe and Diane Kruger and has since gone on to earn itself a handful of awards and a number of 5-star reviews.

Babel, C/ Vicente Sancho Tello, 10, www.cinesalbatrosbabel.com Yelmo Cines, Avda Tirso de Molina, 16, www.yelmocines.es Filmoteca, Plaza del Ayuntamiento, 17 www.gva.es

03/10/1995. US. OJ Simpson, former American football player and star of the Naked Gun film series, is acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her new man. Since then he has been guilty of armed robbery and kidnapping.

First certificate

Cinema

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Read me | Carlos Ruiz Zafón

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he Shadow of the Wind - After one year of doing these book reviews I am embarrassed to admit that this is my first review of a Spanish novel, and forgive me for such an obvious choice – The Shadow of the Wind is the most successful Spanish novel ever except for ‘Don Quixote’ – but having been given this book by a friend recently and having enjoyed it immensely I decided to devote this month’s review to this wonderful modern Spanish classic.

The Shadow of the Wind tells the story of Daniel Sempere as he grows up in Barcelona before, during and after the Spanish Civil War. As a young boy of ten Daniel is taken by his father to visit the ‘Cemetery of Forgotten Books’ – a maze-like library of obscure and forgotten books. There, Daniel discovers the life and work of the mysterious Julian Carax – an unsuccessful pre-war novelist whose life, works and eventual murder are enshrouded in secrecy and danger.

Daniel becomes increasingly intrigued with the questions over Carax’s disappearance to Paris and his apparent death there, and so begins an investigation which will reveal a host of sub-plots involving love affairs, family secrets, brutality and murder – not to mention Daniel’s own problems which mirror and reflect those of his alter-ego Carax.

The Shadow of the Wind is a book full of suspense and drama. It is a ‘Noir Suspense’ and a Romance (with a capital ‘R’), in so far as it contains all of the elements of great Gothic-Romance – old, ruined mansion houses, dark and shadowy churches, rain-soaked streets that seem haunted by spirits of the past, mysterious characters who keep themselves one step ahead of the reader, just out of our range of comprehension until the final denouement. And leading us through the mystery is Daniel himself, our central narrator/would-beprivate-investigator trying to piece together the puzzle before it is too late, and the fascinating and intangible figure, Julian Carax.

Although The Shadow of the Wind contains some elements of cliché, it is a novel which succeeds in overcoming its limitations because of two factors – the quality of Zafón’s writing and the sheer fantastical brilliance of the story he tells.

This is a novel for people who love creaking doors leading to dark and mysterious passageways and equally dark, deserted streets on stormy nights. Indeed the darker aspects of the city of Barcelona really come alive in The Shadow of the Wind – so much so that Barcelona itself becomes an actual character within the story – a mysterious yet complete and complex personality, colourful, vibrant and alive yet sinister and dangerous too.

The different narrative voices and plot-lines are complex yet enjoyably readable – a fine balance between the needs of the story and the indulgences of Zafón’s writing, which is often poignant and beautiful.

This translation – by Lucia Graves – from Spanish to English, is very well done as far as I can tell and I would recommend this version to Spanish people who would like to try to read The Shadow of the Wind in translation as well as native speakers of English who want to experience an authentic Spanish classic.

Iain Armstrong

Bikes| The monthly bike meeting of VLC will take place as usual on the first Friday of the month. This aims to promote bikes and bike safety in VLC. Place| Plaza de la Virgin, VLC Time| 7.30pm

03/10/1906. SOS replaces CDQ as the international distresss signal. Many thought that it was Come Damn Quickly but it wasn't. SOS also does not equate to Save Our Souls/Ship but was chosen for its ease of transmission in Morse code.

Your photos | laughter

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ach month we’ll give you a topic for the following edition. Email us 1 high-resolution image with a sentence describing the photo by 31st of the month. We’ll choose a few entries to print and the editor's favourite wins a prize. This month's favourite is by Katy Mann!

Katy Mann | 5 month old son Joshua Mann laughing

Hugo Fox | Smiley locals

Thomas J | Laugh and the walls laugh with you

Vinnie | Our friend who is always laughing. Congratulations to you and Aggie on the birth of Margaux Rose.

Marjorie Hook | This made me laugh in the Ceramics Museum, VLC Please send 1 photo per person & only send your own photo for copyright reasons. There are other terms and conditions - email us for them.

Next month’s topic is ‘red’.

Look forward to seeing your pictures. invlceditor@gmail.com

04/10/1957. Russia. The first man-made satellite 'Sputnik' is launched. It orbited the earth several times before burning up. Despite only being 22 inches in diameter it weighed an incredible 184 lbs (59cm/83.5kg).

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Recipe | Russian Salad

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ussian Salad may not be one of my favourite dishes but it is truly loved by many throughout Spain. It is a perfect summer dish, so if the heat and humidity are getting to you, try it for a traditional Spanish meal that won’t require standing over a hot stove for hours. You can serve Russian Salad as a main dish or as a side dish.

I like all the parts of Russian Salad, I just don’t like them all mixed together. Lucky for me, some people serve each ingredient separately and let people mix their own. One note of caution: Mayonnaise is a main ingredient in Russian Salad. Homemade mayonnaise is usually made with raw eggs. When raw eggs are left in hot sun, bacteria can grow, which can make your stomach very, very unhappy. If you use homemade mayonnaise, make sure you properly store the salad.

You might want to be careful if you eat this at a restaurant on the hottest day of the year. Make sure the mayonnaise isn’t sitting in a barrel in the sun!

(Store-bought mayonnaise is made with pasteurized eggs, which are free of undesirable bacteria.) So even though it’s a great summer dish, make sure you keep it cool too!

There is some truth to the moniker 'Russian' in this dish. The original Russian Salad was created by Chef Lucien Olivier at the famous Hermitage restaurant in Moscow in the late 1800s. It has since travelled around the world and has become a staple in several European countries as well as many Latin American countries. As it travelled the ingredients also changed. The recipe here includes what seem to be the main ingredients in the Spanish version. Common additions can include anything from asparagus, green beans, raw onion, anchovies, gherkins, beets, and even apples!

What to buy| (Serves 4) 2 large potatoes 2 carrots 2 hard-boiled eggs 4 ounces peas 1 can of tuna, drained 4-6 ounces of mayonnaise Salt and pepper Mayonnaise, red peppers, olives, etc. for decorating

Wow factor| Full of colour and taste.

Effort| Our easiest recipe yet!

The best part about this salad is the final decorating. While this is not required to serve it, it can be fun. Put the final product in a shallow round or square dish. Use a spatula to smooth the top.

Then spread a layer of mayonnaise evenly on top.

The layer should be thick enough to cover any bumps and appear smooth. (Basically you’re using the mayonnaise as you would frosting, so if you’re not a mayonnaise lover I wouldn’t recommend this part!)

Use any of the following to make geometric designs on top of the mayonnaise: roasted or raw red pepper spears, olives, or hard-boiled egg slices.

Lia Wallon reLIAble eats www.reLIAbleeats.blogspot.com

How to make it| one Peel, boil and cut the potatoes into cubes. two Peel, boil and dice the carrots. three Boil the eggs and roughly chop. four Boil the peas. five Mix all ingredients together and serve.

It’s that simple!

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The number of peas in the bed of the Princess, which left her complaining that she had been lying on something hard all night and she was black and blue all over her body. Only Hans Christian Andersen could make such a sweet double entendre.

05/10/1989. Tibet. The Dalai Lama receives the Nobel Peace prize. He is the 14th Dalai Lama and was announced to the world at age 3 after Tibetan monks visited him and believed him to be the 13th Dalai Lama reincarnate.

Green living | growing your own

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A little goes a long way What| Buy a water filter (10€+) & replacement filters (6€).

Why| Clean, tasty, calcium-free water at a low cost.

Why not| You enjoy carrying heavy bottles from the supermarket and using all that plastic.

Benefits| Reduces your need for plastics, and so, oil!

©Michael Law

Intermediate

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'm in Ireland on a working holiday at the moment and I've been looking for some positive Eco-news, be it in Ireland or elsewhere. Well, Ireland is really obsessed with its economic situation and if that obsession is broken by anything then it is only temporary.

At the time of writing, child abuse within the Catholic Church and the massacre in Norway had taken the economy out of the headlines.

Though I did find a few local stories particularly interesting in my own hometown, Shannon, where there was some positive green news.

In Shannon, the local town council has set aside some land to be used as urban plots for those Shannon Town residents who want to grow their own fruit and veg. In times of economic crisis this will give people the opportunity to grow cheap and healthy food. They also put on a course to show people how to do it. My sister Mary is availing of this and has grown very big cucumbers on her first attempt.

Also in Shannon, County Clare, there is a proposal to build a multi-million Euro, green, energy facility. This facility will be powered by high efficiency biomass and will produce both heat and electricity. It is proposed that the plant will feed into the national grid and at the same time have the potential to power a local district heating system.

A local heating system would heat both homes and industries.

This would be a cost effective and a proven green alternative to gas (a bottle of gas in Ireland costs between 30€ and 35€!!). It would also be an opportunity for County Clare farmers to become involved by supplying biomass materials to the plant.

This can only be positive for the environment, the economy and our energy independence.

On an international level, fantastic green news has come from Japan, according to the Irish Times.

The Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Kan, infuriated the nuclear lobby with a speech arguing that Japan should abandon plans to build 14 new reactors by 2030 and should gradually reduce dependence on nuclear power. He is quoted as saying " through my experience of the March 11th accident, I came to realize the risk of nuclear energy is too high.... We should eventually create a society where we can do without atomic energy." He reiterated this at the commemoration of the nuclear attack on Japan. Now two major economic powers, Germany and Japan, have committed themselves to freeing their countries from the nuclear stranglehold. Spain, I believe is on the verge of joining them, which would create a growing movement in favour of safe, renewable and alternative energies.

Declan Lehane Tips to help bees In a radio interview, Hannah Nordhaus author of the book 'The Beekeeper's Lament' said that one of the major threats to bees, which plays a critical role in nature, is the monocrops and industrialization of agriculture. She recommends we: - plant many different plants and flowers in our gardens and plots.

- buy local honey.

- consume organic food.

07/10/1949. Germany. Six months after the US, UK and France had created the Federal Republic of Germany in the west, the USSR establishes the Democratic Republic of Germany in the east. It lasted 41 years.

Artist of the month| Terry Hampton

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e want to support new and up-and-coming artistic talent in the Valencian Community. Each month we'll choose one artist at random and devote a page to that artist.

name| Terry Hampton location| Valencia web| www.telaypincel.blogspot.com

Style| Expressionist, plein air artist, using oil, acrylic or watercolour, mainly painted in Levante and Maestrazgo regions.

what's available| Original canvases and sheets, framed or unframed. prices| €100-700

phone| 963 563 364 email| hterry44@yahoo.es

exhibition valencia| 23 September - 2 October at the Jardin De Valencia Art Fair between the bridges of Calatrava and Flores. exhibition calpe| 3 - 29 September La Galería Portal a l'Art, Avda. Puerto de Santa María, 1, Calpe.

Wed, Fri, Sat 10am-1pm, Mon-Fri 5pm-9pm Free entry.

If you, or anyone you know, would like to feature in our art pages, contact us at invlceditor@gmail.com

Art to see

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s September brings us all a cooler relief, the art keeps us on our toes with heat, passion and intensity which keeps our palms sweaty and our fevers high. A lot of local exhibitions are free, some are independent, and most are worth visiting, considering and then discussing over a caña.

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ndia (Confirmed until end of Sept. May run longer) | Mark Twain carefully crafted his words to describe the beauty of India the country, the people and the culture. "India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the greatgrandmother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only."

This second floor space is not naturally made for displaying art, with only two small rooms trying to squeeze in more photos than would normally be deemed acceptable. However perhaps this use of space is an accurate reflection of the feel of india: the excitement, the passion, the proximity of neighbouring people.

This striking exhibition is a collection of angles, perspectives and wonderfully bright colours balanced with neutral surroundings. The photographer's own experience of this richly diverse country evoked in me feelings of excitement and hightened senses. It sparked the desire to return to this mesmerising part of the world, where peace and harmony collides with chaos and noise.

For more information on the photographers, and a sneak preview of some of the India photos, check www.photomarquez.net Itaca Espacio Cultural, Calle Catalans, 6, El Carmen | www.itacaespaciocultural.org Mon-Sat 6pm - 10pm | Free! (No photos permitted)

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elatos extraordinarios - Extraordinary Stories Laylah Ali and Abigail Lazkoz (15/08-13/11) | This exhibition has been created especially for the Parpalló studio, and is the first time that the work of American Laylah Ali has been shown within Spain. Laylah's drawings join to make a conversation with Abigail's, making up a dark diaglogue; sinister and striking, with occasional interjections of humour.

Each of the artists' meticulous black and white drawings on paper look carefully at social and political aspects of life, moving from ordinary to the surreal within smooth sweeps of the pencil.

Centro Cultural la Beneficencia, Calle Corona 36 | www.salaparpallo.es | Tues-Sun 10am to 8pm | Free!

09/10/1963. Italy. Thousands are killed in a landslide in Northern Italy when the displaced earth and stone fell into the water held behind a dam. Reports state the wave created by the landslide as being up to 100m over the dam's wall.

Icy cocktails

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e've been inspired by the summer's selection of Granizados that we've spent the summer slurping down to keep our cool. This is scraped/crushed ice, with a syrup or fresh juice mixed in. So this month's cocktails are all with crushed ice to keep you cool. Enjoy.

Here are some tasty treats for great fun:

one Black stripe Heaven.

5cl rum (dark) 2.5cl molasses 1 tsp honey 2cl boiling water Crushed ice Dissolve the molasses in the hot water.

Add honey and stir in.

Add rum, stir.

Pour over ice.

two Woo woo The sweet kick.

2.5cl peach schnapps 2.5cl vodka 5 cl cranberry juice Crushed ice

Put Ice into a glass Coat with liquids and stir Serves 1 Serve in Collins glasses.

Serves 1 Serve in old-fashioned glasses.

three Virgin Banana Colada Innocent. or not.

1 very ripe banana 15cl apple juice 6cl coconut cream Crushed ice Pineapple to garnish .

Cut up banana and blend.

Add the juice, coconut cream and crushed ice.

Blend well at high speed.

Garnish with a pineapple wedge. (add 4cl of rum for a kick) Serves 1 Serve in Collins glasses.

Tip| For quick crushed ice, throw it in the blender. Or cover with a teatowel and hammer it.

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The number in centimetres of the diametre of the world's largest hailstone, which landed in Vivian South Dakota on 23 July 2010.

A day in the life in VLC| Laura

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iving in Valencia and the Community is surprising, varied and exciting and everyone sees something dierent. We thought it would be fun to see what other people see. For one day, a reader will take a photo of what they can see on the hour, every hour for 9 hours. This month, Laura shows us her Friday. Contact us if you want to have a go. invlceditor@gmail.com

10h

11h

12h

13h

14h

15h

17h

20h

21h

12/10/1984. UK. An IRA bomb explodes at the Conservative Party Conference in Brighton. Four people are killed and many leading ďŹ gures in British politics at the time are injured in the blast.

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Animals| Taking it easy Foster/ permanent homes URGENTLY required Name| Carob Age| 15 months Size| Medium Personality| loveable, energetic & quick on the uptake Health| Sterilized Info| P.E.P.A - 650 304 746

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his last month it has been our good fortune to have a house guest who can trace his ancestry back to the days of the dinosaurs. No, we've not had Hugh Hener over, but we have been taking care of Clarence, a 4-year-old Spanish tortoise. He's not been any trouble and his house manners are impeccable. Saying that though he does have a habit of constantly looking at himself in the mirror and paying no attention at all to the people (a.k.a. servants) feeding him and cleaning up after him.

Tortoises have been wandering across the planet (albeit slowly - giant tortoises average 0.17mph/0.25kmph) for an estimated 215 million years, making them older in an evolutionary sense than snakes, lizards and even crocodiles. This number of years may not mean anything in itself but the dinosaurs only died out 65 million years ago.

Only sharks seem to have been around longer and they also continue to be impervious to evolution.

His species (Testuda Graeca) is native to Morocco, Algeria and Spain. You can ďŹ nd them living naturally in Almeria and northern Murcia although to own one you need to have one bred through regulated captivity, as they are now featured on the endangered species list.

It is believed that they were brought to Spain as a result of Muslim rule rather than prior to the landmass split between Spain and northern Africa due to the genetic similarities between the African and European varieties.

www.pepaspain.com

Tortoises can grow up to any size from a couple of centimetres to a couple of metres like the ones you can see on the Galapagos Islands. It was from there Charles Darwin collected Harriet (a Santa Cruz tortoise) in the mid 1830s. After being taken to London, she was presented to Australia Zoo where she eventually died in 2006 aged 175, some 124 years after The Origin Of Species writer died. And it's that which makes me realise that our little Clarence may still be looking at himself in the mirror long after we are all dead and gone. It seems that old Aesop was right all along. The tortoise does indeed win the race.

13 Sep 1997. India. Mother Teresa's funeral takes place in Calcutta. Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in what is now Macedonia she spent over 45 years on her charity work with the poorest of the poor.

Events & Classifieds

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f you’ve got an event coming up or you are buying, selling or donating anything, drop us an email and we’ll try to give it a mention in the next issue.

Markets | Mon-Montroy, Tues-Monserrat & Turis, Weds-L’Eliana Piccassent & Villamarchante, Thurs-Alaquas & Lliria, Fri-Turis, Torrente & Chiva, Sat-Real de Montroy & Torrente, Sun-Alborache Rastros | Barx | Tues 27 Sept | La Visteta Restaurant, (N332 at Gandia following the CV675). 11am-3.30pm, arts & crafts, beauty products & treatments, household goods, food, leather goods, a Shambala master, HeatGold FM radio. All in aid of P.E.P.A. Montroy | Sun 2 October (1st Sun of month)| Calle La Pau, Cindy or Nicolas, 960 80 25 13 or 695 100 540.

Olocau | Sun 25 Sept (last Sun of month)| Social Club Centre, Urb. La Lloma, Olocau, 10am-2pm. Spaces free, Tables €1 Carolyn 962555819 or 664809608.

Masia | 18 Sept (every 3rd Sun) | Mas Pavia Restaurante, Masia Pavia Urba, nr Monserrat. Free Pitches (2m max), Stallholders from 9am. Amanda 625819734, sparklesinsunshine@gmail.com for directions.

Lliria | 8 Oct (every 2nd Sat) | Magpies Bar, 10 C/ los Sauces, Camp de Lliria, Lliria. Tables free. 962728708, Lyn 625217777 magpiesbar@yahoo.com Employment| Orange Language Academy is looking for an ESL teacher this year.

Please send CV to Bradford at Bradford@orangeidiomas.com IWC| Monthly coffee mornings 15 September & 6 October. HIPERCOR - C.Comercial Ademuz, Av. Pio XII, 51 Valencia, top floor restaurant. www.iwc-valencia.ning.com P.E.P.A Fun day 17 September 1pm| Microflight Aerodrome Benicolet (off CV60 Gandia/L’Olleria Rd). Competitions and events for you, your family and your pets.

Bring your dog and your favourite doggie photo to enter the dog competitions.

Also - Dog Parade; Dog Training demo; Petanca Tournament; Raffle, Entertainment & Karaoke; Microlight Flights with Pepe Jnr. and Derek Merritt Holman; Valuations & Auction with Laurie Rapier plus a Rastro, Hairdresser, Pimms Tent, Bar & Restaurant, Childrens’ Corner. Prizes! www.pepaspain.com or 650 304 746.

For sale| Citroen C3 Exclusive. Automatic, 5 door, 2002 with ITV until December.

Full sevice history. Cruise control,climate control, alloy wheels,sensors for light and rain. Rear parking sensors. Radio, CD. €2750. Change of name to be included. Phone 660551035 or, 676506035 In the number puzzle, each letter is represented by a number 1-26. Crack the code! 3 letters are already in place.

In Sudoku, every row & column of 9 numbers & 3x3 box must include all digits 1-9 in any order.

Finished with your inVLC ? Pass it on to a friend..!

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