The Book | Spain Uncovered

Retiring the Olé Way!

It’s more than 12 years since my book “Retiring the Olé Way” was published and 13 years since John and I moved to Spain, looking forward to our new adventure. I was recently interviewed about my life over here and inevitably the question was asked: “Do you have any regrets?” Followed by “What advice would you give to anyone thinking of retiring there?”

Regrets?

Do I have any regrets? Definitely not! John and I were made to feel really welcome when we moved here, in spite of our lack of Spanish, and when he died three years ago I was touched by how caring and supportive my neighbours were. We had deliberately chosen to live in a town with very few English speaking residents, welcoming the challenge. Fortunately the local people were very patient with our attempts to speak Spanish! As far as they were concerned we were Jumillanos, their neighbours and part of their community.

Jumilla is renowned for its wines and during the summer months we enjoyed many concerts in the local wineries where we could listen to jazz, flamenco, coplas and even a Beatles tribute band, while enjoying local wines and tapas. There is a local theatre where we could listen to all types of music or watch dance displays, though we decided that going to Spanish plays would be too much of a challenge for our basic grasp of the language!

We particularly enjoyed the local fiestas, of which there are far too many to mention them all. Starting with Los Reyes Magos (the Three Kings) in January, which is a favourite with the children, then continuing with Semana Santa (Holy Week), which has been declared to be of National tourist interest and not forgetting the Vendimia, with its infamous wine-throwing procession, there is always something happening in Jumilla. Of course that was in pre-Covid days. I’m just hoping that eventually we will be back to normal, or at least the “new” normal.

Should you retire to Spain?

All of the above is positive, but there are some drawbacks that people thinking of retiring here need to consider, and particularly post-Brexit for any British readers. Moving to Spain nowadays isn’t as straightforward as it was when John and I retired here! There is lots of advice and information on the “Brexpats in Spain” Facebook group so I won’t include it here, plus of course the official government website: https://www.gov.uk/. From my personal point of view, the following are some facts that I feel you should be aware of.

First of all, depending on where you live, it can be very cold in winter, particularly if you live inland as I do. Trust me, this is a shock to many people, who assume it is always hot in Spain! In addition, many properties aren’t insulated the way they are in the UK and if your property is facing north it will be fine during the summer months but chilly at this time of the year.

It might come as a shock to you, especially if you’ve visited Spain on holiday, but not everybody here speaks English! If you live on the coast surrounded by other British people you might not need to speak Spanish, but my personal view is that it’s rude not to try and speak the local language.

Of course you also need to be aware that in certain parts of Spain they don’t necessarily speak Castilian Spanish, as we discovered when we visited Galicia on holiday. Galician, Basque and Catalan are other languages spoken and in addition there are also regional dialects. Mind you if you travel around the UK you will notice the same phenomena: do you understand everything your Georgie friends say? Or have you got lost in Norfolk and asked someone the way? Exactly!

Family is very important here, which is one of the things I love about this country. It’s not unusual to go to a restaurant for a menú del día and find grandparents as well as parents and children enjoying a meal together. For a special occasion there may also be aunts, uncles and cousins plus friends too.

My advice if you are thinking about retiring to Spain is to visit different parts of the country before deciding where to settle. Also, when you have found an area that you love, visit it at various times of the year. There are many towns on the coast that are buzzing in the summer months but almost deserted during the winter.

One of the deciding factors when we moved to Jumilla was the fact that it’s a working town so is busy throughout the year. Did I mention that it’s renowned for its wines? The photo shown above is one of the local wineries, Viña Campanero, which is family run and one of my favourites. Salud!

Guau Wines (and great music!)

August is the month when Jumilla celebrates its Vendimia over the two weeks of the Feria & Fiestas, however in recent years it has also become the month when we raise funds for Cuatro Patas through Guau Wines, so why not see out August with some great wines and music?

The 6th edition of Guau Wines will take place on 31 August in Plaza de Santa Maria, Jumilla, starting at 21.30. Twenty bodegas have donated wine, so there should be something for everyone’s taste, and there will be catering too. No need to have dinner before you go there!

The opening act will be the multi-talented Johnny Sax, who was the vocalist, sax and harmonica player with the Climax Blues Band ten years ago, as well as playing in his own Johnny Pugh band. Now he lives in Spain, where his gigs are popular with the local Spanish community as well as Brits living in the area. I’m hoping he will sing “Walking the Dog” for me to dance to!

The following acts will be Alberto Alcalá, who has just released his second disc “Tragaluz” and finally the blues and rock group Traslapers. I look forward to listening to (and probably dancing to!) them as well.

Tickets cost 15€, which includes a glass to taste the different wines, plenty of wines and food to keep you going and of course great music. Tickets are available from the local veterinary clinics Urbano and Mascoticas.

It should be a memorable evening – hope to see you there!

Feria & Fiestas in Jumilla – part 2

Thursday 15 August is a holiday in Jumilla, as it’s the feast day of Our Lady of Assumption, the patron saint of Jumilla. This means that most of the supermarkets and local shops will be closed, however the good news is that it also means that all the bars and restaurants will be open!

If you’re an early riser and enjoy nature, there will be a nature ramble on Thursday, meeting at the bus station at 08.30. You need to reserve your place in advance, however the bus is now full so you will have to take your own car to the start. I may be taking my dog Lisa out for a walk then, but my walk will be a lot shorter! More details (in Spanish) can be found at: http://asociacionnaturalistastipa.blogspot.com/

Between 11.00 and 14.00 there will be a children’s fair “Drilo Park” at Arzobispo Lozano school, with free entry.

12.00 Holy Mass in honour of our patron La Virgen de la Asunción at Santiago parish church.

17.30 and 18.30: wine-related competitions on the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola, organised by the peñas.

20.00 Eucharist in Santiago parish church, followed by a procession through the streets, carrying the statue of La Virgen de la Asunción.

23.00 We are now spoilt for choice as there will be two concerts: one to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the choir Coral Jumillana Canticorum, which will be in the Jardín de la Glorieta. Tickets will cost 3€. The other one will be by the local group “Al Golpe”, which will take place on the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola and which will be free.

Friday 16 August will be another action-packed day in Jumilla. Starting at 08.00 with a Gachamiga competition (and tasting) at the Municipal sports stadium. There will be a hoe-throwing competition at 10.00 at the same venue – don’t get too close though!

09.00 Procession of San Roque, starting and finishing at the parish church of Santiago.

21.00 Children’s concert in the Jardín de la Glorieta “Drilo Sinfónico”. Tickets will be 8€ if bought in advance or 10€ on the gate.

23.30. Live music from a Queen tribute act, in Arzobispo Lozano school, with free entry. As a Queen fan, I will definitely be there!

Saturday 17 August: this is the day when Jumilla is invaded by thousands of (mainly) young people, looking forward to being drenched in red wine. The Gran Cabalgate del Vino is an amazing event and definitely worth experiencing at least once, as the party atmosphere is brilliant.

It’s near the start of the procession but people are already soaked in red wine!

18.00 The floats start assembling on Avenida Reyes Católicos and everybody gets ready to party!

18.30 approximately – off they go! As the floats move slowly through the streets of Jumilla, the participating peñas and the spectators all get sprayed with red wine. Last year more than 60,000 litres of wine helped turn sparkling white tops into soaking wine-coloured tops, as everybody danced in the streets to the lively music, but don’t worry because there will be showers at the end for all participants. It’s the party to end all parties.

22.00 The party continues in the patio of Arzobispo Lozano school, with a free concert “IT Sound in the 2000s Festival”.

Sunday 18 August. 20.00 After evening mass in Santiago parish church, the statue of the patron saint is transferred to the Ermita de San Agustín.

22.00 Anabel Collado will sing Coplas in the Jardín del Rey Don Pedro.

00.30 The festivities will end with a firework display in the castle.

Feria & Fiestas Jumilla 2019

The celebrations have already begun, however it’s not too late to join us in Jumilla for the Feria and Fiestas.

Today, Tuesday 13 August, there will be an official reception in the Ayuntamiento at 18.30, but don’t worry if you haven’t been invited (neither have I!) as there will still be plenty to see later in the evening. I always enjoy watching the procession of local peñas (associations) wearing their traditional costumes and carrying the first grapes. This starts at 20.00 from the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola and finishes in the Jardín de la Glorieta, where you can watch them treading the grapes to produce the must. The day ends with a free concert in the grounds of Arzobispo Lozano school: “Voy a Pasármelo G”, which is a tribute to Hombres G, a popular Spanish rock band from the ’80s and ’90s. Rock on!

Wednesday 14 August is the day of the Cabalgata Tradicional, which is definitely not to be missed. If you’re in town earlier in the day you can see the floats that will be taking part in the evening’s procession. They will be lined up on the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola from 11.00, ready for the judges to make the awards to the best floats at 11.30. If that’s not tempting enough, you can also taste local wines and products at the stands of the individual peñas. The evening’s party starts at 20.30, when the floats set off from Calle Trabajo (behind the tourist office) and wind their way along Canovas del Castillo with much singing and dancing plus handing out wine, sangria and snacks to the eager spectators. It’s always an amazing atmosphere (and the free wine and sangria also help!)

There’s a concert after the Cabalgata, with “La Pegatina” and “Caligaris” performing in Arzobispo Lozano, though this time tickets are 10€ in advance or 12€ on the gate.

This is a link to the town’s street map if you don’t know Jumilla as well as I do. http://www.jumilla.org/servicios/callejero.asp Finally, please return to this page tomorrow, as there are lots more events to add. You definitely don’t want to miss hearing about Saturday’s Gran Cabalgata del Vino!

Concerts in the wineries

One of the many highlights of the year in Jumilla is Música Entre Vinos, where concerts are held in different wineries, giving you a chance to sample the excellent local wines while tasting yummy tapas and listening to great music. What’s not to like?

Having just returned from a fabulous trip to Paris and London, I’m still busy trying to gather as much information as possible about this year’s MEV, which isn’t always easy in this part of the world! I will update this post if more details become available.

The opening event will be held on 8 June in Jumilla’s Wine Interpretation Centre rather than a winery, although food and wine will still be available. Tickets are only 15 euros and can be obtained from Restaurante Casa Sebastian. I gather that the theme will be film soundtracks, so as a Queen fan I’m definitely going to be there, in the hope that Bohemian Rhapsody will be included.

Bodegas Luzón (as seen in the photo above) are hosting the event on 15 June. Each year they manage to surprise me with something different, so I’m looking forward to being surprised yet again at this year’s concert. I have been told that the concert will be Pop-Rock music, both Spanish and English, that I (and many others) are sure to enjoy. For more details and/or to reserve tickets, email Patricia at tour@bodegasluzon.com.

Bodegas BSI are also having their concert on 15 June with Stolen, the group that had everyone up on their feet dancing last year. As BSI is one of the largest wineries, the tour is always interesting – as well as working up an appetite for their wines and tapas! To reserve tickets, email them at enoturismo@bsi.es

There are also two events on 22 June, so you are being spoilt for choice. Bodega Madrid Romero will start their evening with visits to the winery between 8pm and 9pm and you will then be entertained by Sharay Jazz & Friends, while enjoying good food and wine. Tickets are selling fast, so contact them to reserve your ticket by sending an email to: info@bodegamadridromero.com

I’ve been reliably informed that all available tickets have been reserved for the second event on 22 June, however you can add your name to the waiting list if you’d like to visit the Museo Hacienda del Carche-Casa de la Ermita. Particularly if you like Spanish pop from the 80s and 90s, as FyVBand will be providing the music, and of course you can enjoy the two wineries’ fine wines with your tapas. To put your name down, email: tour@casadelaermita.com

Bodegas Viña Elena aren’t having an event this year as there are works being carried out at their winery. however the good news is that you will be able to taste their wines on 6 July at the event being organised by La Macarena in Jumilla’s indoor market. La Macarena always have tasty tapas and the music will be provided by the talented local group Al Golpe, so I will definitely be buying my ticket before they run out. Email them to reserve tickets at: lamacarenabar.restaurante@gmail.com

On 13 July, Bodegas Ribera del Juá will be taking part in Música entre Vinos for the first time. I’m hoping to persuade one of my lovely friends to drive me there! They will have the legendary Jumillano rock band Salicornio accompanying the singer Carmen Maldonado from Granada, who will be performing “Pop through the ages”. Casa Canales will be doing the catering for them on the night. The event will start at 21.00. To book your tickets, either call them on 868087901 or send them an email to: eventos@bodegasriberadeljua.com

If you enjoy flamenco, then the final event at Bodegas Viña Campanero on 20 July will be right up your street. Starting at 21.00, you can look around the smallest winery in Jumilla before enjoying your tapas, wine and music. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of me showing off my dance skills! Email them to reserve tickets (they’re selling fast!) at bodegas@vinacampanero.com or you can phone them on 969780754 .

Apart from the opening event tickets will cost 28 euros, which includes the concert, tapas, lots of good wine and a glass to take home – I have a cupboard full of MEV glasses! Most events start at 21.00 but do check when reserving your tickets in case they are kicking off at 20.00 for the tour of the winery. Enjoy!

Jumilla’s Wine Fair

Jumilla is renowned for its wines, so why not come along and sample some of them at the Feria del Vino of Jumilla on Saturday 13 April? This event will be held on the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola, just behind the bus station, between 12 and 3. It will cost you a mere five euros to purchase a wine glass, which you can take home, and tickets for five wine tastings. With twenty six wineries taking part, your only problem will be deciding which wines to sample!

I am definitely going to be there, so do look out for me and say hello.

Upcoming events in Jumilla

Miniferia del Vino – April 8th

Every year since moving to Jumilla in 2008 we have been to the “Miniferia de los vinos de Jumilla”, which is held in the Plaza Rey Don Pedro on the first Saturday of Semana Santa. This year it will take place on Saturday 8 April between 12 and 3, so put it in your diaries now! Entry to the Miniferia costs only 5€ and for this princely sum you will be given a wineglass so that you can taste the best wines from the many D.O Jumilla bodegas. Your only problem will be deciding who can taste all the wines and who will have to restrict their intake as they have been nominated as the driver! John and I are fortunate as we live on the outskirts of Jumilla, so we can both walk there and stagger home afterwards.

If you would like to enjoy the drama and passion of Semana Santa (Holy Week) in Jumilla, these are some of the key dates.

Tamborada de la Burrica – April 8th

Drumming is a very important part of Semana Santa in Jumilla, with three processions. The first one starts at 19.00 at Iglesia de San Juan, going along Calle Cánovas to Plaza de Arriba.

The children’s Tamborada is on Monday 10 April, starting from Plaza de Arriba at 17.30 and finishing on the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola. Even the youngest participants seem able to keep to the rhythm of the drums. If you like late nights, the Tamborada de Gloria on Saturday 15 April starts at 23.45 in Plaza de Arriba, marching along Calle Cánovas and then drumming until the early hours of the morning in the car park behind the Mercado de Abastos. We usually miss that one!

Domingo de Ramos – April 9th

Palm Sunday, where the local children carry palm leaves, is one of my favourite processions. It starts at approximately 12.00 from the Iglesia de San Juan and goes along Calle Pio XII, crossing the main road (which will be closed off), then continuing along Calle Cánovas del Rollo and finishing at the Iglesia de Santiago.

Image may contain: one or more people and outdoor

It’s very difficult to know how long the procession will take, as proud parents hand over babies and small children to have their photo taken with Jesus on his donkey, which obviously delays his journey.

Procesión del Silencio – April 11th

Another procession for those of you who like late nights and also who aren’t afraid of the dark. This procession starts at midnight from the southern door of Iglesia de Santiago and takes place in darkness (apart from bonfires in the street) and silence (apart from the drum beats and the sound of the penitents’ chains) – it’s definitely not one for the faint-hearted.

Visita a los Monumentos “Las Manolos” – April 13th.

This is a popular procession as the participants visit several monuments in Jumilla, accompanied by local bands. Members of four brotherhoods parade along Calle Cánovas, starting at Jardín del Rollo at 17.30 with others joining the procession at different places along the route. I’m always in awe at the way the señoras can walk along the cobbled streets on their staggeringly high heels!

Domingo Resurección – April 16th

The highlight of the week is on Easter Sunday, when the Resurrected Christ appears at 12.00 in Plaza del Rollo. Following this, there is a procession along Calle Cánovas, where sweets are shared out to the eagerly awaiting children in the Caramelada.

If you don’t know Jumilla and plan to come along on any of these days, you can find a street map of Jumilla by clicking on this link. If you would like to enjoy a free guided tour of Jumilla during the Easter holidays, click on the link for Walkers Tours of Jumilla at the top of this page.

Fiesta de la Vendimia 2012

Here it is folks! The eagerly awaited event of the year in Jumilla is due to start next weekend – and I am way behind schedule in posting the details here. I blame (in no particular order) the Olympics, my summer cold and the difficulty of obtaining advance information about the festivities.

Don’t miss the Fuente del Vino when you visit Jumilla during the Wine Festival: yes, there really is red wine flowing from the fountain in the Jardín de la Glorieta, though I doubt if it is suitable for drinking. Even John hasn’t tried it! If you want to attend the inauguration of the wine fountain, it will be held at 21.30 on Friday 10 August.

For wine lovers the first event of interest is the Miniferia del Vino, which will be held in the Jardín del Rey Don Pedro from 12.00 on Saturday 11 August. Last year we paid the princely sum of 3€ to purchase a wine glass, then wandered slowly round the stands sampling wines from some of Jumilla’s best bodegas. Luckily each stand provided nibbles to help line our stomachs! Fortunately we live in walking or staggering distance of the gardens, but if you are driving I suggest you agree well in advance who is to be the designated driver.

The special children’s procession, the Cabalgata Infantil, is on Tuesday 14 August, starting from the Plaza del Rollo at 20.30. It’s great fun though no wine is involved!

You can sample more wine during the Cabalgata Tradicional, which is our favourite procession and which will take place at 20.30 on Thursday 16 August. Decorated floats parade along the main streets of Jumilla, with the participants handing out samples of wine, sangria and local snacks while dancing to the accompanying bands. The tables outside the local bars are packed as everyone enjoys a drink while they wait for the procession to reach them. This is the procession for those of us who like to drink our wine rather than get soaked in the stuff!

The main event for many people, especially the youngsters, is the Gran Cabalgata del Vino, which starts at 19.00 on Saturday 18 August. My only advice is to wear your oldest clothes, which traditionally should be white, and have a change of clothing for afterwards! As mentioned earlier, red wine is poured or thrown over the participants, who party through the night. You will need to have plenty of stamina if you decide to join in the fun!

Click on the following link if you want to see the full programme for the Fiesta de la Vendimia. It includes such quirky events as Gran Prix, Jumilla’s own version of “It’s a Knockout”; the launching of the rocket from the town hall balcony to open the Fiesta; the popular grape-spitting competition, a gachamiga-making contest and many more.

Below is a small selection of photos from previous years’ festivities.

Soaked in wine — Gran Cabalgata - soaked in wine!

Mar Menor – más o menos?

View of the Mediterranean from the balcony of our hotel room

In Spain there are many advantages to being “mayores”,which can mean either grown-ups or elderly and sounds far better than the English equivalents of “OAP” or “elderly”! One of the plus points if you are of retirement age and live in Spain is the various deals for cheap holidays.

John´s bank Cajamurcia was doing a special offer for mayores of 55+, and if you shared a room only one of you had to be over 55. You could stay for 5 nights in a 4-star hotel at La Manga de Mar Menor, with full board and use of most of its facilities, for only 165€ per person plus a discount of 5% for all Cajamurcia customers. We decided to try it out, and can thoroughly recommend the deal.

Our holiday started on Sunday night when, after checking in, we went down for dinner, our first meal in the hotel. Dinner wasn´t exactly an unqualified success as we had arrived just before the start of the second sitting, and by the time we helped ourselves to fish, meat and vegetables the food was only lukewarm. John was starting to mutter about having to go out for dinner if we wanted a decent meal, and I had to agree with him. The salad that we had helped ourselves to for starters was good and all the desserts were cold anyway, so the rest of the meal was enjoyable, but the main courses left a lot to be desired. The highlight had to be the bottle of wine that was left on our table, which was from Bodegas San Isidro in Jumilla, the nearest bodega to our home there!

There were no complaints about breakfast, where there was a wide range to choose from: breakfast cereals, yoghourts, fruit, cold meat and cheeses, croissants and pastries, eggs and bacon or sausages, bread for toasting (with olive oil and chopped tomatoes beside the toaster for their Spanish guests), plus juices and hot drinks. This helped to make up for dinner the previous night, so we decided that we would try out lunch later on, after exploring our surroundings.

View of La Manga strip from Cabo de Palos

We decided to head for Cabo de Palos and have a look at its lighthouse, which we had seen from our balcony. Cabo de Palos is a Spanish fishing village although being on the coast it is also popular with holiday makers.

If you take the shortest route, it is just over 3km from Hotel Entremares to the Cabo de Palos Faro, so we decided to take the short route there and the longer route back. It wasn´t just that we wanted to increase the distance of our walk: by going the long way round we would also see the fishing port!

It was a lovely March day, so we enjoyed our stroll beside the blue Mediterranean and then through the gardens leading up to the lighthouse. We weren´t the only ones enjoying the views – though unfortunately we couldn´t go inside the lighthouse – and everybody else was busy taking photos too.

We then headed towards the Puerto, glancing at the many restaurants overlooking the harbour: lovely views and lovely prices to match! We decided to have a coffee, which cost us 2.60€ for a café solo and café cortado: not exactly extortionate, but more than the 2€ we paid elsewhere at La Manga. The cheapest menú del día that we saw was 15€, so we agreed that we would try the buffet lunch at our hotel and head for the hot buffet first in the hope that the food would still be hot!

Fisherman at Cabo de Palos — Fisherman mending his nets at Cabo de Palos Puerto

Our strategy proved successful, so after that we made sure that we went for dinner early on and had the hot course before having soup or salad. The food definitely tasted better by being freshly cooked, so we will remember that in future if we go to a hotel with buffet meals!

Being on the coast we noticed that there were a lot more British bars than inland, where we live. If you are on a budget you are better going to the Spanish bars, where they may very well speak English anyway. We paid 2€ for a glass of wine in Paddywacks and 2.50€ for a glass of wine in Nobby´s Cantina, whereas the most we paid in Spanish bars was 1.50€, including free tapas such as olives or nuts. Not surprisingly, the British bars were full of English speaking customers, though apparently Paddywacks is popular with Spanish people too.

On our second day we took the bus to the end of La Manga. Although we enjoy walking it was over 18k to the end of the strip, plus it cost 1.05€ no matter how far you went on the local bus so we wanted to get value for money!

In actual fact the bus doesn´t quite go to the end and we discovered why when we reached the bridge a bit further down: