The ups and downs of living in Spain, with money-saving tips
Category: Ups and downs of living in Spain
We share the highs and lows of living in a small town in rural Southern Spain. Do the Spanish celebrate New Year as we Brits do? Why is there a statue in somebody´s front room? All will be revealed here!
Most people associate the Fiesta of San Fermín with Pamplona and bull-running in July, however I decided to do a bit of investigation into the connection between bulls and “Saint Firmin” (as he is also known), in the interests of journalistic accuracy. After my research, I was even more confused than before.
Apparently San Fermín’s feast day is actually on September 25th and not July 6th. The connection with bulls seems a bit tenuous too: there is one story that Saint Fermín died being dragged through the streets by bulls, although other sources suggest that it was a different saint. However he was definitely born in Pamplona, which I am sure is enough of a connection to justify the annual celebrations both there and throughout Spain.
Jumillanos love a good party, so the neighbours in the Barrio of San Fermín will be celebrating their saint’s day (inJuly) with great enthusiasm over the next few days. Fortunately there won’t be any bulls in the neighbourhood, so John and I plan to go along tonight with some friends to join in the fiesta fun.
I have to say that I have never been to a bull-fight and I don’t intend going to one. I just accept that it is one of the few Spanish traditions that I can’t agree with, though I don’t think it is my place to tell them so, especially since hunting was allowed in the UK until recent years. However I am pleased to report that a growing number of Spaniards are campaigning against all forms of cruelty to animals, and there is now an Antitaurino group here in Jumilla, which my facebook friend Irene from 4 Patas kindly signed me up for!
The programme for this year’s Fiestas de San Fermín includes several processions, a special mass, a Tortilla Española competition, dance displays, children’s games, a concert by a Pop Rock group and, to close the festivities, a concert by the talented Flamenco group Al Golpe.
During our first couple of years in Jumilla we watched the children playing at bull-fighting during the fiesta, but it doesn’t seem to be on the agenda this year, which we think is a good thing. Although I must admit that the children were so cute that I couldn’t resist taking a couple of photos. I hope nobody minds if I post one here:
Children taking part in the Fiestas de San Fermin
Tonight we are going to watch the Coronation of the Fiesta Queens. We aren’t sure exactly what is involved, but our lovely friend Cristina from Bar La Casa is one of the Reinas, so we are going along to support her. There will be a dance display too by the Academia Aurora González, who so impressed us with their performance in Teatro Vico, so we know it will be an enjoyable evening. We suspect that a few loud fireworks might be lit tonight as well, although nothing has been advertised: after all a fiesta isn’t a fiesta in Spain without one or two deafening blasts!
In theory we can laze on every afternoon, as we have both retired . However Sunday is definitely our day of rest. During the week we have friends to meet for coffee, friends to meet for tapas, shopping, walking the dog and of course, especially during July, I have to include writing my blog on my list. Sunday though is usually a day for taking it easy.
John and I have totally embraced the Spanish way of life – with one exception. We don’t do siestas. OK, if I was to be totally honest, I would admit to the occasional little doze and odd 40 winks. This is a rare occurrence though and so far has only happened under the following circumstances: we have been shopping in Murcia city, then we have had a lovely leisurely, typically Spanish lunch (i.e. menú del día including lots of red wine) before catching the bus back to Jumilla. And of course the bus has been warm, and the rocking movement has encouraged my heavy lids to slowly close, and …. zzzzz
On Sunday morning I do try to dress a bit smarter than usual (my best trainers rather than an older pair) because we know that when we walk down town lots of families will be out strolling in their Sunday best, many of them going to or from mass. We usually take our dog Lisa with us when we go to buy the Sunday papers so that her many friends can call out “Hola Lisa!”.
This Sunday was no exception, except for the fact that there were a few dark clouds in the sky. This is July, for goodness sake – July in Spain! Dark clouds have no right to be lurking in the sky during July. The Spanish met office website http://www.aemet.es/es/portada had said there was only a 10% chance of rain, which is basically no chance, isn’t it? (Statistics was my least favourite subject at school by the way).
Can this be summer?
Anyway, I am English, and I guess I kind of expect rain in summer, so my brolly went into my bag. Fortuituously, as it turned out.
It was slightly cooler than it has been in recent weeks, so we went the long way round to the paper shop to give Lisa a bit more exercise. We needed a bit more exercise too, after overindulging on Saturday evening!
We buy La Verdad newspaper on Sundays as it is a good way to improve our Spanish, plus the supplements give me the latest gossip, albeit many of the “celebrities” are Spanish stars that I have never heard of. They did a huge spread for “Guillermo y Catalina’s” wedding however (known to us as William and Kate), and this Sunday there was a photo of Queen “Isabel” II!
On the way home we stopped at Cervecería Borneo for a coffee. Lisa likes it there as the owner always make a fuss of her, and the tables are quite a way from the road, so she isn’t disturbed by the traffic. There are usually a few groups of cyclists sitting outside on Sunday mornings, all with the latest cycling gear on, rehydrating with several cañas.
We didn’t linger there too long, as the dark clouds were gathering momentum and the sun had totally disappeared from sight. We had just crossed the main road when the first drops fell, and we are talking seriously heavy drops not the usual Spanish lightweight drops of rain. The umbrellas were unfurled as we started walking a bit quicker, as did Lisa. Lisa is very much a fair weather dog.
There weren’t many cars parked outside the building by the time that we had returned, but this was nothing to do with the weather. Many of our neighbours are young people who are buying their first home, and their parents live in town. We have noticed that Sunday is the day for going home to Mamá for a family Sunday lunch. I suspect that some of them, especially the sons, take their weekly washing home to Mamá too!
It was lucky that we had planned a lazy afternoon watching Wimbledon and the Tour de France on TV – as well as reading the papers – because we had two heavy downpours plus a thunderstorm. In fact the small town of Jumilla actually made it onto National TV’s weather programme that evening. We spotted Jumilla on the weather map, showing a figure of 3l/sq m of rain in one hour. This was after the first downpour – however the second one was even heavier, and soon it looked as if a river was running down our street. Luckily normal service has been resumed today and the sun is shining again.
Música entre Vinos was a brilliantly conceived idea from the Ruta del Vino Jumilla and is now in its fourth season. Put simply, during the summer months a series of concerts are held in local Bodegas, where you can also taste wines from the Bodega accompanied by local dishes. We had already enjoyed five of the first six events (we applied too late for the sixth one!) and were looking forward to the other four that we have booked.
We popped into Los Chilines wine shop for a word with José María on Friday. He told us that tickets were still available for the Música entre Vinos events at Bodegas Viña Campanero next weekend and Bodegas Pedro Luis Martinez the following weekend, however only a couple are left for the closing event at Bodegas Bleda on 30th July. This year’s events have proved extremely popular and most have sold out well in advance.
Even more astonishing was the news that La Gran Cata, which is being held on 29th July, has already sold out. Apparently there were 400 applications for the 250 tickets – luckily we had reserved tickets last week for ourselves and our friends Lesley and John!
On Saturday night we headed to Bodegas JM Martínez Verdú, hoping that the event would be as good as the one we attended there last year. It was rather worrying when we drove through a downpour, as we suspected that the concert was going to be held outside. We arrived to find our friend Fina looking anxiously at the sky. She reassured us that our four reserved tickets were there, while muttering to us that she was nervous about the weather.
Inside the bodega
Fortunately the weather was on our side and we enjoyed a wonderful evening. I have to say that the whole event exceeded our expectations: it was very well organised; the wine flowed; the food was absolutely delicious; the music was from the superb Flamenco group Al Golpe and we enjoyed watching Flamenco dancers too – and finally there was a wonderful atmosphere with so many people having a good time.
The evening started with a tour of the bodega for those people who hadn’t visited it before. The rest of us showed our tickets to get a wine glass and shortly afterwards the efficient, smiling staff wandered around with bottles of chilled white and rosado wines to top up our glasses. That was a good start to the evening and it got even better when plates of food appeared. The catering was provided by one of our favourite bars in Jumilla, Bar Paraiso. (When visitors want to taste authentic Spanish food in a typical Spanish bar, that’s where we take them, for the excellent value 8€ menú del día!)
John, waiting with our friends Lesley and John, for the wine to appear!
We enjoyed some tiny empanadas (savoury pasties), what appeared to be mini sausage rolls (though I gave them a miss as I don’t eat meat) and the most delicious seafood vol au vents I have ever tasted. I don’t know how many of the tiny vol au vents I ate, but every time they offered me another one I willingly accepted. Yummy!
We then moved into the garden further down the road for the actual concert by Al Golpe. Three coach-loads of British residents from Torrevieja on the coast had ventured inland for this event. They had been persuaded to come along by their Spanish teacher Begonia, who coincidentally is teaching Spanish to Lesley’s son Nick, who has just moved to Los Alcazares.
Once the concert started, the evening became very lively. Al Golpe are a talented group of three young musicians from Jumilla. I will give a link to a video that I took at the concert, but believe me they sound even better live, with an appreciative Spanish (and English!) audience. To add to the experience there were a couple of lovely Flamenco dancers who, or so we were told, were the daughters of José María, the owner of the Bodega.
While we were enjoying the concert, some good red wine was served (look out for Xenys, Xenysel or Calzás on the label, if you want to try their wines) and even more delicious food. We had to smile when we overheard an English woman saying “they are bringing round bread and jam!” Excuse me, Madam, it is a local delicacy of fried goat’s cheese topped with jam made from Monastrell grapes – and absolutely delicious.
Plate after plate of jámon, cold meats, cheese and tapas were brought round and, just when we thought we were full, they produced desserts! Tiny dishes of lemon sorbet to refresh our palates were followed by arroz con leche, tarta moka and fresh fruit kebabs.
We all agreed that this was the best event so far, but we are going to three more this month so I will be reporting back on them over the next couple of weeks.
Going out for breakfast (desayunar is the Spanish word for “to have breakfast”) is still an important tradition in Jumilla. Local people start the day early with not much more than a cup of coffee, so by the time it is 10 or 11 Spanish workers are ready for their breakfast. Most of the cafés and bars are full at that time of day, with people enjoying a café or zumo plus a tostada, and inevitably talking to their friends and colleagues loudly and at great speed. Trying to follow their conversations is a good test of your Spanish comprehension!
Twice a week we meet our friend Juana María for desayuno, and at this time of the year we usually go to Bar Chaparral’s summer terrace just outside the Jardín del Rey Don Pedro. This is one of the joys of living in Spain: sitting outside with friends, blue skies overhead, birds singing in the garden, and relaxing over a cup of coffee or a fruit juice.
John’s breakfast of choice is a café solo and he has tostada with butter and jam. I have now embraced the Spanish way of having tostada and pour extra virgin olive oil on top of it. Tostada, by the way, is not a slice of supermarket bread, but is a toasted baguette, so we have a media tostada rather than a whole one. Many people have tomato on their tostada, sometimes crushing a fresh tomato and garlic on top of the olive oil. One thing that you are unlikely to find once you are away from the Spanish Costas is a full English breakfast – we have certainly not come across it in our local Spanish cafés!
One difference we have noticed between British and Spanish people: whereas the Brits like to sit outside directly in the sun, the Spanish prefer to sit outside in the shade, so Chaparral have an awning over their terrace once the sun is up.
Sounds idyllic, doesn’t it? Well it is, except for the irritating moscas! Being inland we don’t get troubled too much by mosquitos, but flies are a different matter. At home, our dog Lisa spends most of the summer months trying to catch them.
I have decided to join the Ultimate Blog Challenge, which means trying to post on here every day in July – yep, that’s what makes it challenging! It occurred to me that if I was just blogging about my everyday life in Jumilla it might become a bit repetitive, so I started thinking about a typical day in Jumilla. What in fact would I be writing about?
First thoughts are: walking the dog; talking to our Spanish neighbours; meeting friends for coffee; shopping; going out for wine and tapas; cooking dinner; reading; watching Spanish TV. Would these be interesting to other people? I guess it depends on where you live, as for John and me all these activities are normal, however if you live in the UK or in other countries – or even if you live in Spain but on the coast – you might be fascinated by my insights into our life in Spain. I certainly hope so!
Of course you are unlikely to speak to Spanish neighbours on a regular basis or watch Spanish TV unless you too live in Spain, and going out for wine and tapas is more likely to be an occasional treat rather than a regular occurrence if you live in the UK.
I will also be writing about some special events such as “Música entre Vinos”, which is an award-winning initiative from the Ruta del Vino Jumilla, and “La Gran Cata” at the end of the month.
Waiting for the concert at Bodegas Hacienda del Carche
If you are going to follow me on this journey for the month of July, you might be interested in knowing a bit more about me, so that you can see what you are letting yourself in for……!
After several years looking at property in Spain, my second husband John and I made the momentous decision to retire to the Spanish town of Jumilla, which is in a remote part of north-east Murcia. Our initial problems trying to buy an off-plan property mainly account for the “downs” referred to in the title of this category, and our experiences once we moved into our new apartment here in Jumilla mainly account for the “ups”. I wrote a book that chronicles our early adventures (follow the links on this website if you wish to buy it from Amazon!) and I am continuing our story through this blog.
I hope that you will comment on my posts and in particular I would love to hear how your life differs from our new life in Spain. If you have any burning questions, please add them below and I will do my best to answer them.
The Dominican missionary St. Vincent Ferrer was born in Valencia in 1350 and preached in many different parts of Spain. In 1411 he visited Jumilla where, after being inspired by his sermons, the town celebrated their first Semana Santa.
600 years after St. Vincent Ferrer’s visit, Jumilla is preparing for some extraordinary celebrations to commemorate the 600th anniversary of Semana Santa and is hoping that many visitors will join them to share in the passion, colour, music and pageantry of this momentous occasion.
Children’s Semana Santa
Children's Tamborada
The following events are specifically organised for the children, although many children will also take part in the main processions, plus some parents will be seen carrying babies dressed in traditional costumes.
Thursday 14 April
17.00. 3rd Tamborada Infantil at Plaza de Arriba. Children under the age of 12 will take part in this procession, playing their drums with much enthusiasm – and skill too! The event is being organised in collaboration with Caritas, who will be accepting donations of non perishable foods and household products. The procession will start in Plaza de Arriba and end outside Teatro Vico.
Sunday 24 April
12.00 Easter Sunday and the traditional meeting between Jesús Resucitado and the Virgen Gloriosa in Plaza del Rollo. Lots of excited children will be waiting along Calle Cánovas, because after the procession comes the traditional Caramelada, where the children will be scrambling to grab handfuls of sweets.
Children scrambling for sweets
Main Semana Santa processions
Friday 15 April
Semana Santa will officially begin on Viernes de Dolores, the Friday before Palm Sunday, with a procession at 21.30 from the Iglesia de Santiago.
Sunday 17 April
12.00 Procession of the Palms In this procession, a group representing Jesus riding on a donkey with the Apostles around him will be accompanied by children dressed as Hebrews. The procession leaves from Iglesia de San Juan and continues to the parish church of Santiago via Plaza del Rollo and Calle Cánovas, with Jesús declaiming his prophesy about the destruction of Jerusalem.
Palm Sunday procession
21.00 In previous years the statue of “Christ tied to the column”, made by the renowned Murcian sculptor Francisco Salzillo, was brought down from the Monastery of Santa Ana in solitary splendour. This year, as part of the 600th Anniversary, the Franciscans have agreed for the statue of “Abuela Santa Ana” to be brought down to Jumilla at the same time. The procession through the streets of Jumilla will be from the Ermita de San Agustín to the Iglesia Mayor de Santiago, and I imagine the streets will be lined with both young and old for this historic event.
Cristo Amarrado a la Columna by Francisco Salzillo
Tuesday 19 April
23.30 Celebración Penitencial This is held in Iglesia de Santiago, followed by the Procession of Silence where the penitents, all dressed in black, and many of them with bare feet and dragging chains behind them, walk through the dark streets of the old town. All the street lights are switched off during the procession, and the only light comes from bonfires lit in the streets.
Procesión del Silencio
Wednesday 20 April
17.30 Re-enactment of the Capture of Christ, in Plaza de Arriba, with 18 actors taking part. “Los Armaos”, the Roman soldiers, will also be participating in this act.
21.30 Procession of “Jesús Prendido”, plus other statues representing Peter’s denial, Judas’ Kiss, St John the Apostle – ten in total – from Iglesia de El Salvador.
Thursday 21 April
17.30 Visit to the monuments This is one of my favourite processions, where the lovely señoras in their mantillas and lace dresses parade with proud señors (also dressed in their finery) as they visit the monuments in Jumilla, accompanied by local bands.
Señoras wearing their best mantillas
21.30 Procession of the Virgen de la Amargura The procession leaves the Iglesia de Santa María, going through the streets of the old town, and finishes in Iglesía del Salvador.
Friday 22 April
09.30 Procession “Antigua” This is the first of two extraordinary processions to commemorate the 600th Anniversary. Starting at the Iglesía de Santa María, ten of the oldest Semana Santa statues (pre 20th century) will be carried through Jumilla’s old town.
11.00 Procession of the Calvary One of the largest processions takes place on Good Friday. Sixteen statues are carried from the Iglesía del Salvador around the steep and winding streets of Jumilla, then along Calle Cánovas and up to Calle Canalejas before returning to the church.
Saturday 23 April
19.00 “Magno Entierro” The second extraordinary procession for the 600th Semana Santa. If you only watch one procession this year, this is the one to watch, with 35 statues being carried through the streets of Jumilla. The procession leaves from Iglesia de Santa María and finishes at the Jardín del Rollo, next to the tourist office.
Sunday 24 April
Easter Sunday procession
12.00 Procession of “Jesús Resucitado”. As mentioned above, this is the final event where the “Risen Jesus” meets the “Glorious Virgin” in the Plaza del Rollo. After this the procession departs from the Plaza and goes along Calle Cánovas, with sweets being thrown to the eager children, clutching the plastic bags that they hope to fill to the brim with sweets.
Semana Santa Mini-feria del Vino
Many people will know about Jumilla from drinking the wine produced by the many bodegas in and around the town. There will be the perfect opportunity to sample some of the best Jumilla wines on Saturday 16th April, when the Mini-feria del Vino is being held in Jardín del Rey Don Pedro between 12.00 and 15.00. Entry will cost 3€, which is a bargain when you consider around 20 bodegas will be offering you the chance to try their wines. Hope to see you there!
Mini-feria del Vino
Vino y Cuaresma.
If you are visiting Jumilla on Friday 15 April, why not visit one of the ten bars and restaurants offering a tapa and glass of Carchelo wine for 2€? On Saturday 16 April, the same establishments will be offering dinner for 15 to 30 euros, which includes a bottle of Carchelo wine between 2 people. Finally, Sunday lunch on 17 April will cost you from 22 to 30 euros, including a 500ml bottle of Vino Canalizo per person.
Look for the distinctive posters outside participating restaurants!
Jumilla is the hidden jewel in northeast Murcia. It is a typically Spanish country town – best known to wine-drinkers for its red wine and many bodegas – and is surrounded by mountains and vineyards. Anybody staying on the Costa Blanca or Costa Calida who wants to experience the real Spain should venture inland and visit Jumilla.
Most people who visit here say that they are surprised by how big the town is, and you certainly need to spend at least one day in Jumilla to see the main sights and of course to enjoy some of its fine wines!
Wandering through the narrow streets of the old town gives an insight into the fascinating history of Jumilla, which was occupied by the Iberians, Romans and Arabs before the Spanish king Alfonso X re-conquered what was then known as Xumilla for the Kingdom of Castile in 1241.
Jardín del Rey Don Pedro
Important historic monuments include the well-preserved 5th century mausoleum known as El Casón, the impressive 15th century Church of Santiago and the recently restored Castle. The fortress that we see today dominating the skyline was constructed in 1461 by Juan Pacheco, the Marquis of Villena.
Other places worth visiting in Jumilla include several interesting museums, the lovely 19th century Teatro Vico, modernist style houses, as well as charming squares and gardens to explore.
Just outside the town there are several good walks for those of you who enjoy being active, especially in the Sierra de El Carche and Sierra de Santa Ana. If you go to the Sierra de Santa Ana, a visit to the Monasterio and its fascinating museum is a must.
Monasterio at Santa Ana
The good news for those of you on a budget is that a day trip to Jumilla won’t cost you a fortune. The majority of museums are free and the privately owned Museo Jésus Nazareno only charges 1€, which should not break the bank.
Contact Walkers Tours of Jumilla if you would like a free guided walk around Jumilla in English (and Scottish!). Sue and John can arrange for you to visit a local bodega for 5€, which includes wine-tasting and snacks, and if you fancy having lunch in Jumilla they are able to recommend several local restaurants, where you can have a delicious menú del día from 8€ including all your drinks. What are you waiting for?
So much has happened since my previous post that I would need to write another book just to relate all the stories! These are the edited highlights:
Thursday 12th August: Gran de Exultación del Vino. What a great party that was, as described in my previous post.
Saturday 14 August: National Folklore Festival, with performances in the streets and plazas at 13.00. Well I was there at 13.00, as were many friends from La Asociación de Amigos de Jumilla who were the hosts, plus two officers from the local police – but where were the performers from the Grupo de Coros y Danzas Nazarín? They eventually strolled up at quarter past one and by half past the performance had started. The only problem was the local police had become bored and wandered off, so the Presidente of the Asociación had to direct the traffic!
What I loved about the different groups taking part in the Folklore Festival was the way they all obviously enjoyed performing for us.
At the end of the performance, guess who turned up? Yes, the local police returned with barriers to stop the traffic coming through. Sorry, guys, you are a bit too late: we’re all off now for wine and nibbles at the Asociacón’s meeting place!
Except that I didn’t go this year, even though I had an invitation, as John wasn’t feeling well so I had to hurry back home now that I had taken my photos. I say “hurry”, however I had a slight detour to make.
Saturday 14 August: Miniferia del Vino We know so many of the local bodegas that it would have been very rude to have ignored this event, wouldn’t it? Yes, that’s what I thought. I paid 3€ for a glass and was then able to go round the 13 stands set up by local bodegas in the Jardín del Rey Don Pedro for free tastings. Not that I had 13 glasses of wine (of course not!) and anyway you don’t get a whole glassful, but I had to say “Hola” to Fina, Fernando, Silvano and many other friends, didn’t I? And I couldn’t insult them by refusing to try their wine, especially when Silvano was offering his award-winning Monastrell Dulce. “Un poco, gracias!”
Gracias, Silvano!
Saturday 14 August: Entrada Cristiana Luckily John had recovered by the evening, as we had arranged to meet friends at Bar California so that we could watch the Entrance of the Christians. This procession has everything: fantastic costumes, music, dancing, drama and a wonderful atmosphere. At regular points they have a jousting display, however I had to run up the street with my camera to take photos as it didn’t happen opposite our table.
Entrada Cristiana
My photos were a bit dark, which I suspected would be the case, after all the procession was due to start at 10 in the evening. I say “due to start”, however we weren’t surprised when it started later than that, which is why we had grabbed a table and ordered tapas and a bottle of wine so that we could wait in comfort.
Sunday 15 August: National Folklore Festival with more performances in the street. We decided to watch the performance in Calle Calvario, as it was a group from Tarragona and we hoped that they would form a casteller or human castle. We were not disappointed, although they didn’t have much space so it had to be a small castle compared to the nine storeys they usually form in the region of Tarragona.
Building the human castle
On our way back we bumped into Carmelita, who told us to go to a bar up the road where there would be a “comida” at 2pm. We hadn’t made any plans so the four of us followed her instructions, only to discover that the bar was in a garage! The Asociación de Vecinos de San Antón were providing lunch, sangria and wine for the folk group from Asturias , however we were immediately welcomed, told that we were “Jumillanos” as well as being “Ingleses”, and asked whether we wanted sangria or vino. You cannot beat Spanish hospitality!
They can't stop dancing!
After the meal, a couple of the musicians started playing and the dancers soon joined in. Over two hours later we continued our journey home.
Monday 16 August: Entrada Mora Another 10pm start, more or less. Our previous strategy of getting there early and grabbing a table had proved successful, so this time we headed to Bar Canovas. A table outside? Tick. Bottle of wine and tapas? Tick. Camera ready? Tick. Procession starting on time? No way! Not that we minded waiting: sitting outside the bar on a lovely August evening wasn’t exactly a hardship. We all agreed that, brilliant though the Entrada Cristiana on Saturday night had been, the Entrada Mora was even more exciting.
Entrada Mora
We enjoyed watching a dramatic re-enactment of a damsel in distress being rescued from the dark forces by our hero, although we weren’t really sure what it was all about! Watch the video below, then if you know more than we do, please leave a comment explaining its significance!
Tuesday 17 August: Representación de las Embajadas y Parlamento de Moros Y Cristianos John and I had stumbled across this last year, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so we persuaded four other Brits to join us on the Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola. The performance was a brief history of the Castillo de Jumilla, which was originally held by the Moors until the Christians captured the castle. Lots of drama and clashing of swords, which incidentally weren’t plastic imitations judging by the sound of metal against metal, with a few sparks flying!
Thursday 19 August: Cabalgata Tradicional This is the highlight of the Fiesta de la Vendimia so far as John and I are concerned. We had persuaded several friends to come along and watch this procession, so we decided to book a couple of tables at Bar California. Being optimistic we arrived at 8pm, although the procession wasn’t due to leave until 8.30. Our major mistake was ordering a second bottle of wine, just before the procession reached us! We knew many of the participants, who handed us plastic glasses of wine and sangria, and even small bottles of wine! The floats were brilliant, the atmosphere was amazing, with lots of music and dancing, and it was lovely to recognise and be recognised by so many of the people taking part.
Cabalgata tradicional
Friday 20 August: Desfile de Carruajes y Caballos I was due to fly to London on Friday to help my daughter Vicky celebrate her 40th birthday, however I had already packed and I didn’t want to miss the horses and carriages on Friday morning. I was hoping that for once the event would start on time, however it wasn’t to be. Still, it was worth the wait to watch the beautiful horses parading past us.
Saturday 21 August: Gran Cabalgata del Vino This is the famous (or should that be infamous?) procession on the final Saturday of the Fiesta de la Vendimia. To be quite honest, although it’s good to watch (mainly young) people enjoying themselves as they get drenched with red wine, once you have seen it you don’t really need to see it again. Plus I had an important date in London! John went though with a couple of friends, so this is his photo.
Apparently 80,000 litres of wine and sangria were sprayed over the 75,000 participants who came from Alicante, Albacete, Valencia and Murcia provinces and even the Canary Islands. John saw several busloads of people arriving, however in spite of all the strangers in town there were no serious incidents. I suspect that there were a few sore heads the following day though!
So the Fiesta is over for another year, and life will return to normal – except that we had a message from our friend Toñi, telling us that there is a Fiesta in Torre del Rico and would we like to go there?
Help! I can’t keep up with the action in Jumilla: we attended several events during the National Folklore Festival this weekend; I visited the miniferia del vino on Saturday; we sat outside Bar California with friends, watching the spectacular Entrada Cristiana (with a few Moros managing to sneak into the procession too) and yesterday we enjoyed the hospitality of AAVV San Anton. No time to report everything, as lots more coming up in the Fiesta de la Vendimia, however I will post some photos once the festivities are over.
This week’s highlights:
Monday 16th August
22.00 Entrance of the Moors. Procession from Arco de San Roque to Plaza del Rollo.
Tuesday 17th August
20.30 Children´s Procession from Plaza del Rollo to the Mercado via Calle Canovas and Avenida Levante.
22.15 Representation of the Moros and Cristianos embassies: a great spectacle ending with fireworks.
Wednesday 18th August
21.00 Offering of the grapes and first must to the Niño de las Uvas. Jardín de la Glorieta.
Thursday 19th August
11.00 Exhibition of floats taking part in the Cabalgata. Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola.
20.30 Cabalgata Tradicional. The traditional procession leaves from Plaza del Rollo, going through the streets of Jumilla: we like this one as they hand out samples of wine!
Friday 20th August
12.00 Parade of horses and carriages through the streets of Jumilla: leaving from Teatro Vico, along Calle Cánovas, Avenida de la Asunción, and finishing on Paseo Poeta Lorenzo Guardiola.
Saturday 21st August
19.00 Gran Cabalgata del Vino. This is the infamous procession, where you get soaked in red wine if you get too close to the floats (wear old clothes!), and everybody has a good time.
Having read the sad story about our failed attempt to buy tickets for the Gran Fiesta last year, I am sure you will be delighted to hear that our campaign this year was more successful.
John and I started queueing outside the new Roque Baños Sociocultural Centre at 5pm. Much to our amazement, what looked like 100 Jumillanos were ahead of us in the queue, and there were barriers in place so that an orderly queue was formed. We had been told that they would start selling the tickets at 8pm and there would be a limit of two per person.
Our friends Lesley and John arrived at 5.30 and they too were amazed to see the well behaved queue (this is Spain after all!). Plan A was then put into operation, as our friend John took my place in the queue and I joined Lesley in the bar, where we ordered a bottle of Taus, one of our favourite local red wines. A man started complaining when John appeared, until we explained that he was only replacing me in the queue and that I was going off to drink wine with Lesley. I noticed several of the women nodding their approval of this scheme!
We were good to the boys: taking our turn in the queue and also leaving them more than half of the bottle of wine. We rang them after one hour, just in case they forgot to come back for their next shift! They got to the front of the queue at about 8.30 and returned, clutching their tickets triumphantly.
“Was it worth it?” I hear you ask. Was it worth it!
The sky wasn't looking very promising
We parked at Salones Pio XII just after 9pm, and our first concern was the stormy looking clouds overhead. Not long afterwards, John said “Was that lightning or was it a flash from somebody’s camera?” His question was answered by a loud roll of thunder.
We could see that the tables had all been set up outside. Hmm. I know it is August and we are in Spain, but there had been rain only a few nights ago and hadn’t the organisers spotted all those dark clouds?
Luckily the organisers’ optimism was rewarded, and the clouds moved away. The evening started with lots of speeches (this is Spain after all!) and everybody looked hopefully towards the tables where local bodegas had set out lots of bottles of wine, but to no avail. We had some chilled bottles of water to stop us getting thirsty, however clearly there was to be no vino until the opening speeches had been concluded.
Where's the vino?
I thought the clapping at the end of the last and longest speech was particularly heartfelt, and then everybody headed off happily towards the tables of wine.
Earlier in the day we had all gone for a guided walk around Jumilla, showing off the sights of our town to a group of nine Brits from Calasparra, followed by an excellent menú del día that we had booked for them at Restaurante San Agustín. We hadn’t eaten again before going out for the evening, which was lucky, as more and more plates of delicious food kept on appearing. Eventually even I had to say “no”!
It wasn’t just the good food and wine, or the lovely surroundings in the gardens at Salones Pio XII: the party atmosphere was really great. Lots of Spanish friends and neighbours came over to greet us and have a chat, so we introduced our friends to Lesley and John, who in turn introduced John and me to their friends.
Everybody was having a good time, as Lesley put it, “without being rowdy or anybody getting drunk”. There must have been almost 1,500 revellers there celebrating the start of the Feria y Fiestas de Jumilla, and the only problem was the long queue of cars, as people made their way home at the end of a brilliant evening!
