Man back in Álora. Nothing has changed. It's still the same. Good Morning.
Back in Álora at last. After an uneventful voyage on the Good Ship Pont Aven and two half days on Spain's still open roads, we slotted into the parking space , reserved for us by Harry upstairs, on Calle Benito Suarez.
We are old hands on the Brittany Ferries now and used to the routine for moving Tommy from the car deck to his prison cell on Deck 10. Dog owners have to use Lift E which is the only one that goes up as far as Deck 9. Tommy has to wear a muzzle, which he hates, in the lift full of dogs and anxious dog owners. A fight in such a confined space doesn't bear thinking about and fortunately the owners are usually well behaved. This time, however a couple of 'civilians' tried to gatecrash our lift.
'Do you 'ave a dog sir?' enquired the pretty French lift girl in a charming French accent.
'No, but I've got a wife with a bad leg'.
This should have resulted in a puzzled silence during the ascent, but I ventured,
'Not much good for taking for walks then.'
How we laughed!
Once on board, many of the 'frequent travellers' headed straight up to deck 9 to grab a seat with a good view - of a wall.
I managed to get an upgrade on Tommy's cell so it more than made up for the 'muzzle humiliation'. He was 'as happy as Larry' when we left him behind bars on his blanket and went for a glass of Muscadet in the Piano Bar.
After a night in Chinchon, off we drove into the heart of La Mancha , famous for its windmills and cheese. It is also the setting for Spain's most famous novel,(can you name another one?) El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel De Cervantes.
Windmills in La Mancha
Don Quixote and Sancho PanzaNot many people know this, but Miguel de Cervantes actually lived in Álora for 5 years, (1587 to 1593), just 20 metres down the street in La Plaza Baja. He was working as a tax collector for King Philip 2nd.
Four years after he left Álora he was arrested for 'discrepancies in his accounts over the last 3 years' and locked up in Seville's prison. Our ayuntamiento (town hall) says they should get to the bottom of it in a day or two, just after the new swimming pool opens....and the new hospital opens.
The space where his house was is now 'El Mirador de Cervantes' from where one can take in the beautiful views out towards El Hacho and La Canca providing that you can ever find the door unlocked. I happen to know that the lady who runs the kiosko next door has a key and will let you in if you buy some sunflower seeds, palomitos, caramelos or ciggies
El Mirador de Cervantes, Alora
Mrs. Sanchez and I were present at the opening of the mirador and I managed to get in one of the photographs. See if you can pick me out from among the hysterical crowds.
Coincidentally, we bumped into the 'Man of La Mancha' when we stopped for breakfast on the way down at the charming little town of Tembleque.
Mrs. Sanchez couldn't resist having her picture taken with the Don and Sancho.
I couldn't wait to see how the town had changed during the 3 months away. I was particularly looking forward to the speeding fines and other preposterous demands for money that would be waiting for me on the coffee table. No nasty surprises this time . Only the water heater and a few dead cockroaches marred our triumphal return.
The first week back is always problematic. After weeks of not speaking Spanish and the relentless advance of presbycusis we expect to have a few problems with communication, but usually we can get by with guesswork and a basic knowledge of 'perote'.
¡Me alegro mucho verte/os! I'm very pleased to see you
Same here Igualmente
¿Cuanto tiempo sin verte/os? How long has it been?
¿Y la mujer/señora? How's the wife?
Bien gracias, Trabajando en la casa Fine thanks, doing the housework.
¡Qué calor ! It's been hot!
¿Te apetece una cervecita? Fancy a beer?
¿Es el papa catolico? Is the pope a Catholic?
And that takes care of Day 1.
Changes we have noticed.
- The one way system has reversed again.
- Bar Correos is going to shut again.
- La Bodega has changed hands again.
- A new statue has been put on the fountain in La Paza Baja again.
- The Deputy Mayor has resigned and taken a highly paid job in the private sector.
Bar La Posada has changed hands again. (It's a 'teteria' (tea shop) now).Plus ça change plus c'est la même chose as my mother used to say.
Last night we went for a meal a Bar KaÑas with Harry and Wilma. The food is good but you'd have to go a long way to be treated worse that they treat you there. The tortilleras are the worst in town; and believe me, they are not in short supply.
Tomorrow is the day of the Romería when The Virgin of the Flowers (our town's patron virgin and this year sporting her new cloak) will be loaded on to a cart pulled by big cows and festooned with flowers and transported to el Convento de las Flores (her home). The procession will include lots of decked out tractors, horse drawn carts and several comedy items. Manzanilla and beer will be free flowing in the heat of the Andalucian morning and afternoon. There may be 50 to a hundred horses and riders too, leaving the route with that heady aroma much loved by rose growers.
The Romería celebrations were toned down considerably after the tragic murder of a young girl during the festivities of 2002, but even before that, the bars in town were told to close their doors to prevent trouble as drunken caballeros returned to town worse for wear.
Paco Alegría who runs Bar Alegría in the main square told me last night that he was working there one day when a pissed up equestrian rode into the bar demanding drink. Enough's enough I say. Now all the bars shut at midday (an approximate time).
STOP PRESS...............El Camino del Rey nears completion.
Juanito Sanchez September13th. 2014.
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