Fallas in Valencia

Click on picture above to see photos.

Have you ever seen 400 000 dollars burned in a town square in less that 15 minutes?  How about 400 000 Euros? Well, if your answer is yes, you must have been to the Fallas, one of the main festivals in Valencia. By a once-again generous sponsorship from our Valencian friends Katia, Vicente and Paula, we were hosted to experience the best fiesta in Valencia - the Fallas (faya - that is how you pronounce it).  We just returned from this wonderful fiesta a few weeks ago, and I must say the definition of a fiesta or a party has been changed for me forever....  

I don't think I have ever seen so much dedication and effort put into building something so wonderful and detailed like a Falla (a statue made of cardboard and special expandable-foam) only to be mounted, later admired for several days and then burned on March 19th at midnight in about 15 minutes....

It all starts the day after the Fallas, after the final Falla has been burned.  People cry.  I almost cried.  These wonderful satirical depictions of politics, sports, mystical characters all took a whole year to build.  So after a short, two day long cry, local people seem to recover and start planning the next years Falla.  This consists of the following:

- money, lots of it.  The winning Fallas are truly magnificent pieces of art.  This Year's first place winning Falla was about 30 meters tall and some 100 meters in circumference.

- sponsors, typically a big and successful local company, that coordinates this project for the year.  Normally, the 1st place and 2nd place winners end up winning again, as they keep competing year after year and have largest funds.  But there are others that sometimes succeed, especially as crisis introduced some new dynamics...

- then for one year there are Falla artists that work on the concept and start working on the pieces of the overall statue that gets put together  before the March 19 next year.

- to make the whole system work, each Falla has its own "society" that has members who pay hundreds of euros to be part of the project, which includes organizing, fundraising, building, partying, etc.  Remember,  it is a year long project!  

- each Falla society elects a girl and a woman to be their Fallera minor and Fallera mayor (main faiera and young faiera) who will officially represent the 2 Fallas each society will build: one for children and one as the main feature.

- Falleras, the girls or women representing the Falla typically come from families with means, as the participation and year long events require a lot of funds: dresses that can cost 6k euros, gold jewelry, family sponsored events and parties, list goes on and on.  It has been told that people take out special loans for these events.  You can really feel the pride of the people once you take part in this amazing event.

A little intermission: the history of this fiesta goes back to middle ages, where merchants burned their unneeded pieces of scrap in celebration of the equinox and spring cleaning.  Later, the celebration evolved, helped by the church, to coincide with st. Joseph the saint.  Over the last century the celebrations have become more elaborate and with introduction of polystyrene, the building of massive Fallas has become possible and has become a mass tourist attraction.

In the 18 days preceding the Fallas' main event, the Crema (the burning of the Fallas), on a daily basis there is a mass display of fireworks in the city government square.  The display is called Mascleta, and the purpose is  to make it as loud as possible.  The first one we experienced was from a street beside the main square, as we could not get to square due to the crowds... The sound was so loud, that the ending salvo we could feel in our hair...  

During the last days preceding the main event, we witnessed the offrenda, which is the flower offering to the Virgin of the town, who awaits patiently in the main square, as thousands of Falla societies, represented with amazingly dressed Falleras and society members, march for hours through the city to offer flowers to the virgin.  The flowers in 24 hours build up an amazing coat of the virgin, which is a glorious site...  There are children, youth, mothers and older people all participating in the offrenda march.... There are 365 Fallas participating, multiplied by hundreds of people in each society... So you can do the numbers...

During the last days, there are fireworks in the evening which we went to watch, mascletas every day and, of course, lots of food and wine everywhere, which is a must in any Spanish fiesta.

One night we got back to our home base at our friends at 5 am and the next night at 3 am.  We walked so much that at any point sitting for 10 minutes was a real gift.

Main square Mascleta: on the Monday of the Crema we went to the Government square early.  About an hour ahead of the main event we were able to grab some tapas at a nearby restaurant, a cerveza and have a short break before the earth shattering event.  Then we took our spots and prepared to shock our eardrums.  To be honest, after my first behind the corner experience of Mascleta I brought earplugs.  I was really worried.... But Katia was having fun and kinda calling me a chicken (tourist) so after looking around and not seeing anyone with earplugs I decided to brave it.  Of course, it could have been that everyone was also a tourist.... The show started.  It was loud.  VERY LOUD.  I felt it everywhere.  I must say it is something that you must feel once in your lifetime.  Or get a friend to throw a flash bang grenade at you at home.... Probably a bit cheaper too....  AWESOME EXPERIENCE!

On the night of the Crema, the burning of the Fallas, we went downtown, checked out the 2 competing light districts, that compete for the best display of lights, and then headed for one of the Fallas to be burned. This Falla I fell in love with.  Not sure why, but the faces of these clown statues were kind of sad yet very fitting for the occasion.  At about midnight, assisted by about a dozen firefighters, the Falla was prepared for the main event.  It started with a bunch of very loud fireworks and then the statue caught on fire... The flames grew and got larger and larger until the heat was unbearable and I thought my camera was going to melt....  We all had to back up to avoid being scorched...

15 minutes later it was over and we headed to the main city square to witness another Mascleta and then the burning of the Falla put on by the city government, which was as impressive as the number one winner this year...

A side note: the city Falla is represented by Fallera mayor and Fallera minor (these are the Queens of the 365 other Falleras), both of which get elected every year and come from families with major connections and money.  They act as main MCs of the event and give order to the chief pyrotechnic to start the burning of the main Falla, which is the last one to burn in Valencia, at about 1:30 in the morning. 

If you read to the end of this blog you are as tired as we were at the end of the 3 days.  Cathy and the kids left mid day Sunday after we visited a great Valenciano zoo with giraffes and elephants, so I stayed to the end of the fiesta.  It was an amazing time.

Alquezar

[To see the pictures of the events, click on the picture above]   

One of the great things we love about living in Zaragoza is that it is close to so many wonderful places.  Last Sunday we did a day trip to a new area for us, the Somontano wine region.  Somontano literally means 'under the mountains' and this lovely area is in the foothills of the Pyrenees.  On this trip we weren't visiting wineries; instead we had heard good things about the medieval town Alquezar.

In the 16 months we have been in Spain we have seen a number of fabulous medieval towns so our expectations were quite low.  Well the first delight was the drive through green fields, small forests and blooming orchards.  It is times like this that we are reminded of how much of a desert landscape Zaragoza is, green is 'wow' to us.  We were also interested to find out that the pale pink blossoms were Almond trees!  I never knew how almonds grew.

The drive was only 1.5 hrs and as we approached we still could not see the town, then we came over one last rise and WOW!  Alquezar is set down on a ridge with a narrow river valley on one side with hills rising up higher.  The main feature is the Castle which is at the top of the ridge at the far end of the town.  We walked up to it and found that it was first build in 1038.  The views are open on all sides which was really appealing to us.  Another remarkable feature of this area is the large population of carrion birds.  We could see 20 huge birds sitting on a ridge and then watched them all take off into flight.  

The town is beautifully preserved and has a lovely warm feeling to it.  There are many restaurants and bars and we lucked out and had our first real bacon and eggs breakfast here in Spain!  We ended our time sitting on a terrace overlooking a grove of trees with a view back to the Castle sipping on Sangria (Anatolijus had a cerveza) and looking forward to our next visit to this lovely place.

Karen's visit, Albarracin and Teruel

[To see the pictures of the events, click on the picture above]  


On Feb 15 my sister Karen arrived in Spain to spend 2 weeks with us.  In addition to showing her around Zaragoza and having her be apart of our daily Spanish routine, we wanted to show her some of the authentic and beautiful Medieval villages that are nearby.  Karen has a real love for things medieval as she is part of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronisms) and is very knowledgeable about this time in history as well as the Elizabethan Age.  So on her first Saturday we planned to do a day trip to Albarracin which is 1 hour and 45 mins south of us on the way to Valencia.  In some travel logs Albarracin is considered one of the most beautiful villages is Spain.  The town is set on a ridge with views down each side.  Also a river winds it's way down the Valley creating lovely green space.  We went on a spectacular sunny day and walked the ancient narrow streets exploring the different areas and enjoying the views.  It is always so hard to believe people live there now in modern day; but they do, and you see them taking out their garbage and buying bread etc..

In addition to seeing Albarracin we also planned to stop in Teruel as it is only 20 mins away.  As luck would have it, that very day was the famous Medieval celebration in Teruel   (the Wedding of Isabel Segura) where most of the towns people dress in medieval garb, have markets and demonstrate crafts of the time: like sausage making (very bloody business), falconry and open fire grilling of lots of different kinds of meat.  The town was packed with people and we saw sheep pulling carts, a band of medieval musicians marching down a street, a bull running in the Torico square while 5 men held the rope so he couldn't run into the crowd.  We drank sangria from clay goblets (only 2 euros for a refill), bought trinkets and admired the Mudejar tower and other Muslim architecture.  The sights, sounds and smells made the visit so much more authentic and interesting, and although Karen could spot many 'inauthentic' costumes and chain mail it all added to the fun.

In addition to this day trip Karen and I also visited Sos Del Rey Catolico and Castille de Loarre - on both excursions we were stopped on the road by flocks of sheep following their shepherds to another field.  I have never really seen many sheep here so it was funny that my goat farmer sister was able to attract them - she was very happy to see some animals.

It was also very special to have Auntie Karen here to celebrate Tessa's 6th birthday a few days early.  We invited our good friend Jose to join us and having the dinner table filled with 'family' was lovely for us all, especially Tessa.
The two weeks went so quickly it felt like a time warp so as quickly as she arrived she left, spending one night in Barcelona seeing Gaudi's Sagrada Familia which she saw 25 years ago when back packing through Europe.

it is now only 3.5 weeks until my parents come for their annual visit. One of the key trips with them will be to Seville for Easter, which is the premier festivity in Spain.... so stay tuned....

Shredding Pyrenees!

[To see the pictures of the events, click on the picture above] 


This year has been quite poor for snow in Spain.  Did you know that?!  Despite the minus temperatures that hit Eastern Europe this winter, Spain seems to have avoided most of this, but the downside has been that there was no snow in the Pyrenees.


A friend of mine and I went snowboarding 2 weekends ago to FORMIGAL, a large Spanish ski resort.  When we got there, we were wondering if they invented a new dirt skiing sport or maybe there were some runs hidden on the other side of the mountain.  Having paid almost 50 Euros for the ski lift pass for one day, I was feeling a bit nervous about the potential disappointment.  In addition, it was -12 with additional windchill.  The good news: very few people were there.


Once we got to the top of the mountains, it was better.  They have made snow and, despite some icy patches, the runs were open and quite wide.  It was very sunny and the shredding was ON!


We ended up having a grand time (my friend Nacho was not pleased with my perpetual smile as he was freezing his little body off) and closed down the mountain, utilizing the ski lift very efficiently to the very last minute.  I didn't even stop for lunch....


If you look at the pictures, you wouldn't even be able to tell that there was not much snow.  Regardless, any day on the mountain is better than a day in the (you pick)!


Anatolijus 

Valencia & Cullera: opening 2012 travel season!

[To see the pictures of the events, click on the picture above]

The last weekend of January we had a three day weekend and friends of ours invited us to visit them in Cullera which is on the Mediterranean and is 30 mins from Valencia.  It is a three hour drive from Zaragoza to Valencia but the climate and temperature change is huge.  It was so nice to be at the Sea, being near water is something we miss a lot from our island life.  Anatolijus did his morning walks with Katia on the very long promenade and took some nice early morning pictures.  The other big attraction is the Aquarium in Valencia (largest in Europe) which is wonderful and a part of a new, very modern development by City of Art and Science by famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.  The main highlights were the dolphin show where the trainers go into the water with the dolphins and get propelled through the water and placed back on the side of the pool.  The shark tank was huge and had a glass tunnel through it so we were face to face with a sand shark - very cool.  And for lunch we had Valenciano paella in the fancy restaurant that is surrounded by an aquarium wall.  We also got to see a walrus, beluga whale, penguins, turtles and tropical fish.  It is a very good aquarium that kept us engaged and interested for hours.

After finishing at the Aquarium we walked across the street to the City of Arts and Sciences (Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciencies).  The complex is made up of 4 main buildings including an Opera House, Science World, Imax Pavillion and Tennis Arena and the futuristic style is amazing.  Anatolijus took some amazing photos to capture the feeling; one would not be surprised to see a space ship from Star Trek landing in this area or the Intergalactic Federation housing its headquarters there..

Sunday was a lovely sunny day and after breakfast we visited the castle of Cullera which is high in the hills behind the town providing fabulous views of the water, beach and landscape behind.  Interestingly, in addition to oranges, rice is the other main crop from this region.  It is surprising to see acres of rice paddies having never been to a rice growing area and apparently this area produces 100 million kilos of rice per year.  We left the coast and drove towards Valencia to a nature reserve called Albufera.  It is a very large “lake” with lots of grass and ducks and other birds living here.  It is fresh water and we had a tour around it in a boat that then returned us to a beautiful restaurant where we had another special lunch with Seafood rice and Marques De Riscal Verdejo to match.  One of the great things about Spain is that there is always a playground for children so we were able to have a very leisurely time having a pre-lunch cervezita as the girls were all playing outside – fabulous.

On Monday we visited the center of Valencia to see their old town, cathedral and market.  Valencia has a lovely feel to it with all the palm trees and southern climate and its architecture and plazas are less grand than what we have seen in Madrid or Barcelona, but provide a cozy and very livable feeling.  We did find a Subway for lunch (don’t tell anyone!) so after a ‘footlong’ we drove back through the mountains up to the plain where Zaragoza is and after experiencing 14-16C we are now having clear cold and windy weather with the outside temperature, with windchill,  feeling like -10C today.

48 Hours in Zaragoza

We found a great little video that describes the city of Zaragoza and does a great summary of things you can see and do here.  We even found several things we did not know/do yet!!


Enjoy!  Just follow the link below:


www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVs8mtc04Yw

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!

[To see the pictures of the events, click on the picture above]

Happy New Year!

2011 , what a year for us!!  As many of you know we moved to Zaragoza, Spain in Nov 2010 and we welcomed the New Year in Ireland with our dear friends Gwen and Monty cliff walking along the Irish Sea from Greystones to Bray.  They say what you do on the first day of the New Year can influence the rest of the year and travel was definitely the theme for us (www.anatolijus.eu).

On a more personal note the challenges and triumphs of adjusting to a new culture, city and language have been the focus of our everyday life.  Grace and Tessa began school 10 days after we arrived and they are attending a semi-private Jesuit school which has been a very positive experience.  We have been so touched and pleased with the warmth and care they have received from their teachers and the many support staff.  Here in Spain hugs and kisses and words of endearment are the norm for teachers and this has helped the girls feel safe and cared for from the first day.  We are also delighted with how well they speak and understand Spanish, much better than there parents.  It is an interesting dynamic having to rely on your kids to understand what is going on.  We all like the role reversal and the girls are very helpful.

When we aren't away we are loving our beautiful condo/apartment which we have made into a comfortable home.  Our place is spacious, by Spanish standards, and the whole front of the house is windows.  We have done a lot of entertaining, Canadian BBQ has been a big hit here.  We secured the large stainless steel beauty last Spring and have used it a lot.  Interestingly, in this part of Spain, it is not very common to invite people over for a meal.  People meet at a Bar or restaurant to be together.  Two obvious reasons are that most people live in apartments that are not very big and people always bring their children.  Secondly, eating out is not very expensive so this way kids can run around while parents visit.

It has taken time but we now have some good friends and this makes such a difference for feeling settled and happy.  We certainly miss our family and friends in Canada and are thankful for the ability to Skype and stay connected.  As we look to 2012 we are excited to have family coming to visit. Cathy's oldest sister Karen is coming for 2 weeks in February and her parents are coming March 27th for 3 weeks including 1 week in Seville over Easter.  In July Cathy and the girls will be returning to Victoria and Anatolijus will come August 1st for 1 month.

So we want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year and we love to hear news of you when you have time.

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!

Cathy, Anatolijus Grace and Tessa

PS.  Below are our three top ten lists from our first year in Spain.

Top Ten Things Spain 2011 (our opinion)

10.  Spanish wines at a massively bargain price

9. Travel opportunities - cheap flights 291 euros ZAZ to Rome 4 people return (long live Ryanair)

8. Fast trains (300km+) and a very good highway system

7. Girls’ Jesuitas (Jesus Maria el Salvador) school

6. Our apartment – great location, pool, sunshine!

5. Baguettes and fresh bread that you can buy daily at your local gas station

4. Warmth and expressiveness of the Spanish people

3. Sunshine most every day of the year

2. Chocolate is actually considered a proper food!

1. Amazing history, which is still here for everyone to see and experience

“Unique” things about Spain/Zaragoza

10.  Spanish love children: the number of pregnant women and children around is amazing.

9.     Eating schedule and rhythm of life: dinner is typically at 21:30 here

8.     Public pool rules - swim cap, sandals, no glasses, lukewarm Jacuzzi

7.     Pig legs (they are everywhere!) – also known as Jamon.  One of the most prized food items, which are also given as gifts to people on Christmas

6.     Store hours 10-2 , closed 2-5, open 5-8 and no stores open on Sundays

5.     There is something about Virgin Mary: most fiestas in Spain are centered around the Virgin.  People take Virgins for walks (on massive an heavy floats); have huge festivities that last weeks; Mary is a major part of people’s lives.  In the meantime, Jesus quietly spends his time in the Cathedral(s).

4.     Ready, Set, Stop:  traffic lights and parking in Zaragoza are incredible.  Traffic lights are every 200 meters and they are not smart.  Rather, they change every 60 seconds.  Hard to get used to J

3.     No fresh milk in the stores.  People do not drink fresh milk here.  Instead, it is all Ultra High Heat tetrapak milk.  Definitely a non-dairy culture.

2.     Supposedly, Spain consumes most seafood per capita in the world!

1.      Futbol is officially a religion in Spain

Top experiences/places of 2011

10. Kayaking down rio Ebro
9. Panticosa and snowboarding in Pyrenees
8. Algemesi (near Valencia) bull fights and Pamplona running of the bulls
7. London visit and London Eye
6. Prague visit and paddleboats on Vltava river downtown
5. Barcelona Sagrada Familia Basilica
4. Salamanca and Segovia
3. Sailing the Meditteranean
2. Girls speaking Spanish
1. San Sebastian - visiting and surfing