Somnoliento - Un agosto valenciano

On his first sad departure from Spain, Laure Lee wrote a piece of prose that I often read:

“I saw again, as I lost them, the great gold plains, the arid and mystical distances, where the sun rose up like a butcher each morning and left curtains of blood each night. I could hear the talk, the cries, the Spanish-Arabic voices pitched to carry from Sierra to Sierra; the trickling sound of guitars dropping like water on water, eroding the long boredom of afternoons; and the songs, metallic, hatcheting the ear, honed with folorn and unattainable lusts; the strangled poetry of the boys, the choked chastity of the girls, and the orgasmic outbursts of tethered beasts.”

I have often encountered the “long boredom of the afternoons” in Spain, and Lee’s few simple words sum up the feelings I have often had for the soporific nature of afternoons in Valencia/Spain, particularly in the summer. His words might indeed describe August as a whole… still anathema to the Anglosajón mentality where the need for constant activity is only shaken off after time. 

The answer to this is la playa.

In August, you could be forgiven for thinking that the city has removed itself to the city’s beaches. Shops and restaurants throughout the city display notices telling customers they’ll be back in early September. The banks and the Ayuntamiento may be “open”, but you won’t get an answer to your email, or even to your attempts to pay your “IBI” tax. August is inactive. Soporific.

Looking north towards Patacona from
Playa Cabañal. That feeling of space.

As well as the Valencians, there are visitors from all over the world on Playas Las Arenas, Cabañal, Malvarrosa and Patacona. These beaches would be packed and sweltering if it wasn’t for their size. 

So we head the beach, via our local Lidl (for the elements that make up an unfeasibly cheap beach picnic) and the tranvia. 

On a hot August day, Playa Cabañal is a sublime place to be. The saying “A day on a beach is never wasted” was never more relevant.

The sunbed guy is a lovely guy. The (idly observed) first impression is that he randomly flits around, casually taking money from semi-comatose beach dwellers, so that they can have comfort and shade if they want it. A small effort to observe a little closer reveals that he is from Africa, and speaks Spanish and English fluently. He can converse in French, Italian, German and Portugese. He works 12 hours a day in peak season. 

Just saying.

Ernest Hemingway wrote: "For one person who likes Spain there are a dozen who prefer books on her.”

Personally, I favour the country over the books, but as a little homage to this, I read a couple more of Hemingway’s books on this visit. We also enjoyed (como siempre) paella in his favourite restaurant on Paseo Neptuno. That Sunday delight never diminishes. Hemingway’s conversational style sits well with the buzz that encompasses La Pepica throughout a long Sunday lunchtime. After this, you really appreciate how lucky you are to have a comfortable apartment to retire to. Paella Valenciana and all of it’s accompaniments is followed by sleep. That’s how that works.

Following a sweltering, humid Sunday and Monday, the weather broke with a spectacular thunderstorm on the Tuesday morning. We enjoy a good storm that clears the air… but not necessarily at 4.30am.

The elegant architecture around
Calle de Cirilo Amorós

The couple of damp days that followed this were a blessing in disguise. We needed to shop for furniture and other things for the apartment, and the non-beachy weather helped us make this happen.

Calle de Cirilo Amorós is a long street that runs from the Turia riverbed park opposite the Puente del Mar at its eastern end, almost to the Plaza de Toros at its western end. Despite our previously successful experiences with the retail magnificence of El Corte Inglés, we wanted this little shopping jaunt to be a little different, perhaps even a little more Valencian. Cirilo Amorós delivers nicer, smaller, more independent furniture and homewares shops, and it was good to explore a little more.

For us, successful shopping in Valenca has almost always ended with fitting heavy and arkward items into a taxi to get them back to the apartment. This was no exception, and one taxi even turned us down. I’m still sure it would all have fitted in. 

Delighted with our purchases (getting hold of an Acapulco chair had become an unhealthy obsession) we headed back to the beach

as the good (but slightly cooler) weather returned for our last few days. And evenings spent at old town cafés with dobles and quality tapas will never got old.

The search is finally over.

The tourist trap areas in the old town are changing. Some bars have removed outside tables, possibly because of noise complaints. I believe the nature of tourism is changing in Valencia in a good way. For whatever reason, there were signs of money-making without consideration, mass tourism threatened itself on a city that doesn’t deserve it. Boundaries were being pushed. But now, a sense of responsibility, decorum even, is returning. I so hope it will keep the stag parties away. I’ve nothing against them, but there are plenty of more appropriate places... and not far away!

The regular pilgrimage to Casa Montaña yielded yet more of its delights. A walk through Cabañal from the port, a warm welcome, and tapas made with the best ingredients from the whole of Spain. Just delightful.

We seem to be served by the same waitress every time we go. She is the essential hostess, and enhances the good experience. She’s also amused by my dreadful Spanish, so it’s a win-win in many ways.

Friday 1st September, and the city appears to start coming back to life. A team appear and begin renovations on the façade opposite ours. People are busy again, and it changes the city with almost immediate effect... but it's refreshing. Things will be back to "normal" on Monday, but we’ll be back in the UK by then, enjoying the riches of autumn in North Yorkshire.

The apartment is left behind for our renters (as yet unspecified) to enjoy. We may not be back until Spring 2018, but who knows?

We look forward to a visit to Malaga in October/November, and the promise of winter sunshine in a revitalized and fun city.