San Ramón

The 31st August is the fiesta of San Ramón, the patron saint of Torre del Compte.

At midday there is the celebration of mass in the church and ...

...San Ramón is given a tour of the village.

As we leave the church we are presented with a handful of pieces of cake, which have been blessed and sprinkled with holy water, from Carlotta and Julia, who is wearing traditional costume in the picture above,.

Meanwhile, the paella is being prepared in the Plaza Mayor...

...for the meal with around 450 people enjoying it.

We certainly did!

To see all of the photos, click HERE

The village fiesta!

One of the incredible things about the annual fiesta is that for four days the village enjoys itself on a different timescale to the rest of the world and is oblivious to anything which is happening out there. People party until the very late "early" hours and then sleep during the day. There isn't much choice for those who actually live in the village as the music groups play very loudly until 6 a.m. or even 8 a.m. Often, the activities of the night end with breakfast before going to bed!

The fiesta in Torre del Compte traditionally starts with the chorizada, barbecued sausages, cooked on one of several small fires.

It may look like a scene from the centre of Cairo but this is the cooperativa with the bonfires and sausages.

As usual there is a mix of different types of sausage, chorizos and longanizas.

When all the sausages have been eaten the Charanga band starts up and the people follow the band to visit the different peñas for a Ronda de Catacrocks. In other words, the people follow the band and visit various places throughout the village to partake of a vodka and tonic downed in one!

The only downside to all this fun is that between the peñas, people who live in the houses en route throw buckets of water, some even use hosepipes, so that everyone in the street is drenched in a very short space of time. Claudia, in the picture above, has decided that it is better to throw water than have it thrown at her!

The following morning there is a mass in the church at the end of which San Ramon is paraded through the streets, no water on this occasion...

...as everyone is dressed in their Sunday best...

...as well as the church being specially decorated for the service.

Later in the evening we are treated to music from a group of Mexicans in the Actuación de Mariachis. If you want to see and hear them in action, here are the links:

Actuación de Mariachis 1 :http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqG1x9v4csQ

Actuación de Mariachis 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVCuU7ZKxxQ

Actuación de Mariachis 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8VX_6G36lM

Actuación de Mariachis 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EsbTNbMR4s

Actuación de Mariachis 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysy2y7xih2k

Actuación de Mariachis 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ4u2-f5LNA

Actuación de Mariachis 7: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wse-9kPdtUA

Actuación de Mariachis 8: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_W_EW0siBU

Actuación de Mariachis 9: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHbTTLRMrN0

Actuación de Mariachis 10: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqwv2n1q3eM

Actuación de Mariachis 11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6FUlsydtwk

The next day we host our friends for a meal...

...before attending the Concurso de Disfraces, the fancy dress competition, which was won this year by those troglodites in the photo above.

And here are the video links to enable you to watch these spectacular performances:

To see the winners, Lo Catacroc, as shown in the photo above, click HERE.

To see Lo Karkás, who came 2nd, click HERE

and to watch the video of Tauritón, who came 3rd, click HERE.

On the 4th day of the fiesta there was the Concurso de Tortillas, the competition of the famous Spanish Omlette, ...

...all of which showed great creativity in their appearance as well as tasting superb, (evidently).

To finish off the evening there was a meal in the Plaza Major where everyone in their groups arranged to take their own food. We were treated to Maria's coca, click HERE for a description,...

...Andrew's empanadas, click HERE to find out more,...

...Margaret's lasagne...

...and a delicious salad from Maria José.

A great way to end a truly memorable few days.

The meal of the Amas de Casa

It's that time of the year again for the meal of the Amas de Casa, the houswives, of Torre del Compte...

...and once again it was held in the polideportivo, the village Sports Hall, which is still unfinished, exactly the same as it was last year, but despite that, it is being used. In the photo above we have the 3M's, Maria, Margaret and Maribel who are certainly enjoying the occasion.

Every lady received a present which was a chiffon scarf although how they were able to colour co-ordinate them as the boxes were placed on the tables before people took their places is beyond me!

The first course was entremeses, or hors d'oeuvres as it is known in English using the French term.

And a very good time was had by all!

To see all of the photos of this event click HERE.

A birthday treat!

As it was a very special day, my 65th birthday, we decided to have lunch out and so we went to la Torre del Visco hotel restaurante which is 5½km along a camino off the road between Valderrobres and Fuentespalda about 25 minutes from us.

It's not just the wonderful food, it is the whole experience including the building and its surroundings which makes a visit here so worthwhile. The hotel is set in 100 hectares, almost 250 acres, of the beautiful valley of the rio Testavins which then flows into the Matarraña river.

The original building dates from the 15th century but has been most tastefully restored and extended.

After the meal, coffee and tea are served on the terrace.

The entire atmosphere is tranquil, relaxing and most romantic!

For the first time since coming to Spain I was able to walk on a proper grass lawn.

Exploring the main building is fascinating as there are so many different levels both to the building itself and the gardens outside.

The food served in the restaurant is locally sourced with the vegetables and herbs being grown on site and freshly picked each day. The cheese on our salad came from a herd of goats in the nearby village.

When we returned home I was treated to a homemade cake especially produced for my birthday by our friend Maria Angeles. 

What a wonderful day!

I must make a note not to wash the car before we go 11km along a dusty camino again!