La Ciutat i El Camp

Carnaval 2.0

Carnaval 1.1

Granada

Bon Nadal

I spent Christmas ("Nadal" in Valenciano) in the mountains of Alicante province. I arrived in Agres on Nochebuena (Christmas Eve). After a christmas dinner of 82 people, almost all family, we visited my roommate Javi who was working at a camp in Beneixama. Those are the photos of me playing a concert a the camp. Although I sang in english, everyone seemed to like it. We all joined in on Jingle Bells.

From Agres, we left for Ibi, where they were celebrating the day of the innocent. We arrived in the morning, as the war was just beginning. This war celebrates the tradition of giving the power of the city to the proletariats for the day, this day. Everyone gathers in the city square and has it out with flour, eggs, and loads of fireworks. In the evening there is a dance presentation in the street. While real dancers in the correct costume dance along the main street, others in funny clothes and masks do their best to dance poorly and humorously. It wasn't that hard for me. I made mockery of this traditional Valencian dance. But that's what the day of the innocent, and my mask, are for.

After Ibi, about 15 of us went to a refugio (refuge, mountain cabin for backpackers, travelers, etc) in the mountains above the town. Everyone, yes everyone, there was a musician. Drums, bagpipes, guitars, my ukulele: we played music untill 7am. It was absolutely freezing at night! The refugio was designed perfectly to freeze to death at night; the beds upstairs and on north side of the cabin, the fireplace downstairs on the south wall. Everyone said that as a Canadian I should be used to the cold. I told them that even in Canada you can't see your breath when you go to sleep at night. But after a few hours sleep the morning was sunny and warm. We played more music, drank wine, barbequed and, indeed, were merry.