Tom in Spain Begins

SUPER SABADO....................................................... Saturday 7 February was a field trip day to the neighboring city/towns of Xativa and Bocairent, an hour +or- away from Valencia - a trip organized by the school. We were accompanied by a class from another Spanish language school, a lot of young people (early 20s), mostly American. It was illuminating to overhear their conversations, reminding me sweetly of what it was like to travel Europe at a more tender age...lots of chatter about clubs, food discoveries and post-punk (who knew?) music - while the slightly more age-advantaged day travelers like myself instead questioned aloud how much hiking we'd have to do upon arrival. Surprisingly, we older folk pretty much kept up the pace, and with a lot less complaining than by the young travelers.

Xativa, besides being the site of a kick-ass castle at the top of a mountain with killer views, is also the birthplace of Pope Alexander VI, aka Rodrigo Borgia, of the infamous Borgias, a ne'er-do-well family that controlled the papacy back fifteenth century days - and the subject of a television series created by my friend Tom Fontana, a fellow Buffalo State University (nee College) alum. The show, Borgia, I believe can be found on various streaming platforms.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------The route from Xativa to destination number two, Bocairent, cut right through the mountains, a rugged and scrappy topography that reminded me of the times years ago when I would travel for meetings between home in the lush, green verdant Pacific Northwest to the dry, brown landscapes of southern Arizona - the latter totally alien at first, until I began to seriously appreciate the beauty inherent in those arid landscapes.

Bocairent is a village that celebrates a major battle between Moors and Christians, who alternately controlled the town (and the land, to be clear) over the centuries. I really needed to brush up on Spanish history to understand how critical that dynamic has been to Spain historically. Back and forth, forth and back, the two powers duked it out, especially here in southern Spain, so close to Africa. The parade (pics below) that celebrates the biggest battle, took place the day we were there and you cannot over estimate how big a deal the procession and the evening fiesta are to the people of Bocairent and the surrounding towns. Everyone, it seems, is in costume, banners are hung from windows and balconies and kids blast off firecrackers just like I used to do on the 4th when I was their age. While the parade takes place on the widest boulevard in town (not really saying much) the rest of town is laced with dozens of small and smaller alleyways that scream "MEDIEVAL" and are torturously winding and steep.

A full day, one that called for rest on Sunday, before starting classes again.