Issue #8

Benalmadena: My kind of town

Thank you to the 25 people who responded to the survey. It helped me to realize that I am exactly where I should be!! Jessica Selzer, author of Do It Afraid, was the only person who said being near a city was the most important although 5 other respondents said being near an international airport was really important. Being near the beach was of top importance for 7 people, nature got 4 and pueblo 3, only one person said being close to cultural events was number 1 but plenty of the folks who answered the survey made it their number 2.

Wikipedia describes Benálmadena as a municipality in the province of Málaga, part of Andalusia in southern Spain. The municipality is 12km west of the city of Málaga, on the southern coast between the tourist areas of Torremolinos and Fuengirola. It has a population of approximately 53,000 residents but also caters to a large number of tourists. There are three parts one of which is Benalmádena Pueblo, the original village, which is about 3 kms inland at approximately 200m above sea level. Its core is a typical white-washed Andalusian village. It has an archaeological museum, a bull-fighting ring and the largest Buddhist Stupa in the Western world. Benalmádena Costa has discos, hotels, beaches, shopping centres, and a marina. Tourist attractions include SeaLife aquarium and Selwo Marine Park. Casino Torrequebrada is along this same stretch. And then there is Arroyo de la Miel which means stream of honey. This is where I live. It was originally a separate village and lies between Pueblo and Costa making it very convenient to both the sea and the mountains. It is also convenient to Malaga airport and the city of Malaga because of the train station. It has become the main residential area, and is also the most commercially active. Arroyo de la Miel is home to the Tivoli World amusement park and the teleferico, a cable car which runs to the top of Calamorro mountain (769 metres). From here one can enjoy panoramic views of the Sierra Nevada, Gibraltar and on clear days, the Moroccan coastline.

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

Issue #7

This is the third country in which I have spent Christmas, the first being Canada and then Japan and the only thing that the holidays share in these three countries is the date, December 25th.

For more than a decade preceding my move to Yamagata my ´traditional´ Christmas celebration began with Christmas Eve at the Worthington´s which included walking the half block to the Anglican church to sing carols and then returning to their warm and beautifully decorated home to eat, drink and be merry. Gifts were exchanged but not opened. The opening of presents had to wait until Christmas morning. In the wee small hours before dawn I would return to my house and sleep until noon. Upon waking, I would have coffee and open my presents and then get dressed to go to Zoë´s. The party she hosted all those years was the highlight of the season for many people and we would eat and drink some more with the party finally winding down well after midnight. I would spend boxing day at Gail´s apartment. It was a ´girls´only day attended by Gail´s mother, sister and niece. I was an honourary member of the clan on this special day and we would play card games and, yes you guessed it, eat and drink. With the exception of a couple of hours spent singing at St.Judes, the holidays were a secular celebration for me.

In Japan, Christmas is a secular event. There is no holiday and I worked every Christmas Day for the 5 years that I lived there. Christmas Eve is the largest ´date´night of the year, much like New Year´s Eve is in Canada, and the restaurants were crowded with young couples. Japanese families that celebrate Christmas do so by eating chicken for dinner (you have to pre-order your KFC for that day) and Christmas cake. This is not the heavy fruitcake that Canadians call Christmas cake. It is like birthday cake, complete with candles, but instead of "Happy Birthday" written in icing on the cake, there is "Merry Christmas". Small children are given a toy or other treat. The really big family time is New Year´s and that is when the shops are closed and everyone is home with their loved ones.

Here in Spain there are two really important days in the 12 days of Christmas. The celebrations begin with Nochebuena on the evening of December 24th. A feast consisting of seafood, fish, ham, cheese and cava (Spanish champagne) is enjoyed and there is music and dancing. The centrepiece of the decorations is not a tree but a nativity scene called a belén in Spanish. On January 6th, the Epiphany, is Three Kings Day. This is the time the children have been really looking forward to because the Three Kings will bring presents to the children just like they brought to the baby Jesus. There is a parade in every town with candy being tossed to the crowd. Christmas is definately not a secular holiday in Spain.

Issue # 6

Feedback Request

First off, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to let me know what they think of the Correo. I really appreciate it! So why, you ask, am I asking for feedback now? Well, I am seriously considering moving to another part of Andalucia. My lovely home in Arroyo de la Miel was on a 6 month contract and it is up at the end of February 2010. Please take a few minutes to consider these questions and send back your answers. Everyone who responds will receive a free week of accomodation on the beautiful Costa del Sol with all the sangria you can drink.

If you were planning a holiday in the south of Spain which of the following would be important to you?

1/ Close to an international airport

2/ Close to a city

3/ Close to a beach

4/ Located in a small Andalusian pueblo

5/ Close to a marina or port

6/ Close to cultural activities i.e. bullfights, museums, festivals, markets

7/ Close to fun activites i.e. theme parks, aquariums, casinos

8/ Close to a shopping centre or major department store

9/ Close to nature i.e. mountains, forests, rivers

10/ Close to a Buddhist temple ;-)

Please organize from most important to least important and feel free to add any comments or suggestions.

5th Issue

The Berlin Zirkus: An Evening at a Traditional Circus

I attended the early performance of the Berlin Zirkus on November 28, 2009 in Benalmadena, Spain. I sat in the front row and with popcorn in hand excitedly awaited the show. The ring was enclosed with bars as the first act was the Bengal tigers. Frank Bügler is the patriarch of the family and he trains the animals with the exception of the horses and ponies who are trained by Patricia Bügler. After the tigers, the bars were removed and the audience was treated to an impressive display of juggling by Maikel, a prepubescent boy who is following in the footsteps of his teenage brother Anthony, a consummate showman who really plays to the crowd. Their younger sister acts as assistant to Anthony´s plate spinning display and is mastering the hoops. She doesn´t have her own act yet. There are two different clown acts and a tightrope display by Miguel Ferreri that had me on the edge of my seat. The non-human performers include camels, long-horned cattle, the aforementioned tigers, horses and ponies and my favourite, the elephants. I had my picture taken with Miss Esmeralda. The finale brings all the performers and their children into the ring and the smallest children get a chance to show their skills and get a taste for the limelight.

The term circus is commonly used to describe a travelling company of performers that may include acrobats,clowns, trained animals,and other stunt-oriented artists. The Latin word circus comes from the Greek word kirkos meaning circle or ring. The circus of Rome is thought to have been influenced by the Greeks, with chariot racing and the exhibition of animals as traditional attractions. For some time after the fall of Rome, itinerant showmen travelled the fair grounds of Europe. Animal trainers and performers are thought to have exploited the nostalgia for the Roman circus, travelling between towns and performing at local fairs.

The first true animals acts in the circus were equestrian acts. Soon elephants and big cats were displayed as well. Isaac A. Van Amburgh entered a cage with several big cats in 1833, and is generally considered to be the first wild animal trainer in American circus history. The use of animals in the circus has been a matter of controversy, as animal-welfare groups have documented many cases of cruelty in the training of performing animals. The modern circus, like the Cirque de Soleil, uses only human performers. The traditional circus may soon become a thing of the past.

4th Issue

When Doing Laundry is a Pleasure

Even though it is November, the metal door to the roof of my building is hot enough to fry a proverbial egg on it. Like in Japan, most people hang their washing out to dry and where I live, lines have been strung on the roof to take advantage of the sun and wind. In Gibraltar, those without balconies hang their laundry on lines strung outside windows.

Every time I do this typical household chore I am struck by the blinding beauty of the view and I have to take a moment just to appreciate how really fortunate I am.

The other thing that I always think about as I anchor my wet clothes to the line with wooden clothes pins is how much our mother loved to hang her laundry outdoors. She didn´t have a view of the Mediterranean but she just adored the way things smelled when she brought them back inside. During the long, frigid winters in northern Ontario, she would have to dry our clothes by hanging them on lines strung in the basement of our house. As soon as the mercury would climb above freezing she would brave the still chilly days to hang them outside where they would benefit from fresh air and sunshine.

While I was in Morocco, I was reminded of how the Tswana women knelt on the edge of the Thamalakane River to do their washing because the women of both of these African countries use the same detergent, Omo; however, the women in Chefchaouen have a shelter with concrete basins and scrubbing boards erected over a mountain stream

I will end this Correo with a quote from Colleen C. Barrett

Work is either fun or drudgery. It depends on your attitude. I like fun.

3rd Issue

Halloween en Espagne

Today (November 2nd) is a national holiday in Spain. It is All Souls Day (Dia de los Muertos) which follows All Saints Day and is a huge festival in Mexico. For the best Dia de los Muertos, I recommend Oaxaca.
The night before All Saints is Halloween, a secular celebration, with roots in Christian and Celtic tradition. I have partied on Halloween in Japan and Canada so I was interested to see if it was going to be different here in Benalmadena. I saw a sign at CJ´s karaoke bar that they were having a costume party and I decided to check it out. I headed out at about 9:30pm dressed in my best Japanese style and was feeling a bit foolish when a group of Spanish teenagers passed me and one of the girls said "guapa" loudly. Guapa means beautiful and I suddenly felt a lot better. I arrived a CJ´s and there were lots of little children dressed in costumes. It struck me as a bit odd to see children in a bar but they all looked so cute I just had to take pictures of them. Not everyone was wearing a costume unless you count being dressed as a Scottish tourist. There was candy for the kids and the ´treat´ for the adults was a two for one drink special. There is something liberating about being dressed as someone (or something) else and lots of people got up on the stage to sing their favourite songs. I really enjoyed myself and would like to thank the Scottish lads for ensuring that I would wake up with a hangover! I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

Second Issue

Beware Women Selling Flowers: A Cautionary Tale

According to the Sur in English the San Miguel Fair in Torremolinos is one of the province´s most popular fairs. I was among the approximately 230,000 people attending the romeria, a type of parade which is the precursor to the feria, in Torremolinos on September 20th. I really enjoyed the spectacle of caravans decorated in fabric and flowers pulled by pairs of oxen or tractors followed by groups of people. Each caravan and its entourage form a team, and huge efforts are made to bring pride to one´s team by decorating the caravan extravagantly and by dressing in traditonal flamenco-style garb.
Some teams had musical instruments, others had music played over loudspeakers from the caravan. One cart was decorated with flowers and fans made from newspaper. A sign on the back stated that they didn´t have money for flowers! There were even a couple of decorated shopping carts. From what I could tell the main purpose of the caravans/carts was to carry food and drink for the team members. There was singing, dancing, drinking, eating and generally lots of merriment.
I was interested in seeing one particular cart as an aquaintance of mine was part of that group. While I waited for ´Los Pinillos´ to pass, I was approached by two ladies carrying red carnations. They asked me if I wanted to buy a flower and being naive to the ways of Spanish festivals and flower sellers, I thought it was part of the spirit of the romeria. Well my dear readers, it is not. These ´ladies´are extremely talented sleight of hand artists. They are such skilled magicians that they could work in Las Vegas. All of the money was removed from my wallet without me even having a clue. This was not the clumsy purse-snatching one would find on the streets of North America, nor was it the bag-slashing that is common in Central America. This was a well rehearsed performance. Had I watched it happen on a stage I would have applauded.
The police were not surprised, in fact they seemed rather blase about my predicament and provided me with a telephone number where I could call and report the crime. After having done this, I went to the local branch of the National Police to sign my report and receive a copy. The very helpful officer at the Benalmadena branch was also not surprised. In fact, the only thing that surprised the Spanish people was how much money I was carrying with me. I have learned my lesson and want to share it with you.
Where ever you may be, enjoy yourself but be cautious!