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Wednesday, September 5, 2007
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   Wednesday, September 5, 2007

A guide to some of Spain's quirkier festivals
Spaniards seem rarely to need much of a reason for a fiesta or festival of some sort and you can pretty much guarantee that wherever you are in Spain there will be some merrymaking going on somewhere in honour of a patron saint ? I've decided to look at some of Spain's quirkier, slightly less known festivals and enlighten readers as to some of the stranger practices which take place at various times around the country.
Our journey begins in the east of the country in the town of Bunol in the Valencia region where a week long festival in honour of the town's patron saint, San Luis Bertran, ends in the famous ?Tomatina?, a two hour tomato fight where lorries bring in 120,000 kg of tomatoes for the locals to pelt each other with. It's all a bit of a free-for-all and it's usually girls pitted against boys for two hours of madness from 11am to 1pm. Participants can expect to get extremely messy and it's advisable to wear something old, and preferably red, if you don't want the stains to show up. Despite the ?Tomatina? clearly being the highlight, there are many other facets of the festival to be enjoyed throughout the week with fireworks, parades and a paella cook-off amongst the most notable.
Not so far away in the city of Valencia, townsfolk revel for a week in the festivities of ?Las Fallas?, another one of Spain's more unique festivals. The raucous week of celebration takes place in March and is most notable for ?Las Fallas? which are huge papier-m⣨頦igures up to 60 feet in height. Built in the streets, the figures often have a satirical edge; Tony Blair and George Bush's effigies graced last year's festival. The culmination of the merry-making comes on the ?Night of Fire? when all 700 of ?Las fallas? are burnt to a cinder turning many of the city's streets into huge bonfires. Undoubtedly the local fire services busiest evening of the year and certainly one not to be missed by visitors to the region.
Next stop is Catalonia and the town of Valls located about 100km south west of Barcelona, where every year townsfolk gather for the legendary ?Calcotada?. A celebration of food and in particular the ?calcot? (similar to a spring onion) with road side bbq's char grilling piles of them for locals to eat. There's even a hug pot of dipping sauce on hand to spice things up a bit. The main event is the eating competition as burly local champions from all over the region line up to see how many onions they can put away in 45 minutes, apparently it's not uncommon for the victor to eat in excess of 300! After a winner has been decided the town decamps to huge local cafeterias where for a small fee the ?calcots? are served in plentiful numbers alongside grilled meats and washed down with as much red wine as you can drink. It's certainly off the beaten track a little bit and for that reason you won't see many tourists but expect a warm welcome from the locals who will, undoubtedly, be in high spirits.
29 th June, the day of San Pedro and we're deep in Spain's wine producing heartland, La Rioja, where for one day every year the medieval town of Haro is host to the famous ?Batalla de Vino? (literally ?Wine Battle?). Apparently the battle's origins lie in an ancient dispute with between Haro and its neighbours. These days the fight is pretty good natured with thousands of gallons of wine being hurled around the battleground (a hillside overlooking Haro). Like the Tomatina, this is going to be a messy one and I'd suggest coming prepared with some ammunition of your own, the locals have been doing this for years so expect to take a few shots early on.


Blood and sunshine - bullfight in Malaga
On a blisteringly hot day in Malaga in the summer of 2001 whilst away learning Spanish in the Andalusian city, I resolved to see my first bullfight. With my father being a long time Spanish teacher I had often heard about his trips to the bullfight with his students and I also had vague recollections of a television programme watched whilst on holiday in northern Spain commemorating the death of a matador ? a horrific goring was a shocking sight to an eight year old boy and had left me with mixed feelings about ever going to a bullfight. Part of me attracted by the spectacle and what it symbolises in Spain's cultural heritage, and part of me reviled slightly as a young man with a fairly weak stomach for gore and blood.
Tickets were secured early in the afternoon for a surprisingly large price. I discovered prices varied massively depending on whether you're sitting in the sun or the shade with the latter obviously being the most coveted and therefore most costly. As the afternoon sun cast its light over half of the arena, I looked around and noticed that the bullring was by no means full as the first bull came skidding and pounding out of the enclosure.
I was at once struck by the sheer size and power of the creature, specifically bred to be as aggressive and unpredictable as possible and weighing somewhere in the region of 600kg. Straight away the giant animal crashed into the wooden fencing surrounding the bullring, smashing a hole and rendering itself unfit to fight on account of it's injuries. A replacement bull was sent out and the spectacle was underway at the second time of asking. I sat back with my bag of sunflower seeds and my beer (trying to look the part at least) to watch the drama unfold.
From conversations I have had since and from books that I've now read I realise how often North Europeans view the ?Corrida? in the wrong light. Many have said to me that it's a cruel sport where the bull is badly handicapped to let the matador take victory. Firstly, it is now apparent to me that bullfighting is by no means a sport; it's as much a cultural display as the ballet or an opera where certain rules must be adhered to and conventions followed. If you look for news of the bullfight in a Spanish paper it will not appear in the sports pages, rather the culture section.
I cannot deny its cruelty towards the bull however, in the first act (the ?Corrida? is broken into three ?tercios?, literally ?thirds?); the horse-mounted picadors drive their pikes into the bull's neck muscles. In the next act, the ?banderilleros? do likewise with their colourful, barbed darts. By this time the bull is bloodied and weary, its heavy horns were almost dragging in the dust as the matador appeared for the final ?tercio? known as the ?faena?. This is the culmination of the bullfight where the matador shows the audience his domination of the bull and the grace of his movements before delivering the final blow through the bull's heart with his sword.
I recall reflecting on what I had just seen as the bull was dragged out of the arena, a smeared arc of blood tracing its route across the floor, and realising that I'd been enthralled and appalled at the same. Clearly the bullfight will always be a divisive subject, even in Spain there are groups who call for it to be banned as it already has been in Catalonia. For me, it offers a visitor a chance to imbibe something that embodies Spain and its history ? all may not like it, but it's not necessarily a question of like and dislike; of winners and losers ? rather a question of what it means to the Spanish people and their cultural heritage.
* Please note that the opinions expressed in this article do not represent those of Babylon Idiomas as a school. Bullfighting is a very polemic issue for many Spaniards and you will find many local and personal differences in the support of bullfighting across Spain.


London is a great short break hotspot for the whole family.
The weather for once is hot, and the kids summer holidays are stretching on for what seems like an eternity. London is a place that people either love or hate, but there is no denying that with its countless historical and modern attractions, from the London Eye to the National Gallery, the British Museum, Harrods, Madame Tussauds, Buckingham Palace, Kew Gardens, the Tower of London, and of course Hamleys toy shop, it is home to some of the worlds best entertainment. With free admission to many of the top attractions, there's no better place to shop or soak up some culture.
Along with the more famous attractions there are also many hidden gems such as the Dali Universe display at County Hall on the South Bank, which has over 500 works by the master surrealist artist Salvador Dali. Exhibits include the famed Lobster Telephone, Mae West Lips Sofa, as well as sculptures, drawings and original canvases. Currently there is also a buy one get one free offer for visitors to the Dali Universe website.
The BFI London IMAX Cinema in Waterloo is another attraction worth visiting. Featuring the UK's biggest cinema screen which is nearly the height of five double-decker buses and over 26 metres wide, this is the most sophisticated motion-picture projection system in the world, and can immerse viewers in larger-than-life 2D and 3D images making them feel part of the picture.
For an interactive experience the updated Madame Tussauds is a good place to go. New displays such as the 'Blush' interactive party provide some of the feel of what it is like to be famous and get snapped by the paparazzi, or interviewed, while the Chamber Live exhibit covers 200 years of gruesome history with figures that come alive.
No holiday in London can be complete without a visit to one of the many fantastic West End shows. Whether you want comedy, music, dancing, child friendly shows, or just a great theatre experience, then the current line up of hit shows will not disappoint.
Three of the hottest shows presently running in the West End are the Lion King and Mary Poppins which are great for young families, while We Will Rock You is ideal for older children and will have the whole family stomping along to the music. If a more classic styled West End musical experience is preferred, there is always The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Guys and Dolls, Evita, the list of hit shows goes on.
Checking online is a great way to get special offers at the hotels and theatres, and there are several companies like Superbreak which offer discounts and where it is possible to purchase hotel accommodation and tickets in advance to save on potential hassles. Several ticket offices in the capital also offer cut price returned or late booking tickets for many of the shows, it is important to note however, that with this method you have to take what you can get.
As with any city, you have to see what entertainment is available and make your visit what you want it to be. The advantage with London is that there is so much to see, with fantastic historic sites and museums, and there are always new shows and exhibits to suite any age range or taste.
About the author:
Andrew Regan is an online journalist who enjoys socialising at his local Edinburgh cricket club.