The second week of October is always nice around here. The weather is usually still pleasant, and since 12 October is Spain’s national day, there is usually both a long weekend and numerous fiestas. In this case, the Moros y Cristianos festival in the suburb of El Campello. The festival commemorates the conquest of Spain by the Moors in the 7th-8th centuries and the Reconquista a few hundred years later (the late 13th century in case of the Valencia region where I live), but frankly it is all about fun, noise, food and drink.
Main
Two days before the battle, this is the scene, the beach near El Campello harbour:
Alternates:
Alternate 1
People are doing last-minute drills for the event to take place two days later:
Alternate 2
Full speed:
Alternate 3
Finer technical points are discussed:
Alternate 4
People are watching along the beach, but some are not so focused on the action:
Alternate 5
12th October, DÃÂa de la Hispanidad. The Moorish invasion lands in El Campello:
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The invaders do not look particularly fearsome:
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Not at all fearsome:
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The Christian defenders of the tower:
Alternate 9
In the end, this is what it is all about:
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Another Moorish participant:
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Musician resting; he has been working since about 7 a.m.:
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The throats must be properly lubricated:
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Watching it all from above:
The remaining images are from the usual meanderings around the Alicante area.
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Waiting:
Alternate 15
My sister and brother-in-law are visiting from Poland. My dog likes them very much, particularly since there is often a chance to score something:
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About 50 km north of Alicante, along the old Valencia road, the local rich Russians (don’t ask…) have built a nice new Orthodox church, allegedly greasing the palms of local officials along the way in order to obtain the required building permits etc.:
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Lighting candles for dead relatives is a tradition:
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In the town of Alcoi, in the inland mountains, an urban renewal project was started a couple of years ago, but aside from the billboard proclaiming a new housing concept, not much seems to have happened:
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Children playing on the main square of Alcoi:
Alternate 20
A group of guys from the office go out for lunch every Friday to a modest restaurant called Don Adolfo, in a decidedly downscale part of town called Benalua. There is no menu, you get when Don Adolfo made that day. But it is delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful:
Alternate 21
And at the end of the meal, you get something sweet and a strong chupito, whether you asked for it or not:
Finally, a couple of images from the market in San Juan pueblo.
Alternate 22
Catching up on local news:
Alternate 23
Peppers:
