Easter Monday

On Sunday evening, we were asked once again to coffee at our friends house. This time, I took a german cheese cake with me. This was actually quite cruel, because one of our number has been put on a diet. We all sat there with cake, and someone sat there with a yoghurt! (Yes, I know, it should have been me!)

We all watched the MotoGP, with typical Spanish volume. Shouting and arguing about everyone and everything. Brilliant fun. Then, it was arranged that we all go out for a picnic on Monday teatime. Meet at 5, bringing a packed tea. Soon, the time was changed to 4pm, as we realised that no one goes anywhere on time!

We duly packed our goodies and turned up. We were going to the town picnic area. 4 cars, about 14 people! Goodness me - I have never seen so many people in the picnic area. It was packed. Evidently this is the thing to do on Easter Monday. A normal spanish discussion ensued, and we all piled back into the cars, and went to the picnic area above the tunel. Clever move. There was nobody else ther at all. (Although, to be fair, they may have been put off by the two separate no-entry and no-vehicles signs leading up to the site.) We unpacked and set out a feast fit for 20 people.

The weather was wonderful. Clear blue skies and about 25 degrees. A policeman came and investigated, and simply waved at us and then went back. A little later, some other families came to the same site, and had their picnics too. We stayed there until the sun went over the mountain, at around 7pm. It quickly turned cool, but everyone had had a wonderful time.

Easter

Sadly, i didn't have a programme for the Easter activities this year, so I missed out on quite a lot.

I thought that the 'pasos' we taken into town on Friday night, so Ed and I bimbled off to watch them. It turned out that there were taken to town on Thursday, and the full parades took place all day on Good Friday.

We missed everything at the church at lunch-time, but at least we got to see the parade in the evening. There were 7 pasos parading around the old streets, sometimes barely wide enough for everyone to pass by.

There was Mary, mother of Jesus, Jesus carrying the cross, a small paso that I couldn't identify, Mary Magdelene, Jesus on the cross, another paso with someone else (who looked like Pontius Pilot, but it couldn't possibly have been him!) and finally a paso with Jesus laying inside a (glass) tomb.

Once they finished their walks of pennance, they returned to the church, and several of the pasos were taken back inside with everyone clapping as the entered.

Some of the others are housed elsewhere, and these returned to their base too. The one of Jesus on the cross being in a small hermita near the church, the one of Mary Magdelene returning to the monestary near us. (This last one was put on a wheeled trolley, and pushed back to the monestary, since it is a long way.)

9 Months in the Making

So... last summer they started to build the new indoor swimmingpool. Within a reasonably short period of time, it was finished.

So, then we wait. And wait. And wait.

I knew there had been a leakage issue, but that was fixed by the end of August. I popped in to the town hall to find out anything, but was told, "In a few weeks". But still we waited.

I had a friend of a friend that works at the council sports department, and understood that the town hall were waiting for a particular piece of paper, before they would hand over the money to the builders. And so we wait.

New Year. Still waiting.

Fallas. Still waiting.

Easter approaches - shock, horror. I need to sit down. I've been handed a few sheets of paper with tarrifs, times and programmes on it! The pool opens on 2nd April. Is this some April Fools joke? No.

It's a bit pricey, but I guess they have to make their money back somehow. I didn't go on the first day, but, on the Wednesday, I bimbled in at about 10:30am. As I expected, this was a good time to go. There was nobody in! The changing rooms are nice and airy, but if you are shy, there is only one cubicle to change in!

I dived in at the end with the diving blocks, and promptly lost my hat (everyone has to wear them!). As I swan back for it, my foot just touched the bottom of the pool. Odd. I swam to the other end and stopped to put my hat on. Chest deep. Hmm. Quite deep for a shallow end. Back to the diving blocks. Also chest deep. Interesting. The 'plug' is in the middle. I've never come across that in a public pool before.

The lifeguards were of the usual Spanish standard - in that there was nobody poolside. Maybe they have a camera on the pool to watch everyone, but I doubt it very much. As I neared the end of my 32 lengths, another lady came in. Then, just as I finished, a third lady. As there are lane ropes in, it was wonderful.

I went again earlier this week, but shock - there was a man already in the pool before I got there! Did he not know that I count this as my personal training area?! I timed this one well too, as, when I got out, about 4 grannies and their grandchildren got in. School holidays! Schools go back again soon, so I will keep going twice a week. If it were cheaper, I would go more often, but twice is good enough for me. Let's see what happens over the summer holidays - hopefully both pools will be operating, with classes in the indoor one, and leisure swimming outdoors.