U3A Vall del Pop
Cocentaina Trip
On November 2, a total of 50 members of VdP U3A set off to the All Saints Fair (Feria de Todos los Santos) in Cocentaina; a fair that has been running every year since 1346. Essentially an agricultural fair, with an area filled with tractors, lorries and farming equipment but in the town squares, and in the myriad of narrow streets, there were hundreds of stallholders and entertainers providing a medieval market, an Arab souk, and traditional music and dancing shows.
In the courtyard of the Earl’s Palace a range of medieval games were on show, all in working order, and you could give them a try! The palace is now a museum holding various works of art; it was originally built in the 13th and 14th centuries and later updated in the 16th and 17th centuries to the Renaissance palace of today. Be sure to look up at the ceilings, as well as the floors you are walking on!
Another square was the traditional foods and eating area, where local restaurateurs cooked meats over wood fires, including spit-roasted piglets, along with the many different varieties of sausage. There were also breads, cold meats, cheeses, salted fish and hand-rolled chocolate. In the Arab areas there were stalls selling baklava, and other stalls selling a wide range of fresh spices and teas together with the abundance of stalls selling leather goods, jewellery and gifts.
This was a wonderful and very interesting festival, so if you have an interest in culture and history, don't miss this trip next year! By Lura Terry.
Touring by Bike
Sheila Ruckley (pictured below) had been office bound in Scotland but after noticing a man with a rucksack, his head in the air, enjoying total freedom she determined to do something about it. A touring bike, with a comfortable saddle, proved to be the answer, and 20,000 miles completed to date.
Sheila's first touring trip was "40 days into the wilderness" touring round Scotland and the Shetlands. She learned the trick of carrying enough food in the panniers to avoid the daily search for food rather than enjoying all the wonderful sights on the way.
Her next trip was through Europe for 44 days; finding her own accommodation before the days of smart phones and instant Wi-Fi. At a hotel on the French/Swiss border she was given a luxurious top floor room and having washed all her gear before relaxing - in her birthday suit - to be rudely interrupted the need to transfer to the room she was paying for!
Her first tour in the USA, 3,000 miles through 'Twister' Alley, as part of a group. One of the chaps hated any woman ahead of him and barrelled past yelling "Yahoo", then waited for the rest to catch up. Sheila decided a woman's touring group might be more appropriate, and travelled from Canada to Los Angeles - 22 days through spectacular scenery down Highway 101.
Next up was 58 days from San Diego to Florida, where it took three weeks to cycle through Texas. After that...Mexico to Canada.
Sheila then decided to go solo, choosing her own timetable. This she did from Brittany to Calpe this summer, and thus to Murla to tell us all about it. People have told her "it can't be done"...she proved them wrong and dyed her hair blue to show that if you want to do something - you can and should.
All in all - awe inspiring, from a lady who is approaching her 70th birthday!
Edited from text by Lorraine Baker
For further information on U3A Vall del Pop check our website at http://u3avalldel pop.com.
The U3A is all about enjoyment and learning, and this is particularly evident in the U3A Vall del Pop, whose members hold their General Assembly generally, fiestas and holidays permitting, on the first Thursday of each month at the Centre Polivalent in Murla, and have a diverse range of groups for the interest of the members.