November 2015 - U3A Vall del Pop

No.
Vall del Pop
64
November News4U
2015
done that
done that
seen them ...
now we are looking forward to...
BUT, Christmas is not a lot of fun
if you are going to be on your own, so…
CHRISTMAS SHARE IDEAS
Sue Harvey and Brian Scammell (our Almoners)
are planning to get some of our 'single' members
together over the Christmas period.
It is a tough me of year to spend on your own
and we would like to make sure people can meet up
so that no one is le alone this year.
Some thoughts are: Christmas or Boxing day meals, aernoon teas, church services,
a Boxing Day walk along the beach...
If you have any ideas, or can help with arrangements,
have an 'open house' or are one of those singles...
please get in touch with them.
Sue Harvey - 965 730 605
Brian Scammell bas2048@gmail com Tel: 965 740 786
600 853 884 / 629 869 678
U3A VALL DEL POP MEMBER CELEBRATES BIG BIRTHDAY
On 17th October Mary Wood was 80 years young. Nine years ago, Mary was one of the first
members of our U3A with membership number 11 when she joined with her husband Eddie,
to whom she has been married for 57 years. Prior to this she was a member of Calpe U3A and
has seen our U3A grow and develop. She has remained a stalwart of our organisaon ever
since and can usually be found as part of the ‘Meet and Greet’ team at our General Meengs.
She is also Group Leader for the Sugar Cra Group, using the cake making skills she gained as
a Domesc Science Teacher in her home town of Tamworth. Mary sll puts these skills to
great use and, as a member of Jalon Valley Help, usually makes the cakes for the ‘Guess the
Weight of the Cake’ compeon. She is an avid baker and her cakes are really delicious.
When Mary gave up teaching in 1979, she and her family moved to Cornwall where they
owned and ran a hotel. In 2002 Mary and Eddie decided to move to Spain and purchased
the house where they live in Alcalali. Her daughter Jackie also lives in Spain and owns
the very popular Citrus Bar in Orba, where Mary can oen be found helping out.
Her son Mark is in the UK but also has plans to move to Spain in the near future.
On Mary’s birthday Jackie organised a special birthday celebraon at the Citrus Bar
for family and friends and Mary’s granddaughter baked her birthday cake.
Your friends at the U3A Vall del Pop wish you a Very Happy 80th Birthday Mary,
we hope you had a wonderful celebra2on.
NEW DISCOUNT OFFERED
Masterclass Storage and Removals are offering U3A members
10% off normal prices.
info@masterclassremovals.com
www.masterclassremovals.com
965 734 162 / 607 338 253
Please contact them for further information.
Details will be on the website soon.
Hola! everyone and welcome to all our new members
At our recent General Meeng on 5th November I talked briefly about my desire to expand
awareness of our U3A and to promote the lovely area where we live. Early days yet, but I
have been in touch with The Third Age Trust, Naonal Office in the UK who have a new
Internaonal Sub-CommiBee to see how we can develop relaonships with other U3A
branches, the thought being that those of you who spend me in the UK may want to visit
your local U3A, and also that those U3A members who holiday in our area may wish to join
in some of our acvies as part of their holiday. In October 2014 we hosted a Petanca
compeon in Castell de Castells with 20 members from the Liphook U3A, which was a great
success.
The Third Age Trust produces a 90-page magazine ‘Third Age MaBers’ five mes a year, which
is available to non-UK U3A members for £2.50 per issue but can only be posted to a UK address. As a start on building up relaonships with their Internaonal Sub CommiBee,
we have been asked to send them a small arcle about who we are for inclusion in a later
copy. For those of you interested, the Third Age Trust can be found on the internet, at
www.u3a.org.uk and then choose your heading.
Out of interest, with U3A branches being worldwide two of our members are planning a trip
to New Zealand and, if me allows, will make themselves known to any of the local U3As,
there being 80 branches in New Zealand. What a wonderful way to nurture friendships
around the world! Cheers for now,
Jim Lockhart
HILL WALKING GROUP NEWS
Paul and Jan Leniston
The group has made a good start, with seven members. But three are visitors,
and we urgently need to increase the numbers to cover when they return to UK.
We are hoping to achieve six regular members, plus an assortment of visitors.
I hope that the photos will encourage others to join us to explore the beautiful area we live in.
I hope people realise it is a challenging walk, but also an enjoyable and achievable one.
RESTAURANT REVIEWS
Republic Denia Marina
966 430 123
info@republicdenia.com
www.republicdenia.com
For a special 'menu del dia' this is the place to come. A little bit dearer at
18.95€ per person without drink, but the restaurant delivers on service and quality
which makes it a great place for a special occasion or whenever! There is a choice of
main course but we had a tapa of croqueta balls to nibble on while awaiting the starter, or starters, I should say.
This time we had mozzarella cheese on a bed of rocket and tomato followed by
linguini with pesto - very delicious. We did order bread and alioli too, but at 2.50€ per
person I think this is a little bit expensive. There was a choice of cod or pork and the
presentation was superb and the flavour very good. The price is more than you would
normally pay for a midday meal and the drinks were a little over-priced too, but the
setting overlooking the Denia Marina and all the wonderful boats makes it a place
where you would expect to pay more - just don't be surprised at the bill!
Dessert was panacotta with strawberries and a butterscotch drizzle - yummy.
We had 3 bottles of water, 4 glasses of wine and 3 beers and the total was 113€ for 4.
I will definitely go again but it isn't a place I could afford to visit daily.
Cal Morell
Calle D'Enmig 18, 03790 Orba
965 584 000
We wanted to visit somewhere new so looked at Trip Advisor for suggestions. We
chose this one as it sounded exactly what we wanted. The reservation was made
and we went for Sunday lunch. It was a little hard to find as others have said (it is
right behind the Font Vell restaurant on the corner by Orbeta bridge). The lady was
very welcoming and we had a choice of seats, all of which were in a lovely large room
with pillars making it seem less open. The decoration was typical Spanish and cool
too.
There is a choice of 2 menus -15 or 18€ according to what you want to eat as a main
course but starters are set and the desserts the same on both menus. A drink is
included in the price. To start we had a dish of tabbouleh with a lovely sauce and then
cannelloni of cod puree which was magnificent - I’m not a fish lover but this was
different and oh-so-tasty.
For main I had, and recommend, the confit of duck with fig sauce and hubby Chris
had lamb chops. The 3 chocolate mousse was mouth watering and the other choices
also looked well presented and tasty. We weren't rushed, the staff were friendly and
helpful (some English spoken too for those that don't do the language, plus the menu
is in various other languages too). A really nice two hours spent with excellent food,
good company and a promise to go back again with friends to share this lovely place.
Ray and Chris Tudor (They also recommend the Bar Aqua, Calle Delfos, Javea 965 770 131)
LUDO
865 641 845
reservas@ludorestaurant.es www.ludorestaurant.es
(closed Mondays)
For those brave enough to venture to Denia we would recommend Ludo which is
on the road out of Denia towards Javea just past the Port Denia Hotel on the
right-hand side. We have eaten there several times since the summer when they
had an excellent BBQ menu at the weekend for 14€.
More recently we went with visitors who ended up ordering a take-away for the
following day they were so impressed with the food. Menu del dia is about 12€.
The chef is Phil Humphries who used to own Al Gusto in Denia.
He is cooking very similar food at Ludo and we defy anyone to be disappointed!
They have an excellent Xmas menu.
Sue and Dave Gilham
La Escondida Hotel & Restaurant,
Carretera Alcoy a Penáguila Km. 9,
Penáguila, Alicante.
965 513 046.
info@hotellaescondida.com www.hotelescondida.com
This is a hidden gem, about 1 hour and 10 minutes drive from the Jalon area, up in
the mountains close to Alcoy. Near to the village of Penáguila, it has recently been
completely refurbished, from top to bottom and is a superb boutique hotel with a
restaurant open to the public. Set in open countryside it is easy to find by following
signs to Mas de Pau, the old name for this place, from Penáguila.
It is owned and run by Yvette and Terry Venables, you may have heard of them!
They are a very charming couple and have a very hands on approach to the running
of the Hotel and Restaurant, you may well be lucky enough to meet them if you visit.
We had Sunday lunch there for less than €150 for five of us including pre-lunch
drinks, a glass of house wine, three courses plus a couple of extras and coffees.
The food was beautifully presented, very tasty and made with good quality
ingredients. We all thoroughly enjoyed the food and have absolutely
no hesitation in recommending this place.
It is rated 5* on every review on Trip Advisor which is very unusual.
We toured the hotel rooms and facilities including the two pools (one indoors) and a
spa, all of these were all very impressive and beautifully decorated. As it is a good
drive from Jalon we would suggest booking an overnight stay for a special occasion
so that all of the delights of this retreat can be sampled and enjoyed. Please check
out the website for all the contact details, location, prices and menus.
Peter and Anna Barrett
LOTS OF POPPIES SOLD
Jan Byatt, Irene Turvey and Angela Woodhouse
kept themselves busy making poppies in readiness
for the Poppy Appeal this month.
However, despite making in excess of 100,
demand far outstripped their supply
and within three days they had completely sold out!
Next year they will have to start making them in January.
All of the money raised has been donated
to the Royal British Legion.
and I have a special thank you to Angela
who made me a lovely white peace poppy to wear.
Lorraine
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS FOR 2016
Brigid has now arranged Wednesday 16th December in La Assut (next to Aleluya)
in Jalon as our satellite set up from 11.30a.m. for renewals only.
(not for new members to join)
We will be set up to start the renewal process at the December meeting,
and at the ARC Christmas Fayre on 6th December where we will also try to recruit
some new members.
Satellite meetings will also be held in Jan/Feb/Mar but venues are not yet known.
Due to the climate of political correctness now pervading the world%
here are some phrases to consider...
She is not a 'DUMB BLONDE' - She is a
FAIR-HAIRED DETOUR OFF THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY
She has not 'BEEN AROUND' - She is a
PREVIOUSLY-ENJOYED COMPANION
She does not 'NAG' you - She becomes
VERBALLY REPETITIVE
He does not 'GET LOST ALL THE TIME' - He
INVESTIGATES ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS
He is not 'BALDING' - He is IN FOLLICLE REGRESSION
Talk to U3A on 5th November
Adam Stone
The Aims of Neighbourhood Watch in Spain are: To reduce the opportunies for crime and an-social behaviour
To deter would-be burglars and vandals
To build a community spirit so that all residents can contribute
towards the protecon of their property through co-operaon
and communicaon and to facilitate
the transfer of informaon speedily to members
To prevent crime by improving security, increasing vigilance,
creang and maintaining a caring community and reducing opportunies for crime
by increasing crime prevenon awareness
To assist the security forces in detecng crime by promong effecve communicaon and
the prompt reporng of suspicious and criminal acvity
To encourage members to be vigilant and contact the security forces
to report any suspicious behaviour
To keep a check on vulnerable residents and those that are away from home
To encourage members to implement crime prevenon methods around the home
To reduce undue fear of crime by providing accurate informaon about risks
and by promong a sense of security and community spirit,
parcularly amongst the more vulnerable members of the community
To improve security forces/community liaison by providing effecve communicaons
through Neighbourhood Watch messaging systems which warn Coordinators
of local crime trends which they can disseminate to their scheme members,
and by members informing the security forces of incidents when they occur.
So, what does this all mean for us? Many of us may live on Urbanisaons, where there is a
resident ‘overseer’ who looks aer the buzons etc. This person could contact the NHW
local branch and set up a group membership for the
Urbanisaon, and if there are any parcular security issues, residents are
immediately made aware, and the local police will patrol the streets on a regular basis.
The NHW can advise on specific problems and suggest appropriate
responses. There are many opons available to us.
Some simple examples: ◊
Be vigilant—don’t sit in your garden or by your pool, and out of sight of an unlocked
front door...too easy for an opportunist to nip in and grab a handbag.
◊
If you have just bought a nice new electronic item...don’t leave the empty box outside
for all to see!
◊
Ladies—keep your handbag in the foot-well of the car, and the doors locked.
◊
Keep wallets and purses zipped and out of sight in the Rastros.
◊
If someone is away, and you noce a strange car in their drive—make a note of the
number plate, just in case.
NHW leaflets are available at the mee'ngs for people to take,
and we have some free UV pens so you can mark electronic items
such as TV and computers in your home.
HELP PAGE
U3A ALMONER CONTACT: -
Sue Harvey - 965 730 605 (new number)
DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR 'FLU JABS!
and please be considerate if you are unwell...stay at home, don’t spread the germs
to friends and neighbours...enjoy some hot toddies, feet up, being pampered!
JALON VALLEY HELP
www.jalonvalleyhelp.com
Helpline – 659 624 643
JVH (Parkinson’s support)
contact – Christopher 688 883 127 or email – parkinsonsjvh@gmail.com
MABS www.mabscancersupport.org
contact in Costa Blanca North: Sue Reula 664 266 991
Marina Salud 966 429 137/8
informacion.pacientes@marinasalud.es
Denia Health Centre (Screening Tests and Mammograms)
966 429 600
SALUD RESPONDE
A paent may request the Servicio de Teletraduccion Linguis2ca and the doctor
aBending them at the primary health care centre, hospital or A&E
will contact the service. The interpreter is not present, but doctor and paent
receive a simultaneous tele-translaon. 24/7, available in 48 languages.
FOR SALE AND WANTED
All ads are sent to Anna for upload onto the website
for 3 months and include the photos.
Please let us know if your item sells!
Two seater bed settee, cream/pink floral chintz removable upholstery.
Good condition €60,00. Coffee table €10,00.
Neville Haycox. Alcalali 966 482 340.
nevljudy@gmail.com
*******************
Double bed head. 2x single bed heads, 2x glass topped bedside cabinets,
glass topped dressing table.
We only want €50 for the WHOLE LOT.
Perhaps someone will be interested in selling it for charity?
+
Ride on mower for breaking up or hobbyist repair. 36inch cutting deck. Still runs
but needs some TLC. Or the Briggs and Stratton motor runs well and could be used
for some other use. Only €50. Collection from Pinos, (Benissa/Jalon)
Email, or please text your phone number to our mobile and we'll call you back.
Sue and Roger suerogpeacock@aol.co.uk 00 44 7977 219151 (new members)
******************
Man's grey fleck heavy knit fleece lined cardigan /jacket. Brand new, Marks
and Spencer/north coast, size standard medium. Would make ideal Xmas
present. 35€
Sylvia Moore 966 482 277 sylmoorespain@gmail.com
*****************
NEW Nespresso AEROCCINO (milk foamer) with booklet and invoice.
New price was €70 - would like 45€ please
Yvonne Jurgens , 965 731 415 (leave a message)
*****************
Gent's Sheepskin Coat, 42" Chest, 36" long. Immaculate, worn only couple of
times. Originally from Street, Somerset. Cost £250. Accept 100€ ono
Gent's Charcoal Wool/Cashmere Overcoat. Never worn. 48" Chest, 46" long.
cost £200, accept 80€ ono.
Gent's Black Jones Shoes. Size 9xx. Immaculate, worn only few times. In original
box with shoe trees. Cost £89, accept 40€ ono.
continued...
Carol & Jim Lockhart 616 103 167 cazlock@gmail.com
DELONGHI Dolce Gusto Jovia coffee machine, as new— cost 50€
Spiral revolving pod holder (holds 36 DG pods or 60 Nespresso) - cost 15€
bag of 66 assorted pods - lungo and cortado coffee, chocolate, decaf.
(approx 14€) The lot for 60€.
Loads of DVD's - full list available by e-mail. I can't sell them on Amazon as
their postage to UK doesn't get close. 1€ each unless otherwise shown.
Lorraine on ladyofbast@gmail.com
965 577 480
****************
AVAILABLE FOR RENT - property with pool in Alkalali
It would suit short term folk best i.e. family overflows [holidays] OR folk looking to
purchase a house and need to stay somewhere for a few months. Wonderfully quiet,
safe location with street lighting and sports facilities within minutes plus a range of
good restaurants within walking distance...yet another bonus.
Full details from Brigid Redmond brigred27@gmail.com
Would any of the U3A members who read this message have Travel information
about CUBA? We would be interested in receiving this on loan from you in order
to study and prepare for a future trip.
YVONNE JURGENS - yjurgens@gmail.com - 965 731 415
**********************
Sevillanas beginner looking for suitable "gypsy" skirts, do you have any
tucked away not used? Size generous 12 or 14 would suit.
Coastal apartment for Feb and Mar 2016. Do you have a 1 bed, sunny
apartment near to beach and amenities. 77 yr old brother is coming over to escape
Canadian winter, liked Calpe and Moraira before. No transport so needs shops etc.
handy. Also UK TV a must. Please contact Sheila 652 547 810 and/or email any
details to casskinner@gmail.com
Lexophilia is a word used to describe those that have a love for words...
You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish
To write with a broken pencil is pointless
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
When you've seen one shopping centre you've seen a mall.
Police were summoned to a day-care centre where a three-year-old was resisting a rest
more next month...
EGYPTOLOGY GROUP - 9th November
In Search of Eden
Normally, by 10.15, we have a queue by the coffee
table, and a room nearly full of eager people ready
to listen to more history from our 'tame'
archaeologist. Well, only a few had turned up
by 10.40...and David was looking worried.
Were they all still in the Land of Nod? Or,
more likely, out in our own little bit of paradise,
having coffee in the sunshine.
By 10.57....the room was full. Happy chappy, not a growly Rohly.
David took us through the various detailed references in the Old Testament as to the
whereabouts of the mythical Garden of Eden. He first explained that an AmericanLatvian archaeologist, Juris Zarins, theorises that the Garden of Eden is now
submerged under the Persian Gulf… and then he set about proving his own theory that
it is, in fact, in a mountainous region located between the great salt lake of Urumiya
and the Caspian Sea. The clue is that the second chapter in the Book of Genesis
locates Eden where four rivers have their headwaters. Two of those rivers are the
well-known Euphrates and Tigris. Back in the late 1990s, David and his wife Ditas
bravely went on an expedition over the Zagros Mountains from Mesopotamia (modern
Iraq) to locate the sources of these famous rivers and find the land of Eden (the vast
area of rolling plains on the border between eastern Turkey and western Iran).
The ancient Persian word Parideiza translates as 'walled parkland' (i.e. a valley surrounded by mountain walls), and Eden (Sumerian Edin) means an uncultivated plain. So
there you have it. The word Adam translates as Red Earth (Man), and this land is very
red....satellite imagery showed very clearly the rough terrain, two huge volcanoes, and
the red mountains that surround what had been a verdant valley, which David identifies as the Garden of Eden. It's now buried under the sprawling conurbation of
Tabriz.
The valley is still apparently rich in almond and cherry trees, fruits and grape
vines...plenty of sunshine, and some goats...(now doesn't that remind you of here???).
Eden was the source of four rivers, and there were seven 'gates' (mountain passes) to
struggle through to reach the Paradise of the Garden valley. The phrase Seventh
Heaven comes from this, there being seven 'levels' to reach the 'heavenly' place.
After the fourth mountain pass, at Behistum, there is a sacred spring. This is
where, in the 1840's, Cpt. Henry Rawlinson first discovered a high wall of carved
cuneiform script - Old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian. Three languages, one
story, and the equivalent of the better-known Rosetta Stone deciphered
by Champollion in 1822. Rawlinson’s discovery allowed scholars to translate
continued on next page….
thousands of cuneiform tablets in the Akkadian language for the first time and
opened the door for a better understanding of ancient Mesopotamia.
Now, this very brief account might all sound a bit 'dry' but David tells the history in
such a way that you are captivated for over an hour. Definitely no nodding off - and
yes, we were shown that the Land of Nod is up there too.
If you haven't considered coming to this group before - do give it a try. David is so
knowledgeable, and his presentations are polished to perfection. I guarantee you'll be
fascinated. If only history had been this good at school!
The next meeting is on: DECEMBER 7th = “The Great Deluge and the Tower of Babel”.
10.45 sharp with doors open from 9.45.
AND... being planned for the New Year - a special U3A showing for the
European premiere of ‘Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus’ by Thinking Man Films,
in which David is the principal interviewee and whose research is the foundation
of the two-hour cinema release of the documentary which played to over a
million viewers in the USA earlier this year..
ESTATE AGENTS IN SPAIN
Following an article in the RTN letters page, week of September 18th, Arthur Hurst-Frost,
whose house is currently 'on the market', approached the NL team with some of his own
ideas and comments. He stressed he does not wish to 'start a campaign' but is concerned by the disparate commissions charged by agents - that can vary from 3% - 10%,
and are often increased by Third Party selling, where agents share properties and an
agent you have not directly instructed sells the house, and asks for additional
commission.
The letter (from Tony Dean, Quesada) states that the vendor should retain control. he
suggests: -
Ignore the price valuation by the agent
Never pay more than 3% and don't be afraid to ask for a lower rate
The market is improving and agents are undervaluing
Ensure the property is in good condition...and ask 'is this a place I would buy?'
Don't sell furnished unless you are offered a realistic price for the contents
There are thousands of ex-pats here - and numbers count! If we stop allowing ourselves
to be bullied by these agents, things can change. Arthur would be pleased to hear from
anyone who may have ideas and comments of their own and wish to share their experiences or expertise. I have a scanned copy Tony Dean's letter, and Arthur's e-mail address
if anyone wishes to contact him.
Lorraine
U3A Vall del Pop visits Portugal
Ginny Whitehead
photo - Sandra Welham
Drenched to the skin on a dark October morning, we le Jalón and the rain behind on our
way to Salamanca, the first stop before our desnaon of Portugal. We arrived in Salamanca
ten hours later with just enough me to walk into the old town and see the beauful old
buildings lit golden and rose by the seTng sun. Next morning we were on the road again
early, heading for Porto and puTng our watches back by an hour as we entered Portugal.
The landscape changed almost immediately from the flat, grey scrub of Leon to densely
wooded mountains. As we crossed the Rió Duero, these finally gave way to the allimportant steeply-terraced vines, turning rusty-coloured in the autumn sunshine. Stopping
for lunch in the World Heritage medieval village of Guimaraes, with its meless stone buildings and delighUully cheap restaurants, some of us managed to drag ourselves away from
the culinary delights of lunch with sparkling vinho verde (it’s come a long way since the
‘80s), for an uphill walk to the 10th century castle, home to the first king of Portugal.
An hour later and we were in our hotel in Porto in me for dinner.
Porto is stunningly situated on the banks of the Rio Duero, and consequently, the streets
are very steep. Dang from the 13th century, the old centre of Porto is a UNESCO World
Heritage site. Due to rent controls, when many tenants paid only 2€ a month, landlords
could not afford to repair their houses. With no private or public money sadly this has
resulted in many lovely old buildings literally falling down. One of the few of the old building
not in ruins is the beaufully led train staon. The Duero is the oldest wine-producing
region in the world and Ramos Pinto’s bodega was our next, much ancipated, desnaon.
The bodega is housed in a lovely early 20th century building, full of hand-painted les,
original posters and beauful carved furniture.
We were given a chocolate to eat while tasng the red port. White port has only been
produced since 1936 as, due to the civil war, the Brish could not obtain sherry. Two port
tasngs later and full of bonhomie and good cheer, we boarded a boat for a trip down the
Duero. The rest of the day was ours to explore this fascinang city at our leisure. No visit to
Porto would be complete without an expensive coffee in the famous Majesc Cafe where
JK Rowling wrote the first Harry PoBer book (she was an English teacher in Porto) and
to see the beauful library which featured in the films.
The second page of this excellent ar2cle is in the Features sec2on
on the website, plus lots more photos!
A Visit to the Bio Parc in Valencia
by Sheila Skinner
A group of 55 U3A Vall del Pop members enjoyed a
fabulous oung on a sunny Autumn October day, when
we visited the Bio Parc zoo experience in the centre of
Valencia City. Slightly surreal, arriving in the midst of
Valencia's traffic, minutes aer passing a LIDL store, to
be walking across a modern tubular bridge into
another world completely.
The weather couldn't have been kinder and only added to everyone's enjoyment. The stunning layout and natural seTngs for the animals from diverse areas - Wetlands, Savannah,
Equatorial, Madagascar – and the addional aBracons made an educaonal and enjoyable
stroll through "their worlds". The impressive seTngs, trees, boulders, rocks, and water features were all cleverly designed to duplicate their natural territories, with spacious compounds and natural barriers ingeniously allowing maximum close-up vision of the animals.
Colourful birds, and lemurs roamed free, neither people- nor camera-shy. However, we were
reminded that we were indeed amongst wild animals.
The magnificent male lion started a series of deep-throated roars that reverberated around
the Parc, blood-chilling even in the bright midday sun; nobody was arguing that he was King
of the Hill , surveying his harem of lionesses from the top of a pile of boulders. As we progressed around the Parc, we heard him again and again. So too did the nearby small deer
and other animals that normally would have been his prey. They were protected, as we were,
by those same natural barriers, designed to allow the best viewing experience for us, but to
ensure that the animals stayed within their designated areas.
Later, another chilling moment, when one of the large apes threw his weight around, literally,
starng with a rising crescendo of screeching that saw his companions moving swily away,
giving him plenty of space. Whatever set him off we don't know, maybe another male within
the internal enclosure, but he hit that high metal sliding door with all his might and even from
the opposite end of the area, the eager line of camera-poinng onlookers, including us, took a
sharp step backward. These experiences certainly added to an already special day.
The second page of this arcle is also in the Features secon on the website,
plus lots more photos.
There just isn’t space for everything!
More restaurant mentions: JALON VALLEY HELP
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR
at JALON PENSIONISTAS
on 22nd NOVEMBER
10am—2pm
El Quixote in Orba also got
recommendations from
Bob and Sandra Welham
and the Beatties
Jim and Carol Lockhart recommend:
Bar l’Entra, Vall d’Ebo
Bistro Celine, Jalon
and Castelvi
Brigid and John Redmond suggest
Pizzeria/Créperia Capriccio, Jalon
All too late in for inclusion in full, sorry.
Careline Theatre
Is now taking bookings for their January 2016 Panto, Aladdin. The production
runs from 14th to 17th January at 8pm with matinees at 3pm on 16th and 17th
January. Tickets are 12€ for adults, 8€ for children under 10, and groups of 10
or more receive a 10% discount for prepaid tickets.
To book please phone 652 294 750 or email bookings@carelinetheatre.com
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA ON THE CAMINO FRANCÉS
(or — 550 kms by bike)
Two of our members
(one having had a hip replacement last year)
did this amazing journey recently.
Full details in Features on the website
As I hurtled through space, one thought kept crossing my mind:
‘Every part of this rocket was supplied by the lowest bidder.’
John Glenn, Astronaut
U3A CINEMA IN PARCENT
1 euro requested on the door, for group funds.
See Cinema Group webpage for details.
All films are shown at La Musical in Parcent, next to the Town Hall,
just off the main square at the top of hill in the centre of the village.
MONDAY 16th November at 7.15 (doors open 6.45) - 'SELMA'
Continuing the story of civil rights in America, as told in 'The Butler'.
In the state of Alabama, even after the ending of segregation, black
people were prevented from voting by the action of local officials with the backing of the law authorities and the state governor, George
Wallace. This film relates events leading up to the protest march
organised by Dr Martin Luther King from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. British actor
David Oyelowo stars, with Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Roth and Carmen Ejogo
supporting. It's a very well-made film, relating complicated issues in an interesting and
understandable way.
2015, cert 12, 2 hours 8 mins. There are some violent scenes.
TUESDAY 1st December at 7.15 (doors open 6.45) 'THE WATER DIVINER'
Russell Crowe stars as an Australian farmer, and water diviner, who
undertakes the long journey to Turkey after the end of the First World
War, to discover what actually happened to his sons, assumed killed in
action at Gallipoli. Crowe also directed this film, made to commemorate
the centenary of the Battle of Gallipoli.
1 hour 45 mins, 2015, cert 15. There are some violent images of battle in this film.
MONDAY 14th December at 7.15 (doors open 6.45) - 'X + Y'
Heartwarming British comedy about an autistic-spectrum teenager,
Nathan, who struggles with understanding other people, but thrives on
mathematics. Nathan is taken under the wing of an unconventional
teacher, and the pair forge an unusual friendship. Eventually, Nathan's
talents win him a place at the International Mathematics Olympiad,
and he travels with the British team to Taiwan. From suburban England
to bustling Taipei and back again, this original and heart-warming film
tracks the funny and complex relationships that Nathan builds,
as he is confronted by the irrational nature of love.
Starring Asa Butterfield, Sally Hawkins, Rafe Spall and Eddie Marsan.
1 hour 50 minutes, 2015, cert 12.
The Cinema is open to all U3A Vall del Pop members no booking required.
We hope to see you there soon!