A Vsit to the Village of Ezcaray

In the morning we all went down to breakfast and left at nine for a full day of activities.  Wee left Logrono going west and heading Ojai Valey in the La Roija region to the village of Ezcary. There we would take a walking trip around the village, do an impromptu sing at the cathedral, then see the quaint shops and maybe spend some money.  Ed had also planned to have us take a lunch at a quaint restaurant in the village.   This was OK with us as long as wine was included.

The town of Ezcaray is situated at the base of the San Lorenzo peak and is 13 km from the Vadezcaray ski area.  There are water sports on the river and hiking in the mountains also there are lots of trails and roads for biking.  We had already seen lots of bikers in their nifty little suits diring on the streets as we looked down and passed them in our big bus.They were probably practicing for the Tour de Rioja race as part of the Tour de Spain. This part of the trip was nice and level with lovely fields of green which is any bike rider's joy!

The Ojai Valley near Ezcaray

We came to the lovely little town and followed Father Cadarso up a little hill to the church where we planned to give an informal concert.  As we walked we noticed that the sidewalk was cracked in some places and uneven in others so some of us walked on the street. I was walking behind JJ whenall of the sudden she stumbled on the uneven walk and did a face plant onto the pavement. She immediately stated bleeding.  I took off running up the hell when we discovered that Ed did not have an ice pack in his First Aid kit. I went to the restaurant across from the church and told the waiter what had happened and asked for some ice in a napkin.  He quickly gathered some ice and folded it in a few paper napkins.  When I reached JJ her lip was starting to swell and she put the cool ice on it and felt much better.  Other people were helping with first aid and in a few minutes JJ was up and following along to the church.  What a trouper; She is one tough lady!

JJ enjoying the day inspite of her injury!

We are all a pretty hardy troupe actually as may of us are dealing with injuries but still having a good time.  The first to be injured was Angela back in Tangiers when she fell a in the museum and hurt her Elbow.  Actually it was broken in several parts and it will be finally operated on in mid July.  So he had to endure the rest of the trip with her elbow in a sling. The next person to fall was Carol but because she works out with a physical trainer who she refers to as her "Torture Lady," Carol simply rolled when she fell and got right up! Then there was Fran who said she slipped in the bath tub and slid right down.  She was in shock for a few seconds, did inventory on her body, and concluded that she was fine.  Some of us have been hurt prior to our adventure. Carolyn had fallen and broke her ankle and for a while was not sure she would be able to come.  We all prayed that she could for the only other accompianist  would be Tim and he had to conduct.  Luckily, her doctor have her the OK if she would wear a Foot Brace.  She has been able to do all the walking without a problem as long as she wore a high heel shoe on the other foot.  This made her a few inches taller than her six foot frame but she didn't care as long as she was comfortable and could have a cigarette when she wanted one. Then there was my room mate Meg who had had both knees replaced and had a courdison shot for her back problems. Me of course still could not move my left arm higher than my chest because of the Shingles Virus, so I used my right hand to give a toast of good cheer!

In high spirits in spite of her arm.

Carol has the "Torture Lady" to thank.

Gets along just fine with her cane and high heel.

We arrived at the park in front of the church and were surprised to see so many people dressed in their very best attire.  All the ladies had beautiful designer dresses and the men were in tuxedos.  We all went around taking pictures.  We asked some local people that were sitting on benches enjoying the scene as well.  They told us that this was a wedding party and the bride and the groom were from Madrid.  They chose this town and this church for their special day because they vacation in this area and love the village scene.  Everyone was waiting for the bride and groom and so we had time to do our program in the church before they took over the church.

All of us entered the church and got ourselves organized in front of the altar and sang the songs we committed to memory.  First we sang, Julibe Deo  three times in a round, then we sang, All My Trials, then we sang Secure.  We sounded wonderful in the lovely church.  We could now chalk another church in our journey. 

As we left the chamber music ensamble went to their corner and set up to practice.  Some of us sat in the back of the church to listen.

The Chamber Music group practicing before the wedding.

We then went outside to see if the bride was coming.  She would be entering from the back of the church so we went there to wait with a few of the wedding party.

The Wedding Party waiting for the Bride and Groom

Soon the Bride and Groom rounded the corner and they were ready to enter the church.  We were thrilled that we were able to see the lovely couple on their special day.

The Bride and Groom

The Bride and the Groom stopped and had the official photographers take some pictures.

The in waiting had to hold up the train for the bride.

Straightening out the train

We would have liked to watch the whole wedding but we were motioned to leave the church as we were going to the village to shop.  So off we went following Ed and Father Cadarso to the streets that lead to the shopping area of this quaint little village.

I teamed up with Ann who said she needed me to speak in Spanish to the shop keepers.  I said fine since I needed to practice my linguistic skills.  So we went down the street checking things out.  We found a lovely flowers on display in front of a shop and Ann found a sign with the town name she wanted to have in her picture book.

We then looked for a shop where An could find a cord to attch to her glasses so she would not lose them. She also needed some batteries for her camera.  We walked into a shop that looked like the Dollar Store or in my day was called the Five and Dime. It had all kinds of things. So I went up to she shop keeper and spoke to her showing a sample of a eye class holder and asked her if she had any of these.  She went back to he store room and brought out some that Ann liked and they were not expensive.  I then asked her if she had any batteries. She went under her counter and brought up several that Ann could chose for her camera.  She needed some double AAs so the lady helped her put them in her camera and then showed her a receptacle where the dead batteries are to be placed.
I was impressed with this because at home they are just thrown in the trash.  I think all stores that sell batteries should have receptacles to put in the dead ones.

alarvisl@telefonica.net

 

 

 

Woolen socks made here in the shop and shipped all over the world!

 

 

 

Senor Alarvi and me with my new socks!

Senior Alarvi and Ann and her new support hose!

Then we walked around and found a cute little sock store.  We were drawn to it by the window display of some neat socks and the machine that makes them sitting by the door.  We walked in and the owner came and showed us some really soft socks.  Ann was looking for some support stockings and he showed her some that she liked a lot. I looked at some socks that were a bargain of the day: six pair for 10 Euros!  So I picked three black ones for line dancing, and three wild colored ones for playing golf.


We then walked around and rounded the corner to find Ed and Sharon enjoying a glass of wine.

We were told to continue walking up the street, turn right and walk down to the old  Fabric factory.
So we let them continue their peace and quiet and walked to where we were going to have lunch.
Lunch in Spain is mid day and it is the biggest meal of the day.  So we were expecting a fabulous meal and more wine.  We came upon a large extended building that used the be the Fabric Factory.

Since the 16th century the fabric factory had been producing wool fabric for the small tailor shops who made fine clothes by hand.  They were known of their exquisite dyeing of colors. The company continued to prosper through the years and was acclaimed as one of the best in Spain by the king Carlos III.  Through the 1700 it was sending fabric to France, England, and Ireland.  But when the industrial revolution in Europe and America began in the 19th century, the factory could not keep up with the new weaving machines that put out so much fabric faster and with good quality.  The factory finally closed and now the building is used for the restaurant and the theater.

We entered the restaurant and met with all our friends who were already enjoying their first glass of wine.

Father Cadarso from Spain, Angela form Dominican Republic, and Jose from Puerto Rico, and Me from Bolivia!

Tim's table makes a toast

First Course:  Potato Soup

Fisrt Course:  Beans and choriscos

Main Course:  Beef and Green Pepper

Main Course: Baked Fish

 After the wine we had our choice of bean soup or potato soup.  We all made our choices and enjoyed our first course.  Then we chose our main course between Beef or Fish.  I chose beef since I had fish the day before.

Tim leading us in song.

Finally our meal was over and someone suggested that we sing a song for the restaurant owner and his staff.  So we stood and Tim lead us in "Jubilato Deo" in the round.  There was mighty applause from the table next to us. So Father Cadarso went over to explain that we are a singing group singing all over Spain.  They were delighted and said they would like to sing a song for us.  Then they went on and sang their favorite songs to our delight!

Father Cadarso explaining our quest.

Being entertained in song by friend in the next table.

We were all delighted and gave them a round of applause.  We all filled our glasses for one last toast and gathered our possessions as we said good-by and went out to catch out bus.