On the Waterfront

As I mentioned in the last post, October 9th is a big deal in València. Día de la Comunidad Valenciana commemorates the capture of the city of Valencia from Moorish forces by King James I, or, as he is also known, Jaime El Conquistador, the most renowned medieval kings of Aragon. Some five centuries into Moorish rule, in 1238, King James I laid siege to Valencia and after five months, the Moors finally surrendered on September 28th. On October 9th, James took possession of the city.

Since 1365 every 9th of October, València’s Senyera flag has presided over the festivities and there are parades and other celebrations throughout the Comunidad, but primarily in València itself. According to València’s official website:

The 9th of October is also the day of St. Dyonisius, the equivalent of Valentine’s Day in València. On this day the custom is for men to give the women what is known as a “Mocadorà”, also called a “Mocaorà”: a bundle of marzipan sweets wrapped up in a handkerchief.

Every year the cakemakers of València produce thousands upon thousands of these little marzipan figures. An interesting fact is that more than 70,000 kilos of marzipan are used to produce some 200,000 “mocadoràs” to be given as gifts to wives, girlfriends and mothers.

Now, I did not see any evidence of these marzipan figures and even if I did, I probably would not have known what they were at the time, sorry. It may also have something to do with the fact that I’m in the port area of the city, close to the beach, so many of the cultural or historical events are not as visible as if I were in Ciutat Vella (the Old City). What I did know was that it was a holiday on a Friday and I should go to the beach. So I did. And half of the city went there with me.

I won’t bore you with how lovely it was … OK, maybe I will … The sand was warm, the sun warmer, the wind just perfect, and this time I had a blanket to sit on! I spent quite a while just soaking it all in, alternately reading my book and watching all the people walking by. It was really easy to lose all sense of time … the thing that made me leave was the rumbling in my tummy, as usual. I ended up in one of the restaurants that front the beach and had my first (and probably last) wrap. To be honest it was nice to get out of the hot sun for a bit. It may be October but the temperatures are still in the mid to high 20s. I thought I had escaped the sweatiness of Barcelona but on a hot hot day, it’s really difficult to stay cool anywhere.

After my late lunch I walked back through the port area. First, however, I had to walk by the enormous flags of Comunidad Valenciana and Spain. It wasn’t until later than I learned the significance of the flag, though I don’t think this one was the one being paraded around town. I made my way along the northern side of the marina, where, again, there are some very fancy restaurants facing the fancy yachts. There is also a very modern university campus right on the shore. Imagine studying in a place like that? With fancy boats and a beach only steps away, I can’t see how anyone could focus enough to learn anything. The whole area is very easy to stroll down and I was joined by a few people not inside between 2 and 4pm. I really must learn to be indoors between those hours … it is a little weird to be (almost) the only one outside at that time. Though it is also nice to be (almost) the only one outside and have the city (almost) to myself. I just can’t make up my mind as to which is better!