Britchat July/August 2010 Festival Special by Kelly Odor

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BRITCHAT

/A July

The international magazine for the Valencian Community

t will u o l l u p e g a p Our 4 ere to go h w u o y w o h s & who to see

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Throughout this magazine youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find these suggested language levels at the top of the page and accompanying vocabulary boxes beneath the text. For pronunciation we have also included the phonetics. Each colour refers to a particular level as indicated here.

Well, Summer is finally here which means several things for me; hay fever, sunburn and a massive sumo hand after suffering a single mosquito bite on my knuckle.

and in particular festivals. Check out our 4-page festival special, the July Festival page and the month’s album releases which should point you in the right direction no matter what your taste.

As for you, you are probably having a great time; trips to the beach, listening to your favourite tunes or whiling away time drinking Valencia’s famous Horchata. If you are thinking, ‘Yeah I’m a local, I know what Horchata is’, with a grin spread across your face for you are indeed knowledgeable about one of Valencia’s best things. If you don’t know what it is maybe it’s best to check our informative guide to Horchata on Page 6. Maybe you should read it even if you think you know it all.

A lot of you will be winding down from the World Cup and all of the mayhem that it seems to wreak on most people’s daily schedules. It was a huge success for Spain this year, so congratulations from us to the Spanish team for doing so well!

Hopefully, relaxing is the scenario you’ll find yourself in this month as Valencia heats up for Summer. This month’s copy of Britchat celebrates something most of us love: live music

After our phenomenal feedback following last month’s issue, we’ll be continuing to include our language guides in most of the sections to help those learning English or Spanish. Pub & Restaurant of the Month are also back if you’re wondering where to go tonight. Remember these are our choices and we don’t get paid to say they’re good. We genuinely believe they are. Please also take the time to read about our featured charity this month - perhaps you can help them. Once done, turn to Page 11 for what’s Free in Valencia and get out there. As always, Britchat has all bases covered. Next month we are focussing on the environment. Look out for it. We guarantee it’ll be an interesting read. If you have anything our readers might be interested in please get in touch by emailing us via britchateditor@gmail.com Enjoy. Sean, Kelly & Andy

massive /mɇæsǰv/ - gigante grin / grǰn/ – una sonrisa point you in the right direction – avisarte, aconsejarte bite /bɇaǰt/ – una picadura wind down /wɇaǰn dɇaȐn/ - apagarse mayhem /mɇeǰhem/ – un caos to wreak /tu: rɇi:k/ - sembrar have all bases covered – tener las espaldas cubiertas

Britchat is aimed at all people in the community of Valencia, whether born here, visiting for a day, or living a new life in the sun. We hope to guide you on what’s going on in the community, help those living in it, and support language learning with a bit of added fun. If you have any ideas about how we can make it better, we’d love to hear from you.

Legal chat| We do our very best to strive for accuracy in this magazine but we do not accept responsibility for any unintentional errors or omissions. Any opinions given in the magazine are just that – opinions – and as such they may differ from the reader’s own. We aim not to offend and do not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of any advertisements placed in the magazine. Deposito legal| V-816-2006

Contact information email| britchateditor@gmail.com phone| 639 740 746 - English speakers phone| 628 831 400 - Spanish speakers If you have any thoughts, comments or complaints, please email or phone us. If you are interested in advertising with us, please use the same details.

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Valencia’s (rather splendid) beaches| The Valencian Region has some amazing beaches and this has been recognised by The Foundation for Environmental Education Awards (FEE). This Foundation is responsible for the Blue Flag Award given to beaches and ports meeting high standards expected in terms of quality, safety and respect for the environment. This year 108 Blue Flags will fly proudly in the Valencian Region - the highest number since the awards were initiated in 1987. Of these 108 Blue Flags, 25 will be in the Valencia Province itself, the Alicante Province has 48 for its beaches and 11 for its ports, and the Castellon Province has 23 for its beaches and 1 for its ports.

|4| Ryanair| Great news for Valencia and travellers in particular has been announced by Ryanair and the Spanish Minister of Tourism Belen Juste. As of November this year Ryanair will offer 260 weekly low cost flights through Valencia airport to 31 destinations in Europe and Africa which will now include Marrakesh, Marseille, Munich and Paris. This is an increase in travel options from the city of almost 50% as currently Ryanair’s Valencia operation flies to 21 cities. Estimated figures suggest that this could bring 2 million passengers to the city via Ryanair next year, up from 920,000 in 2009 and 1.4 million in 2008. Ryanair have also stated that they aim to add even more destinations in 2011. The two parties have reached this agreement which in effect reverses Ryanairs previous decision to pull its base out of the city in November 2008. That decision was made after a well publicised disagreement with the Generalitat here in Valencia over funding and levels of advertising. Whatever the actual facts of that disagreement were, the net results of Ryanair’s decision to pull out were huge in terms of the Valencian economy. On top of job losses incurred, Valencia Airport’s traffic in 2009 fell by almost 1 million passengers (some 18% of its total passengers) and the number of foreign tourists staying in Valencia fell by 15.8% which led to a significant drop in income generated for the entire region.

New beaches receiving the award in the region include Garrofera in Valencia City, L’Almarda in Sagunt, Puço and Pobla de Farnals to the north of the city and La Goleta in Tavernes de la Valldigna, Miramar, Piles and Bovetes in Dénia to the south. The criteria used to decide Blue Flag beaches include optimum water quality; lifesaving; first aid and emergency plans; cleaning and security services; compliance with coastal protection legislation; adequate facilities and accessibility; environmental education through activities and information about protected areas. The end result is that over 117 kilometres of Valencian Region coastline will be flying the Blue Flag which is fantastic news for all you sun lovers and beach bums. Source: Valencian Regional Government Foundation for Environmental Education

Other good news for the economy on the back of this decision is that it is believed that the venture will create 2,000 new jobs for the Valencian region reversing the previous losses incurred. Not only that – Ryanair bosses are also said to be looking at the airport in Castellon with a view to using that. A decision on Castellon will be taken in the next two to three years. Just watch your bag allowances when you board!

www.ryanair.ie splendid /splendǰd/ - excelente life-saving /lɇaǰfseǰvǰ / - que salva vidas figures /fɇǰgǟz/ - cifras state /stɇeǰt/ - decir algo oficialmente disagreement /dǰsǟgrɇi:mǟnt/ - desacuerdo funding /fɇȒndǰ / - financiación bag allowances /límite de equipaje

13 July 1985 – Live Aid. Raised millions for Ethiopian famine relief. Bob Geldof famously stood up to Mrs Thatcher live on TV and demanded action from the then Prime Minister. Brave man. It was watched by 1,500,000,000.

Holidays & parties

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Live concerts| The Park Viveros will host: David Bisbal, pop latino hunk (13th), Pereza, pop rock (15th), Calle 13, rap latino and La Mala Rodriguez who does hip hop flamenco, an extraordinary combination (16th), Estrella Morente, flamenco (17th), Deep Purple, rock (18th), The Wailers, reggae (19th), Juan Manuel (20th), Paco de Lucia, flamenco jazz (21st), and finally The Cult, rock (24th). You can buy your tickets from El Corte Inglés, Ticketmaster and Bancaja’s Servientrada. Classical, jazz, flamenco| In 1987 the Palau de la Musica was created as an outstanding place to promote culture. It’s not just a pretty building, although it certainly fits that category. For lovers of classical music, jazz and flamenco, this has to be your place to go to. And if its not your thing, an evening wander to watch the fountains is always a pleasant way to begin a balmy night.

traditional music scene.

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July| Now the football has finished, we can really get out to enjoy the July festival. If you’ve not seen anything so far, get to the Tourist Information and get yourself a ‘Feria de Julio’ festival guide. The highlights for the next few weeks include:

Markets| There will be something to everyone’s tastes at Jardin de Ayora (9th-11th), Parque del Oeste (16th18th) and Puente Exposicion (23rd25th) with food, goods and lots of live entertainment on tap.

Dance and theatre| Jardin del Palau will be offering displays of energetic talent ranging from Valencian Folk to something more contemporary. There are shows suitable for all ages making this a family treat. Bullfighting| Bullfighting is one of those love it or hate it sports. But in July both Spanish and tourists alike will flock to the Plaza de Toros for one of the many shows of talent, agility and a flash of something red.

Parade| Think flowers. Forget Chelsea. Think Rio. Think parades with floats designed and crafted with hundreds of flowers and ridden with costumed locals. Think beauty, style and creativity. Then when it’s all finished and the awards are handed out, think La Tomatina by blossom Fireworks| Where would we be power as chaos breaks out and the without fireworks in Valencia? You Battle of the Flowers starts. And to can spend every Saturday night at top it off, a mascletà (that’s noisy midnight in July in wonder at the fireworks to you and me) will end the latest pyrotechnical delight at the Copyright (©TVCB, Valencia 2008). proceedings. This will be the most Castillo at the Arenas Beach, which exciting flower festival in the world. Get yourself to is down by the port. The big night is on Saturday the Paseo Alameda which runs next to the Park nice 17th. and early on the 25th, ready for the start at 8pm. Sports events| The sport scene here is always a The month of July is almost certainly one of the best hive of activity. Most of it will be on the beach months to be here in the Valencian Community. volleyball, rugby, swimming etc. With so many activities to choose from, you’re spoilt Traditional music| The city parks of Parque del for choice and can’t go wrong wherever you go. Oeste, Jardin de Ayora will be the hotspots for the Enjoy!

highlight /hɇaǰlaǰts/ - lo más destacado a pleasant way – una buena manera in wonder /ǰn wɇȒndǟ/ - con asombro on tap /ǘn tæp/ - estar disponible flock to /flɇǘk tu:/ - acudir en gran número hand out /hɇænd aȐt/ - repartir

outstanding /aȐtstɇændǰ / - extraordinario balmy /bɇǗ:mi:/ - suave a hive of activity – un hervidero de actividad suitable /sɇu:tǟbȐl/ - apto ridden /rɇǰdǟn/ - a tope to top it off – para coronarlo

13 July 1955 – Ruth Ellis becomes the last woman to be hanged in the UK. Maybe not the last one to deserve it? A good discussion point.

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Horchata de Chufa (Orxata de xufa in Valencian) is a very typical Valencian drink which you’ll find in almost every café and ice cream parlour between Valencia and Alicante. In fact, the drink is so popular that you should visit one of the many horchaterías where they make their living selling the stuff. Legend has it that the King of Aragón was brought a cold drink one day by a young girl (this is how kings roll apparently). When asked, the girl told the King that the drink was called ‘llet de xufa’ (tiger nut milk) so he took a sip accordingly. The king was not disappointed. His response: ‘Açò no és llet, açò és or, xata!’ (This isn’t milk, this is gold, beautiful!). He loved it! And from what we can gather, he’s neither the only nor the first person to think so. As far back as 5B.C. there were stories of people harvesting the tiger nut from the banks of the Nile in Egypt and it is believed that it was brought to the peninsula by the Muslims during the Middle Ages. The first recipe for the drink appeared in 1786 and Valencianos have been enjoying it ever since. Horchata is made from a grass-like plant called tiger nut (chufa) and the root of the plant is where the tiger nut comes from. An estimated 5.3 million kilograms of it are produced in sixteen Valencian towns in the L’Horta Nord area. The climate in this part of Spain makes it the perfect region for the plant to be grown in. Seeds are planted in April/May and harvested in November/December although even then they are still not ready to be used. For 2-3 months they go through a controlled drying out process in which they are turned over and the smaller seeds are sifted out.

chest problems, urinal infections and for those with poor blood circulation. The relationship between Horchata and its purported goodness does not end there. It’s been reported to prevent stomach problems and heart attacks, cure respiratory problems and reduce cholesterol. It contains enzymes that facilitate digestion, acids, starch, antioxidants and no lactose, fructose or glucose whatsoever.

Picture a nice Sunday stroll out after lunch and a In 1824, Count Soto Ameno was prescribed the siesta. Imagine a plaza, any plaza and the buzz of drink by his physician as a treatment for his illness. families enjoying a relaxing day before going back Stories from the 7th Century describe ‘leche de to work. This is when Valencianos normally drink chufa’ as a remedy for medical conditions such as their cold Horchatas. It could easily be mistaken for

15 July 1881 – 20 year old William Bonney is shot and killed in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. He was only 20 years old but was already in possession of one of the most famous nicknames in the old Wild West - Billy the Kid.

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milk if it wasn’t for its unique taste. It’s become a way of life here in Valencia and you’ll be asked no end whether or not you’ve tried it yet. And if you haven’t, get out there and try some out! Where can I go for an Horchata? You can go into most places and order an Horchata. However, for some of the more adventurous of you out there, we recommend these specialists:

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Horchatería El Siglo, Valencia| As it opened in 1836, this is the oldest in the world and located conveniently in Plaza Santa Catalina, 11 which is right next to Plaza de la Reina. Pop in for a traditional Horchata in a friendly atmosphere on a busy thoroughfare and watch the world go by. Horchatería Daniel, Alboraya| A family run firm which claims to use the best chufa to make its Horchata with. They’ve got two places: Avenida Orxata, 41 and Calle Milagro, 46 which is the closest to the metro stop. El Machistre, Alboraya| Okay, so this is more of a museum than an horchatería but you can grab an Horchata there and find out a bit about the history. Perfect for a family day trip. Located on Partida de Masmardá, 51. Take salida 2 on the A7 and then take a right just before the Alboraya exit. On the go| Find a Mon Horxata cart walking the streets of Valencia. The idea of selling handcrafted Horchata from vending carts comes from a tradition of the early 20th Century, which disappeared following the industrialization of the 50s and How do you say chufa? 60s. Mon Horxata have resumed this, using less donkeys, but still using English - Earth Almond/ ice for cooling their Horchata rather than motors emiting nasty gases. Tiger Nut They grow their chufa organically, without fertilizers or plant protection Valencian - Xufa chemicals of any kind. This work earned them the award for Best Organic Catalan - Xufla Product of 2008 by BioCultura. South America - Coquito In the park| And finally, although not exhaustively, as part of the July German - Edmandein Festival, you can try out some Horchata at the ‘degustacion horchat’ French - Souchet in the Jardines del Palau. This is on the 20th of July, and starts at 9pm. Arabic - Haz-el-Aziz Egyptian - Al Molok See you there! Italian - Orzata Horchata fact| In Africa Horchata is said to be an important aphrodisiac. 2 pints over here please. Do you want something different for your Horchata this month? You could try.. Horchata on your cereal instead of milk. Super healthy and creamy. Add it to vodka and coffee liqueur to make a twist on the classic White Russian. Beat strawberries or the last of the season’s cherries and mix well with cold Horchata to make a fruity smoothie. Mix into your rice to make a mouth-watering rice pudding, best served from the fridge. A Rice Rocket. 2 parts Horchata, 1 part coconut-flavored rum, and a dash of Goldschläger (optional) over ice. ice cream parlour – heladería as far back as – ya en turn over /tɇǢ:n ɇǟȐvǟ/ – dar la vuelta whatsoever /wɇǘtsǟȐevǟ/ – nada en absoluto be mistaken /bi: mǰstɇeǰkǟn/ – estar equivocado thoroughfare / ɇǟrǟfaǰ/ – una vía pública

a sip – un sorbo harvest /hɇǗ:vǰst/ - cosechar starch /stɇǗ:tȉ/ – el almidón stroll /strɇǟȐl/ – un paseo ask no end – preguntar muchas veces cool /ku:l/ - enfriar

16 July 1945 – First atomic bomb tested. 3 weeks later ‘Little Boy’ is dropped on Hiroshima. Scientists take longer to test the side-effects of lipsticks nowadays.

I heart Valencia

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Each month Each mon month th we’re we’ we re going goi going ng to to square squa sq uare re off o something famous from Valencia with something famous from ssomewhere omewhere else. Okay folks, this month th we’ve got two familiar giants of modern architecture. The Sydney Opera O per per era a House, Hous Ho usee, which us whi whi hich ch is is si situated situ tuat tu ated at ed on Ben Bennelong Ben nn Point in Sydney Harbour verses El Palau de les Artes Reina Sofi S ofia, which ch h can can an be found in La Ciudad d de las Artes y las Ciencias in Valencia. They’re both opera houses, tthey hey both h look look k like llik iik ke spaceships and they th h both opened with a performance of Beethoven. Well, what’s different d ifferentt about abou ab out them? th the hem? Let’s have a look look. k Round R ound 1|| A Age g – Built in 1973, ge 19 973 73,, the Sydney S Opera House is thirty-two years older than its Valencian opponent, o pponent, which was completed in 2005. 200 Winner W i – Sydney Opera House.

Round 2| Completion - El Palau took a shorter time to be completed (1995-2005) taking only 5 years compared to the Sydney Opera House (1959-1973) with a whopping 14 years. Winner - El Palau de les Artes Reina Sofia. Round 3| Construction problems – El Palau suffered problems after opening, notably the collapse of the main stage in December 2006 resulting in the cancellation of the final performance of La Boheme by Puccini. Not a major disappointment unless you really like Puccini. In November 2007, the cultural complex was flooded which destroyed some stage equipment and forced another postponement. The Opera House’s problems came about during the construction itself because they started building before the construction designs were completed. The fools! They soon found out that the podium columns were not strong enough to support the roof. Winner – El Palau de les Artes Reina Sofia. Round 4| Length and height – A hands down win for El Palau which measures 230 metres long compared to the Sydney Opera House which is only 183 metres and is also taller at 75 metres compared to the Sydney Opera House’s measly 65. Winner – El Palau de les Artes Reina Sofia. Round 5| Capacity – The Sydney Opera House is a smaller building than El Palau but doesn’t have a cultural centre. However, fair’s fair and we’re talking capacity here. El Palau has 4 venues with a combined capacity of 4,000 whereas the Sydney Opera House has 7 venues with a combined capacity of over 5,700. Winner – Sydney Opera House.

is situated /ǰz sɇǰtȉu:eǰtǰd/ – está situado spaceships /spɇeǰȉǰps/ – naves espaciales have a look – echar un vistazo the collapse /kǟlɇæps/ - derrumbamiento unless /Ȓnɇles/ – a menos que stage /stɇeǰdȘ/ - escenario come about /ǘbɇaȐt/ - ocurrir the fools! /ðǟ fɇu:lz/ - ¡Idiotas! a hands down win – una victoria incontestable measly /mɇi:zli:/ - miserable fair’s fair /fɇeǟz fɇeǟ/ – si vamos a ser justos home-grown /hɇǟȐm grɇǟȐn/ – de la huerta propia skyscraper /skɇaǰskreǰpǟ/ - rascacielos hasty /hɇeǰsti:/ – rápido political leverage /pǟlɇǰtǰkǟl lɇevrǰdȘ/ – palanca política 17 July 1917 – British Royal Family changes its surname to Windsor from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Why? Answers on a postcard.

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Round 6| Architects – El Palau was designed by home-grown nh hero eerro ro Santiago S nt Sa nti tia iago iago go Calatrava Cal Cal alat la attrav rava Valls ra Val Val alls lls l who who h was was born bor borrn in nearby Benimámet and was responsible for La Ciudad de les Laa es Artes Artes Art rrttes y Ciencias, Cieenc nci cia ias, Puente Pue Pue uent n e 9 de Octubre, Oct ctubre, t Peineta, the Alameda metro station and various other projectss throughout th hroughout Spain and the the rest off the the world. world d. He is currently working on the ‘Chicago Spire’ which, at 610 metres, mettre r ss,, will wil ill become beeco come me the the tallest tallest s skyscrap skyscraper ap per e in n the US. Danish architect Jørn Oberg Utzon designed The Sydney Opera a Opera Housee after unexpectedly winning win in inning in competition. Utzon’s works can be found all over the world and and include inclu ude d buildings bui u ldings in Denmark, Sweden n and his own house in Majorca. Because of a hasty Australian an government govern nment ment me n wanting to start the th he project projecct early, Utzon had to do lots of redesigning to get the podiums to o support support the coves. After successfully successffully doingg so, he was promptly fired by in 1965 by Primer Minister Robert ert rt Askin’s Ask Ask skin ski kin’ iin n’s government gov g over ov ernm nmen entt for ffo or what wh hatt appears app a ppea pp ears rs to to have been nothing more than political leverage. It is believed that this political scandal prevented Utzon from creating future masterpieces. When Queen Elizabeth II opened The Sydney Opera House, Utzon’s name was not mentioned. It wasn’t until the late 1990s when The Sydney Opera House Trust sought reconciliation and Utzon came on board as a design consultant for future work. He redesigned his first interior space, which was named after him, proposed a reconstruction of the opera theatre in 2007 and died in 2008. Winner – El Palau de les Artes Reina Sofia - less of a shambles all round. WINNER? 4-2: El Palau de les Artes Reina Sofia! Winning in terms of dimension and efficiency of construction. Make sure to pick up a copy of next month’s issue to see who we throw into the mix. If you have any suggestions for our comparisons, or anything else in this issue, email us at britchateditor@gmail.com.

18 July 1936 – Spanish Civil War starts. It lasted 3 years and led to 41 years of dictatorship under Franco.

Restaurant of the month| Moma

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We only print a Restaurant of the month if we have personally y visited it and loved it. While we can’t account for everyone’s tastes, here’s ours.. It’s hot and you’re walking around town with go back for. company. You’re both getting hungry and thirsty We washed that all and suddenly you start to crave something but sadly down as always the company you’re with is craving something else. with a nice cold Usually this ends up with a compromise situation beer in a chilled with neither party being completely happy. glass and then awaited the next This was our dilemma as we wandered round El course. Centro looking for something that would please us both and as it turned out we walked into something This time I had opted for Noodles with Confit of that did just that. Duck and Vegetables while the better half went for an Ox Wrap with Caramelised Onion and Mustard. Moma Restaurant on C/ Corregeria is owned by Nelson Wuu and has been since 2008 although the actual restaurant dates back much further than that. The decor is simple yet stylish and the staff are warm and welcoming. We were tempted in by the set menu lunch that they had on offer. A choice of 6 varied starters and the same number of mains with a choice of 3 postres or a coffee for €9.90 per person inc IVA. After contemplating the choices while we worked through the olives and the warm bread basket we finally opted for Nelsons suggestions of Quesadilla with Mozarella, Parma Ham and Guacamole and Stuffed Peppers with Meat and Vegetables and a Walnut Sauce for starters. While the Quesadilla was very tasty as you’d expect, the prize went to the Peppers. They were excellent. Not a combination that, (if I was honest) I had been craving before entering the restaurant but it’s certainly one I’ll crave /krɇeǰv/ - morirse por wander around /wɇǘndǟ ǘrɇaȐnd/vagar stylish /sɇtaǰlǰȉ/ - de moda staff /stɇæf/ - empleados wash down /wɇǘȉ dɇaȐn/ - acompañar tuck in /tȒk ǰn/ - remeter chopsticks /tȉɇǘpstǰks/ - palillos fatty /fɇæti:/ - graso overpowering /ɇɇǘvǟpaȐwerǰ / - muy fuerte

A very decent size portion of noodles with duck arrived before me and I was soon tucking in with my chopsticks. Plenty of duck meat and not fatty at all with the sauce very aromatic and tasty but not overpowering. The Ox Wrap was good and filling too but we both agreed that it was the choices of the writer that won this time. Finally - super smooth Panna cotta with Berries. I was told it was delicious but being full all I managed was coffee! They also have a full À la carte menu and another restaurant next door, via vinis, which has more of a fusion styled menu, which also looks fantastic and I can’t wait to try.

Looking for customers for your business in the Valencian Community? Contact us on britchateditor@gmail.com ¿Estás buscando clientes para tu empresa en la comunidad valenciana? Ponte en contacto con nosotros britchateditor@gmail.com 18 July 1984 – US minimum drinking age raised to 21 from 18 leading to an increase in border crossings INTO Mexico when under-agers started flocking there.

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Wanting to see the community on the cheap? You’ve loads of options. Every month we’ll list some of the places you can go to to enjoy culture, nature and have some fun in this corner of Spain. This month you’ll find us: 1| Relaxing, strolling and generally loving Park Viveros in VLC - there are the ruins of the Royal Palace (see below), the Museum of Natural Sciences, gorgeous black swans, fountains and well-designed shady areas perfect for hiding from the harsh summer rays.

2| Going to The Tossal Gallery in Plaza del Tossal, El Carmen, VLC. It’s currently showing Maria Angeles Vila’s intriguing screenprintings of ancient photographs of figures on wood and papers. What makes this different, is that the work is housed in the Tossal Gallery which is an underground (and thus cool) space within the city walls from the Moorish period. You can see the ancient walls through the gallery. It’s open Tues-Sat 10am-2pm & 4.30pm-8.30pm, and Sun on 10am-3pm. It normally costs €2 but it’s free at the weekend. 3| Trying out one of the beaches along the coast of the community. With so many Blue Flags to choose from (see the news item), I’m going to try and visit a few of them to find my favourite. If you have any special spots to recommend, email us at britchateditor@gmail.com. The Palacio de El Real in the Park Viveros is now simply a selection of foundation stones. The name Real comes from the Arabic name for Rehal, which means country home but this building was also known as the Palace of the 300 Keys in reference to the number of rooms it had. It was built in the 11th Century as a country house for King Abd al-Aziz but was subsequently adapted, extended, burnt and rebuilt for its successors. King Don Jaime altered it into Alcazar Reigio, the Regal Palace. In its former beauty this building was 200m high in some places with well-fortified towers. It was finally destroyed in the Spanish War of Independence on 12th of March 1810.

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Have you ever experienced? -Stress -Tiredness, lack of energy -Pinched nerves -Migraines, headaches -Stiffness in the neck -Whiplash, neck trauma -Vertigos, dizziness -Tension, shoulder pains -Thoracic or lumbar pain -Chest pain, Asthma -Bad posture -Stomach acidity -Sciatica, pain down the leg -Joint pain, knee pain -Pins and needles, numbness arms or hands -Pins and needles or numbness down the leg If you have experienced one or more of these symptoms, chiropractic could be the solution. Call now for a free check, it could be the start of a new life!

20 July 1969 – One small step for (a) man. One giant leap for mankind. One outlandish claim is that Kubrick filmed it all in a Hollywood studio with Walt Disney sponsorship and a script from Arthur C Clarke.

Bar of the month| cafe infinito

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We love bars. And when we find ones we love, we’ll tell you all about them. Obviously it’s all personal tastes, but we’re well impressed with cafe infinito. Is it a bar? Or a restaurant? There’s great food. There’s drink. There’s a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. It all adds up to a great night out, no matter what you call it.

It started innocently enough. We’d heard there was a good bar down near Amistat tube station. Perfect. So off we went, along with a few pals. It was quiet when we arrived at 9pm, but all that changed within about 20 minutes, and so when I next looked up, the chairs were mostly taken and were still like that when I left several hours later. The charismatic owners Frankie, David and Silvia opened the bar in March 2007 and run it with the aid of Mila. This is an international mix of Irish, Italian and Valencian, with the mixed culinary preferences of both vegetarian and meat-eaters, and they have created a place which is friendly and open, and with a little something for everyone. The 3 owners have an extensive range of experience on a worldwide level as they have lived and worked all over Europe and South America. The idea for cafe infinito was born with the intention of opening a multi-purpose bar that would act as an international meeting place. Cafe infinito is a type of social club where you can dine, snack, have a

cocktail (their mojito was fab), read a book, have a chat, take part in workshops, form a Quiz team or exhibit your art. But first the food. I had a life changing moment in that bar. After three years of persisting, trying to overcome my disgust at the taste of olives, I finally got it. David’s olives are the business. I may have overdosed with joy. It’s worth a visit for those alone. But I decided on having a wee snack too, and was delighted that Frankie sat down, listened through my horribly boring selection of allergies and then presented me with a spinach pie that tasted phenomenal. Around the table I saw and dipped into plates of cured meats, heaps more olives, and the tastiest gnocchi with a dreamy smooth sauce (conveniently made for sharing). We all agreed that the food was perfect. They change their walls regularly to include art exhibitions and the walls are currently adorned with T-shirts from Paranoid Tee’s. There’s a whole selection of funky designs which make it look like art rather than a T-shirt shop. This company supports local artists, selling their designs at great prices which you can see at www.paranoidtees.net. Every Sunday from 8:30pm until 9:30pm there’s a buffet for only €5 which gets you a plate with first drink included (caña, glass of house wine, juice, water etc) with a great selection of pastas, dips, meats and goodies. And back from September will be the Sunday night music quiz. On the 18th of July

20 July 1940. First singles chart. ‘I’ll never smile again’ by the Tommy Dorsey Band was Number 1. Vocals by some unknown singer called Francis Albert Sinatra.

Bar of the month| cafe infinito

they’re having a Basque night with pinchos, and on the 26th is their Summer party, which will be unmissable. So our verdict? Well, we think that this bar is a great chilled out place to eat, relax and chat and the staff are lovely. We left full, happy, and little tipsy, oops! You can make a reservation, or just pop along, but just make sure you try the olives.

Address| C/ Poeta Mas y Ros 35, Zona Plaza del Cedro, VLC Phone| 617 27 20 42 Price of a beer| Doble €1,80; Tanque €3,40 Price of a wine| Sicilian house wine €2,20

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Popular dish| White truffle veggie lasagna €10,80 My favorite dish| Homemade spinach, ricotta and pine nut pie €7,50 Opening hours| Tu-Th 7pm-12.30am Fri 6pm-1.30am and Sat & Sun 7pm-1.30am.

all adds up to – todo suma en total

off we went – nos fuimos

an extensive range – un gran ámbito

a world wide level - un nivel mundial

multi-purpose /mɇȒlti: pǢ:pǟs/ - multiuso

a wee snack – comida muy ligera

heaps more /hɇi:ps mǚ:/ - mucho más

support /sǟ'pǚ:rt/ - apoyar

cocktails wines menu del dia gallery carta

sol i lluna, c/ del mar, vlc solilluna.net 96 392 2216 20 July 1944 – Failed attempt on Hitler’s life is executed by von Stauffenberg. Stauffenberg is then executed himself – hung by piano wire.

Sport

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Professional sport is taking its well-earned summer holidays this month after the excitement of the World Cup and the Formula 1 so we are going to focus on some activities that YOU can do to get the heart pumping and the blood flowing. We’ve listed them from easy to hard so you can decide what’s right for you.

Walking| With the beauty of the area it’s easy to just pack a picnic and go. Choose from a city tour, a beach stroll, a countryside ramble or a mountainous trek. Valencia has them all. For some of the best walks try www. comunitatvalenciana. com

Running| Jogging in the Valencia community is extremely popular and all you need is a good pair of running shoes. Most people head to the Turia river bed in the city or the beach but if you get out in the country a whole new world awaits just round the next corner. Tennis| Spain has produced some very good tennis players – why not try to emulate them? Well many reasons I guess but again tennis is accessible to most people. Give it a go and see why it’s so popular.

Golf| The Valencian community has a wealth of fantastic golf courses Football| Grab a ball with some which are accessible to friends and go have a kick about. the public. Someone You may be young or old but once said that golf is a football is for everyone and all good walk ruined but skill levels. You don’t need a pitch, there is nothing like just a piece of flat ground will do hitting the ball sweetly and some ‘jumpers for goalposts’. in the (general) direction Nothing quite beats that feeling of that you want it to go. scoring a goal. Golf also has the benefit of allowing everyone to sink a few at every golfers favourite hole – the Beach volleyball| Not just the domain of incredibly 19th! See Page 28 for the results of Edetania fit and beautiful people but also a great way to Monthly Stableford Competition. combine sunbathing and fun with lots of It’s lack of faith new friends. Cycling| If you have a bike, or live in that makes Valencia with its fab new bike system, you people afraid Capoeira| It’s an Afro-Brazilian art form can go just about anywhere. Again choose that combines bits of martial arts, music, of meeting from any of the walking options above challenges, and and dance. Sources tell me it’s hard going, and go explore. You can take your bike on but incredibly fun, which could almost I believed in the train so its not hard to head out and take your mind off what you are doing. myself. check out areas further from home. Find your local club and give it a go. -Muhammad Ali Swimming| Whether it be a dip in that Our list isn’t by any means exhaustive super clean sea on your doorsteps or taking a and maybe you can think of some others that suit you trip to one of the local swimming baths, it is one better but the big thing is to get out and do something of the best all round activities to stay fit and also you enjoy. You don’t have to run for miles every day, a great way to keep cool in the hot months. just try to do something to get that heart rate up. Whatever you do, start slow, and please do ensure that you are well hydrated with a supply of liquids to keep you cool. You don’t want your efforts to get healthy to backfire!

21 July 1796 – Should auld acquaintance be forgot? No. Auld Lang Syne writer Robert Burns dies a typically noble Scottish death - alcohol related - at just 36.

For music lovers everywhere, the Summer means one thing: festivals. Let’s face it, as you’re reading these words right now they’ve already started. Where else can you see Blur and Cirque du Soleil on the same bill? Or see 50 cent get a melon and a deckchair thrown at him? Or wander round in a field wearing a sombrero and finding everyone except your friends?

The Monterey Pop Festival was the first of its kind back in June 1967 and marked the beginning of the summer of love. Woodstock followed two years later and the rest, as they say, is history. Those images, sounds, colours and ideas from the early festivals have integrated themselves into our lives to such an extent that, for many of us, it’s hard to imagine what life was like before them.

Top Five Festivals – Were you there? The best were mostly in the 60s and 70s which makes you wonder if festivals back then were better or just simply more out of control. There certainly seems to be a pattern along those lines… 1. Woodstock| 15th-17th August 1969 (Bethel, New York) Initially planned for 150,000-200,000 people, half a million rocked up to this one. It rained, there was chaos, money lost, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller wanted to send in the National Guard. Result? A victory for Peace and Love. Nice. 2. Monterey Pop Festival| 18th June 1967 (Monterey, California) The first of them all featured Hendrix, Joplin, The Who and Otis Redding. The final performers were decided by a coin toss as neither Hendrix nor The Who wanted to follow each other on stage. The Who lost. Hendrix did a monumental version of Wild Thing then set his guitar on fire. Say no more. 3. Glastonbury| 27th-29th June 1997 (Pilton, Somerset) The muddy one that became synonymous for British Summer Festivals in general. Radiohead delivered a legendary performance to around 150,000 people. Widely considered as the last great Glastonbury. 4. Isle of White Festival| 26th-30th August 1970 (Isle of White, UK) Kicked so much ass that a bill was passed in Parliament to prevent gatherings of more than 5,000 people on the island. Needless to say both The Who and Hendrix were involved again. 5. Reading| August 1992 (Reading, UK) Nirvana’s last UK performance and an appearance from Public Enemy on the second day. Cobain was pushed out onto the stage in a wheelchair.

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Summer festival special

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festival celebrated its ten-year anniversary with performances from Kraftwerk, Brian Wilson, Pet Shop Boys, Lou Reed, Wire and Einstürzende Neubauten. 2006 saw The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand, Depeche Mode, Pixies and Morrissey play to a record crowd with 40,000 people entering each day over the four-day weekend.

Benicàssim| (literally translates as ‘Sons of Qasim’ in Arabic) will be the word on everybody’s lips. Between 15th and 18th July there will be an expected 200,000 music fans pouring into this quiet seaside town in Castellón (an estimated 50,000 each day). A far cry from the meagre 8,000 that attended the first festival back in August 1995. Since then, Benicàssim FIB has grown in both size and reputation attracting some of the biggest acts to its shores over the last fifteen years. The festival expanded in 1998 and had to move to its current venue to accommodate all of the people. This was when Radiohead graced the stage during their OK Computer album era. In 2001, the festival became known as FIB Heineken as the Dutch giant signed up as official sponsors. In 2004, the Getting there By car| Get onto the N-340 and take the exit 12km north of Castellón/ Highway AP-7 (from Barcelona) or exit 46 (from Valencia). Save cost & fuel by visiting the festival website to arrange a car share. Takes about an hour. www.fiberfib.com By train| Takes about 45 minutes on one of the cercanía services. Prices vary between 6.40 and 18.10 one way for turista (standard) class so get in there and book them quick if you don’t want to be forced to travel preferente which costs an arm and leg. www.renfe.com By bus| The best option here is to become a member of FIBERclub which costs 30 euros and allows you to travel back and forth between Valencia airport and Benicássim. Takes about an hour one way.

With the perfect location for a festival, it’s one of the few places where you can watch some great performances and then nip to the beach for a swim. For this reason, more and more people are opting to come over here each year instead of going to the traditional festivals back home. Once the home of pirates and smugglers, Benicàssim has, of late, played host to the likes of Oasis and Ian Brown. I hope you don’t get the impression that it’s full of rowdy Mancunians and plunderers though. Rather the opposite. It’s the perfect place for a music festival. You’ve got the beach, the weather, the beautiful landscape and sports facilities. It’s a fantastic place with a great atmosphere for likeminded people with common interests from all over the world. Many of the big boys have played Benicàssim. Muse, Morrisey, Arctic Monkeys, José González, Franz Ferdinand, Los Planetas, The Charlatans, Blur, Sonic Youth, Mercury Rev. I could go on forever really but you kind of get the idea. There will be nine free days of camping for any of you planning on heading over with a tent. Additionally, there will be short films, theatre, art, dance and some courses to take. As if you weren’t busy enough trying to see all of the live music! There will be over 100 artists playing at Benicàssim, 20 of them are in the word search below. Tell us all 20 and you’ll be in for the prize.

D A K W N Q Y S I V D F F O K

T A L T F L I L Y A L L E N E

C D A H O Y P C H M I C A Q N

S K X E A G Y W Y P O C T U C

E A O C L I J K P I H C T O H

I S N O S D N A D R O F M U M

V A S U N O W E T E H O C A D

A B Y R Q R O A L W K N G C J

D I R T Y P R O J E C T O R S

Y A S E I E B U V E H D R I H

A N U E P H N F K K L B I N A

R S Y N K T A L V E U Y L W D

T T H E C R I B S N A F L Z O

P P A R F D L O G D S R A M W

I Z I S Y B O D Q T Q X Z Y Y

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Summer festival special Advanced

Valencia Community will also be showcasing other hot talents throughout the month of July and August, and we’ve listed the main festivals below. The hotest artist to make it onto the Spanish scene this year has to be The Cranberries, who will hopefully be revisiting a few of their classic tunes as well as playing a couple of new ones. The prices range from free to reasonably cheap, so get them noted in your diaries! Low cost festival| For those of you a bit strapped for cash you could try the Low Cost Festival in Benidorm. Adam Green, The Editors and Tokyo Sex Destruction have already confirmed and tickets are €45 for both days. You can get a train from Valencia to Alicante which will take between 1 1/2 to 2 hours and expect to pay around €13 one way. From Alicante you can catch the bus to Benidorm which costs around €5. Date for your diary| 23rd/24th July Place| L’Aigüera Park Band to see| The Editors Arenal Sound| This could be another option if you’re thinking of getting away at the end of the month for some music and beach action. You’ll be able to catch the likes of The Cranberries, Simple Minds and Miguel Bosé in Burriana. Tickets for the event are going at around €110. Date for your diary| 23rd July - 1st August Place| Burriana Band to see| The Cranberries

Pop al carrer| The likes of Emma Get Wild, Xavier Baró, Sanjosex, iX, Reigbord and many more will play at this festival’s fourth year. Tickets in previous years have cost €5 and you’ll have to catch one of the cercanías to get there as it’s a little bit outside the city. Get your tickets through www.renfe.com. Date for your diary| 16th July Place| Tavernes de la Valldigna Band to see| Emma Get Wild

Rockejat de Valencia| This will showcase some of the local/national talent such as La Habitación Roja, The Sunday Drivers and La Pulquería. You can get there on line 5 on the metro (the green one) and it’s completely free! Date for your diary| The festival begins on 17th/18th July in the city but the concerts take place on 19th, 25th and 30th July. Place| Valencia city

Band to see| The Sunday Drivers

let’s face it – Digamos la verdad bill – el cartel deckchair /dɇek tȉɇeǟ/– silla de playa wander round /wɇǘndǟ rɇaȐnd/ - dar una vuelta to such an extent – de tal manera rock up /rɇǘk Ȓp/– asistir decide by coin toss – jugárselo a car o cruz say no more – No digas más kick so much ass – ser tan espectacular gatherings /gɇæðǢ:rǰ z/- reuniones pour into /pɇǚ: ɇǰntu:/ – entrar en gran cantidad meagre /mɇi:gǟ/ - escaso venue /vɇenju:/ – lugar de actuación grace the stage – tocar en directo nip to – ir a rápidamente smugglers /smɇȒglǟz/- traficantes play host /plɇeǰ hɇǟȐst/– abrir sus puertas a rowdy /rɇaȐdi:/- escandaloso, ruidoso like-minded /lɇaǰk mɇaǰndǰd/– de la misma opinión go on /gǟȐ ǘn/- continuar head over /hed ɇǟȐvǟ/ - ir get in there – hazlo ya costs an arm and leg – es muy caro strapped for cash – corto de dinero to catch the likes of – ver algiuen como are going at – se vende por

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Our top summer gig guide 2010

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Benicàssim FIB (Spain)| 15-18 July Pop al carrer (Spain)| 16 July

Perhaps this year you will be busy working or taking a well earned break on the beach and aren’t going to make any of the festivals as you’re low on cash. Well you don’t need to miss out. Just for you, we’ve listed our pick of the old and the new which will be making people move or sing at the big festivals in 2010. See what you think. If you’re listening to something else, tell us what you’re listening to...britchateditor@gmail.com

1. Ian Brown - F.E.A.R. (Ben)

6. DJ Shadow - The Number Song (Ben)

2. Specials - Ghost Town (Ben)

7. Kasabian - Fire (Ben)

3. Prodigy - Out of Space (Ben)

8. Ray Davies - Sunny Afternoon (Ben)

4. Hot Chip - Over & Over (Ben)

9. Cranberries - Zombie (Arenal)

5. Lily Allen - Everyone’s At It (Ben)

10. Simple Minds - Waterfront (Arenal)

So what are the chances of festivals from this year appearing on the best of festivals list? Whether the one you’re going to becomes the festival to be at this year could depend on a number of different factors. Does something drastic need to happen in order for it to be great? Does it simply require the right combination of music, the right atmosphere and the right people? Perhaps a standout performance from one of the artists? Controversy? A big, balls-out performance on the day? Or maybe even a lesser-known group smashing it in on stage? All we know is that you need to get out there and let fate deal with the rest. Wherever you go, whatever you decide to do, we hope you have a Summer that will be worthy of a mention in a few years to come. smash it in – actuar muy bien let fate deal with the rest – deja el resto en las manos del destino worthy of a mention – merece que lo mencionemos

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Tierra - Burn baby burn First certificate

We all know how useful oil/petrol is for our cars, to make life easier for us all, but what do we do without which they would be just with the rest of the oil we extract? ‘we’ve talked ... about the useless, expensive armchairs. But do For about 150 years we have been need to end America’s we truly appreciate how magical this doing nothing other than burning century-long addiction black substance called ‘oil’ really is? and burning it! We have burned to fossil fuels’ nearly a half of all the oil reserves Well, oil is the energy which drives Barack Obama on the planet and we continue to do our motorbikes, cars, trucks, vans, ships, airplanes, rockets... and nearly every kind of so believing the party will go on forever. I hear you say ‘but we still have half left’, which is true, but the transport you can name. first half was easy to get out, It contributes to the it just bubbled to the surface. production of electricity The second half will require which moves all types a lot more energy/money to of electric machines get out, maybe even making (trams, lifts, metro...) it uneconomical to get out, and millions of electric depending on the price. domestic devices (fridges, freezers, kettles, washing The burning of the magical machines...) and all the substance also has a literally industrial machines in all and figuratively darker side. It types of industries. contaminates the atmosphere which is affecting the climate Did you know that every of the planet. It pollutes the plastic part and most very air we breath which causes rubber parts of all the many respiratory illnesses machines we use are amongst the population. made of oil? This includes The frenzy to fi nd more oil all the tyres and tubes produces disasters such as the of all the cars, trucks one that can be seen in the etc. and that’s only the Gulf of Mexico where BP was beginning. Most of the drilling for oil. It is believed roads, streets, motorways the disaster of the ‘Prestige’ on which we drive are happened because the ships made of asphalt, which used in the transportation of oil in turn is made from oil! are less and less safe in order to Fertilizers, pesticides cut costs. and herbicides are all made from natural gas Oil is such a valuable product which is one of the principle parts of any oil field. that many wars have been fought and will be fought These are the main ingredients needed to produce over it, leading to huge numbers of dead and maimed the very food we eat. The following products are in the countries affected. The lack of democracy, only a small part of the products we use which are corruption and poverty in oil producing countries made from oil: sticky tape, trainer shoes, lycra, such as Nigeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq etc glue, paints, varnish, foam mattresses, carpets, are directly connected to oil. In an ideal world we nylon, brushes, tooth brushes...the list is endless. would use this incredible resource sparingly and Using our imagination and this ‘magic potion’ called reduce its negative side effects to the minimum but oil we have developed a vast amount of products we haven’t really got to that level of development yet. So in the meanwhile we can play our part to Reducing oil reduce the amount of CO2 we are pumping into What| Cycle, walk, take a bus or train the atmosphere. Have a look at the box on the left to see some easy actions we can take to reduce Why| Reduce your oil consumption our oil intake, with more coming next month. Why not| Habit, rain & probably a bit of laziness by Declan Instructions| Get a rail or bus pass, buy a bike, or enroll in the new VLC bike scheme. Benefits| Improve your health through exercise, reduce your costs, enjoy the fresh air and the views, be independent. 21 July 1977 A British couple finally squeeze out what looked like an elf with hairy black ears. She later grew up to own a second hand bookshop and a magazine in Valencia. Happy Birthday Kelly x

Cinema

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First certificate

Each month we’ll bring you the best films to watch, where they’re being shown and when. This month we’ve got three films on that we think are worth a mention. The Last Station| Michael Hoffman| James McAvoy, Helen Mirren, Christopher Plummer, Paul Giamatti It’s 1910 and Leo Tolstoy (Plummer) has become the leader of the Tolstoyan movement which rejects material wealth and physical love and embraces pacifism and world peace. Chertkov (Giamatti) is the man entrusted with the future of the cause and hires a man called Bulgakov (McAvoy) to be Tolstoy’s personal assistant. Bulgakov soon finds that the movement is merely a façade as the members seem to take from it what they please. Bulgakov finds himself in the middle of a battle between Tolstoy’s wife Sofya (Mirren) and Chertkov as they fight for the deeds of Tolstoy’s works once he dies. 20:30, 22:45 (UGC); 18:45, 23:00 (Babel)

The Cove| Louie Psihoyos This documentary is about former dolphin trainer Ric O’Barry from TV series Flipper who has been trying to expose the slaughter of thousands of dolphins every year in a small fishing town called Taiji in Japan. What’s frightening is the lengths that those involved go to keep it all hush-hush and the extent to which the dolphin entertainment industry are largely responsible. O’Barry and Psihoyos assemble a crack team of specialists in order to undertake an infiltration mission. The results are startling and disturbing as, for the first time, the world is able to see what had only ever been spoken of before.

Dorian Gray| Oliver Parker| Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin Based on Oscar Wilde’s famous novel A Picture Of Dorian Gray, this is Oliver Parker’s third Oscar Wilde adaptation (after An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest). Set in Victorian London, it follows the life of Dorian (Ben Barnes) who moves from provincial England to the capital after inheriting a fortune. We can’t help but feel for the protagonist as he is naïvely sucked into high society by Lord Henry Wooton (Colin Firth) and the immoralities that this has to offer. When Dorian decides to have his portrait painted by Basil Hallwood, it becomes apparent after some time that he doesn’t appear to have aged. His portrait, on the other hand, tells a different story altogether. 12:10, 14:30, 17:00, 19:20, 21:50 (UGC) UGC Cine Cité Av. Tirso De Molina, 1,VLC www.ugc.es

17:00, 21:10 (Babel) Babel C/ Vicente Sancho Tello, 10, VLC www.cinesalbatrosbabel.com wealth /wɇel / – la riqueza embraces /embrɇeǰsǰz/- abrazos façade /fǟsɇǗ:d/ - fachada what they please – lo que quieran inherit /ǰnhɇerǰt/ - heredar naïvely /naǰɇi:vli:/ – de forma inocente hush-hush /hɇȒȉ hȒȉ/ - reservado startling /stɇǗ:lǰ / - asombroso disturbing /dǰstɇǢ:bǰ / - perturbador 24 July 1704 - Spain lose Gibraltar to the UK in 3 days of battle. They then fight for 9 years to reclaim it. The Spanish really wanted those monkeys back.

Music

Each month we’ll bring you the hottest new music releases, re-releases, compilations and news. Album of the month| The National – High Violet| A low-key fifth album from this Brooklyn-based group. The haunting vocals from leadsinger Matt Berninger are what usually have people drawing comparisons with Joy Division. Their sound has matured over the last few albums and their once cult status is in danger now they have been propelled into the mainstream.

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Standout tracks: Terrible Love, Sorrow, Little Faith Album to relax to| The Roots – How I Got Over| The ninth album for this Philadelphia group features a number of guests including Monsters Of Rock, Joanna Newsome, John Legend to name but a few. The Roots have admitted that the reason behind the positive feel to the album is due to Obama’s presidency and the end of Bush’s administration. Long-time collaborator Dice Raw also appears on a couple of tracks. Standout Tracks: How I Got Over, Doin’ It Again Album from a local group| Megaphone Ou La Mort – Camarade Coma| These guys are from all over but are based in Valencia. Their songs are in French and English giving them something a little different to bring to the table. In fact, it works quite nicely as an album by occasionally alternating between the two languages. Plus they’ve got a megaphone. Lovely stuff! Standout Tracks: La Poésie du Travail, Pina Pellicer, Wasted Album to have a beer to| The Black Keys – Brothers| You’ve got to give it to these guys. They’ve got some sound for a two-piece. What we’re listening to here is occasionally T-Rex, a little bit Motown and even, dare I say it, Rod Stewart in his ‘If you want my body’ era. Don’t let that put you off though, it’s still heavily blues-based and sports some of the trademark Black Keys we all know and love. Standout Tracks: Next Girl, Tighten Up, I’m Not the One Album that takes you back| Oasis – Time Flies| A 130-minute chronicle of the rise and fall of the Gallagher Brothers with the 27 singles they released during their 18 year career. There are some great tracks on here albeit mostly from the earlier albums. Could be one to look out for when you’ve got kids and want them to know what all the fuss was about. Standout Tracks: Live Forever, Wonderwall, Little By Little Album that mixes things up a bit| Kele – The Boxer| It’s Kele from Bloc Party and he’s gone all dancy. Fans of Bloc Party might have noticed their recent albums moving away from guitars in the direction of keyboards and electronic sounds. Well, this is the opposite end of the spectrum although we’ve still got Kele’s vocals helping things along. Interestingly, most of the tracks that seem to have that something special are those where his voice is more noticeable. Standout Tracks: Tenderoni, Everything You Wanted So there’s our music this month. If you hear of anything that you think other Britchat readers would like, let us know. low-key /lɇǟȐw kɇi:/ - tranquilo haunting /hɇǚ:ntǰ / - evocador has matured /hæz mɇǟtȉǚ:d/ – ha madurado propel /prǟpɇel/ - propulsar mainstream /mɇeǰnstri:m/ – el corriente dominante from all over – de todas las partes to name but a few – para decir unos cuantos to give it to sb. – darle su justo valor put you off - disuadirte albeit /ɇǚ:lbi:ǰt/ - aunque fuss /fɇȒs/ – escándalo the opposite end of the spectrum – el otro extremo del espectro 25 July 1581 – The Netherlands proclaim independence from Spain and go on to give the world clogs, windmills and red lights. They also produce the world’s tallest people. Average height for a Dutch man is 6’1 or 185cm.

Art in the community

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We want to support new and up and coming artistic talent in the Valencian Community. Each month we’ll choose one artist at random and devote a page to that artist and a sample of their work. Name| Julio Antonio Blasco López Location| Valencia Inspiration| Usually inspired by everything around him, music and literature operates his imagination. He acts as a ‘visual sponge’, absorbing everything he sees. The theme of love is always present, one way or another. Artists who inspire| Hundertwasser, Tim Biskup History| Bachelor of Fine Arts. Julio trained in various courses, photography, audiovisual, computer graphics and other fields.

New developments| Initial pencil, watercolors, ink and collage projects now incorporate discarded items into them to make the work more threedimensional. What’s available| Paintings, drawings, textiles, books (‘Besos’ and ‘Sofia and pendolaje’) but Julio likes variety and is up for a challenge. You can buy Julios items at| Widen you Website| www.lalibreticadejulioblasco.blogspot.com Dada (Muvim bookstore) or buy the books from most bookstores. Prices| 9€ up to several hundred.

If you or anyone you know would like to feature in our art pages, contact us at britchateditor@gmail.com.

Art to see this month

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Vicente Castellano| Primer Centro Privado De Arte Contemporaneo De Valencia| Vicente uses muted block colours and simplistic shapes to create modern striking collages and oil pieces. For me, the most interesting pieces, where he plays with texture and colour and which make the most impact, were on the 3rd floor.

Intermediate

Valencia is an art lover’s dream (and most galleries are nice and cool). If you have time, seek out the smaller independent shows as well as the more popular spots.

His work is on the 2nd and 3rd floor of a beautifully restored 14th Century Gothic palace, itself a masterpiece which was restored and reopened in 2005. The lower level feels cool with open stone archways and slender carved windows, yet still filled with light and on the upper levels the restorers have re-opened the stunning carved ceiling panels. Tues-Sat| 10am-2pm, 5pm-8pm C/ Valeriola 13, VLC T. 963 381 215 Sun| 10am-2pm €4 entrance www.chirivellasoiano.org Atalo| If you want to see a true local artist at work, get yourself down here.

Snowing Ink| MuVIM| A simple mix of brushwork and ink on creased unbreakable papers. He uses combinations of hand drawn graphics and interesting quotes and some not so subtle messages to make an interesting worthwhile trip. And the rest of the gallery is pretty amazing too.

The artist Atalo is the nicest guy in Valencia, and he shows his work in the same place as he creates it. With dramatic colours and swishing deep brush strokes, there’s no pretence here. It’s rustic and authentically Spanish. If you are inspired to Calle Quevedo, 10 T. 963 883 730 buy, his prices vary between €200 and €500. www.muvim.es Plaza de Sant Built 2b, VLC Tues-Sat| 10am-2pm, 4pm-8pm Mon-Fri 5pm-8pm (approx) Sun| 10am-2pm, 2pm-8pm Free entrance Free entrance

seek out /sɇi:k aȐt/ - buscar as well as – además de archways /ɇǗ:rðweǰz/ - arcos deep brush strokes – brochazos profundos crease /ɇkrɇi:s/ - arrugarse

29 July 1954 – Lord of the Rings is published and suddenly all those people who like Fantasy books are cool. Luckily this moment soon passes.

Talking Teaching with Orange Language Academy

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Intermediate

It’s over for most of us except those of us intending to teach during the summer. If you haven’t managed to find anything yet, don’t worry! There should be a continuous demand for teachers throughout the summer due to our apparent unreliability and nonchalance when it comes to work. Many summer schools continue employing right up until the first two weeks of August. This is because they can’t predict the amount of students that are going to enroll. The best way to keep an eye out is, of course, www.tefl.com without which many of us would still probably be in that wonderful office job that we loved so much. What we’re hoping to do this month is come up with some good activities for those new classes with the aim of getting to know each other. So here is a list of our favourite warmers and activities to use in class: 1| Can you remember my name? Level: Any, Age: Any Stand students in a circle and say your name then get student on your right to say your name and then add his/ her name. This continues around the circle back to you. Pay attention, especially if you have a big class. Also works with favourite food, colour, etc.

chance to sit down. You cannot sit down in a chair you have just been sitting in. Great for kinesthetic learners and practicing language structures.

4| True or False Level: Pre-Int +, Age: Any Tell the students five things about you, two of which are false. Put students into pairs and get them to talk about which two are false and why. Elicit any phrases they might need to do this (they 2| Find someone who… will vary depending on level). When they’ve got the Level: Pre-Int+, Age: Any You can either hand out slips of paper or type them two false sentences, get them to write five about up on a worksheet. ‘Find someone who has been to themselves (with 2 false). three capital cities’ for example. Students then have 5| Who is our teacher? to find someone who has by asking the appropriate Level: Any, Age: Teenagers, Young Adults questions. Don’t forget to get involved yourself! Write 16 answers on the board and tell your students they are about you. Encourage them to ask the right questions ie ‘I am from Coventry’ – ‘Are you from Coventry?’ If it’s correct, wipe the answer off the board until they are all gone. Elicit the questions and then get them to ask each other. We hope this helps you out a little during the summer whether you’re heading back home or staying here in Spain. As always, if you have any suggestions, send them to us at britchateditor@gmail.com. Orange Language Academy has been an American run language school for the city of Valencia and its provinces since 2005 offering all types of 3| Stand up if… language related services. They also run the language Level: Any, Age: Young Learners, Teenager intercambios on Wednesdays Get students to arrange the chairs in a circle at the Portland Ale House. around you. Say something like ‘stand up if you are wearing a white T-shirt’. Everyone with a white Find out more about them at T-shirt has to find another seat giving the speaker a www.orangeidiomas.com nonchalance /nɇǘntȉǟlȒns/ – despreocupación to keep an eye out – echarle un ojo aim /ɇeǰm/ – meta, objectivo hand out /hɇænd aȐt/ - repartir wipe off /wɇaǰp ǘf/ - borrar

amount /ǟmɇaȐnt/ - la cantidad come up with - inventarse chance /tȉɇǚ:ns/ – oportunidad encourage /enkɇȒrǰdȘ/ - animar

For those of you who really want to get down to learning the language we’ll be bringing you an expression each month. This is our job. Your job? Get out there and use it! Then tell us how you got on… Estar entre la espada y la pared = to be stuck between a rock and a hard place eg Estoy entre la espada y la pared = I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. 1 August 1793 – The kilogram is introduced in France for the first time. To the present day the British still proudly defends its imperial scales of measurement against this terror from mainland Europe - ‘the metric system’.

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Health| be cool honeybunny Advanced

With temperatures rising up to 40 degrees, this part of Spain can have many running for the air-conditioning. But badly maintained air-conditioning can lead to sniffles, sinus inflammation and colds, and even well maintained air conditioning units use energy and cost money. So how can we keep cool cheaply and easily? Here are a few old favourites and some new ideas to help you this summer. 1| Soak your feet in a bucket of cold or cool water. The body loses heat from the hands, feet, face and ears, so targeting any of these will lower your temperature. 2| Mint is the king of herbs. Eat it, smell it, or apply it to your skin and it will chemically trigger the cold-sensitive TRPM8 receptors in the skin. What does that mean? It means it will produce a tingly cool sensation and happy days. 3| The opposite effect of mint, is Capsaicin, the active bit of the chilli pepper. By eating foods with a kick, like chilli based foods, your body will react to the Capsaicin by sweating but without raising your body temperature. Then, when your skin is damp, you’ll feel better as it evaporates. The bonus is the endorphin rush from the chilli. 4| There are a few different ways to dress, depending on where you are: - Traditional clothing: In many super hot countries, the traditional dress for both men and women are long flowing untucked items, in natural fibres. There’s good reason for this. They shade the skin to keep it cool, protects the skin from the damaging rays, and can create a very pleasant draught around the body. - Natural fabrics: Wearing cotton, silk and linen instead of polyester, rayon, or other artificial fibres will be better, and try to avoid elastic for that waist-pinching band of sweat. - Next-to-nothing: Put on a swimsuit, or wear your underwear at home. - Go naked! If your neighbours are away and your house isn’t next to a school, this can be the most comfortable, natural way to drop a degree. 5| Close your blinds and curtains in the day to block the sun entering your room & heating it like a sauna. 6| Find an empty spray bottle. Fill with cool water, spray on your skin, and relax as the water evaporates, for that ‘aah’ moment. It’s even better in front of a fan, or a slight draught. 7| Go cool, go cucumber! In the past, cucumbers were worn round the waist by women who wanted children. Now it has a more practical purpose. Take thin slices of cucumber and pop them in your water for ultimate refreshment, and pop another slice on the middle of your forehead. It has an instant effect even if you do look ridiculous.

Quiz master & Professional Ricky Martin lookalike finally ties the knot on this day, 6 August 2010, offending no-one in the process but asking everyone if he did anyway. Congratulations Vinnie!

Charity|GreaterGood Network

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In these financially-problematic times it can be hard to find that spare coin or maybe even bank account number for that nice lady on the streets with the clipboard. This in turn means that the charities themselves struggle to finance their operations so they have to find new and innovative ways to fund themselves. Helpfully we now have thehungersite.com and their ‘Click here to give - it’s free!’ campaign. There are six linked websites devoted to a specific cause. They are: hunger, breast cancer, child health, literacy, rainforest and animal rescue. If you click on the button on the page, money is donated to charity - but at no financial cost to you. By clicking the button, you trigger a donation from advertising sponsors, and 100% of the money goes to charity. It’s American run, but the charities they support are international. All you need to do is click a few buttons on an internet site each day and well that’s it. No cost to you. None. Alright, probably around about 30 seconds each day. And you can give every day! It sounds too good to be true. There are always scams on the internet. So we dug out the deerstalker and the violin and looked into the site by looking at website snopes.com to check the validity of these claims. Within seconds snopes.com had confirmed that it was the real thing. Then we checked on www.urbanlegends. about.com, another myth busting site, and they confirmed it as legitimate. The company is almost 10-years-old on the internet which is ancient by internet standards and its certainly one of the easiest ways we found to help those less fortunate than ourselves. It’s very easy to work out what to do even if your internet skills are minimal. If you like what you see then you can sign up for the daily reminder. An email is sent each day to remind you to do it again. Please note though - you only need to enter your email once. There is no hard push or hard sell and brilliantly there are no annoying pop-up boxes either.

There are two other options to help, but only if you choose to - contribute to a program of your choice through ‘The Gifts That Give More™’, or shop from the GreaterGood Network stores which feature a wide variety of very reasonably priced fair trade and eco-friendly products. All in all we found the ideology of the company sound, the simplicity of the way to give amazing and, when combined with the fact its free, gives you the opportunity to do some good every time you’re on the internet. www.hungersite.com

Currently assistance is being provided in many countries all over the world. Here’s some quick stats on what they funded last year from the free clicks alone: 60,324,149 cups of food 2,808 mammograms 445,648 books for children in need 78,764,460 bowls of food for animals in shelters Helped 41,325,533 children by providing Vitamin A, Emergency oral rehydration, Maternal HIV test kits, Eye surgery and prosthesis. The preservation and protection of 500,965,921 square feet of rainforest and the habitats of tens of thousands of plant and animal species Some of the charities they support include| International Fund for Animal Welfare| The African Wildlife Foundation| Partners in Health| Mercy Corps| Remote Area Medical| A Child’s Right| Rainforest Conservation Fund| The Ocean Foundation www.greatergood.org/partners.html

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A little help

You can’t always do everything yourself. So if you’re making changes this summer, from small jobs in the home to something more dramatic, here are some companies for you to consider.

If you want your business to be seen by members of the Valencian Community, please contact us to discuss how we can help - britchateditor@gmail.com

Golf competition

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Here are the results of the competition played at El Bosque on 7th June. The sponsors of the winners trophy are www.walkintranslations.com.

‘The uglier a man’s legs are, the better he plays golf. It’s almost a law’. HG Wells 1866-1946

When we were looking for the sports quote, we found so many Muhammad Ali statements that we loved that we couldn’t leave them out, so here are a few more of his classic lines. ‘I’m so fast that last night I turned off the light switch in my hotel room and was in bed before the room was dark.’ ‘Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn’t matter which color does the hating. It’s just plain wrong.’ ‘I know I got it made while the masses of black people are catchin’ hell, but as long as they ain’t free, I ain’t free.’ ‘I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.’

8 August 1963 – Great Train Robbery. Slightly misnamed as no trains were stolen, just borrowed for unloading purposes.

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Books

Events & classifieds

There was a time when I would soldier on with If you’ve got an event coming up, drop us a books, no matter how turgid they were. But recently note at britchateditor@gmail.com and we’ll I have realised just how much time I was wasting on try to give it a mention here in the next issue. worthless books, instead of dumping them in favour Markets| 8.30am-1pm Tues Monserratt, Thurs of seeking out the real jewels. Alaquas, Friday & Sat Torrent And so it was a delight when I was given a novel If you know when the other markets are on, let that I couldn’t put down. It was ‘In the time of Britchat know, so we can pass it on. butterflies’ by Julia Alvarez. My copy’s cover is dog-eared, its inner pages soaked in a dried blue The monthly bike meeting of VLC will take place gunk (an old shampoo accident) and the text itself is as usual on the first Friday of the month. This covered with pencil notes. This book has truly been aims to promote bikes and bike safety in VLC. loved and, I believe, with good reason. Place| Plaza de la Virgin, VLC 7.30pm The story is one woman’s tale about her 3 sisters’ Masia Rastro, Sun 18 July 10.30am-1.30pm lives, and subsequent deaths (I’ve not spoilt Homemade cakes, cards, English food and anything there). The story of these girls is largely bargains. Free pitches, just turn up. Stallholders fictional, but based upon real events which led to from 9am. No tables supplied, Amanda the deaths of three Mirabal sisters. 625819734, sparklesinsunshine@gmail.com. The involvement of the Mirabal sisters in the August date provisionally Sat 21 August in the underground resistance known as the Movement evening. Mas Pavia Restaurante, Masia Pavia of the Fourteenth of June led to their murders Urba Nr Monserrat. but contributed to a movement to overthrow their Are you buying, selling or donating? You can oppressive government. put a free advert in here for a month. Just What makes this story so gripping is the portrayal of email us at britchateditor@gmail.com and the lives of these girls, and the bravery of many like them who fought against Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, we’ll try to get it into the next issue. the dictator of the Dominican Republic from the 30s until his eventual assassination in 1961. One result was that the United Nations General Assembly designated November 25 (the anniversary of the sisters’ murder) as the annual date for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

The story is beautifully narrated by the surviving sister, but told from the differing perspectives of each sister influenced by their own personalities. It gave me an insight into a history of human determination against evil. Copies are like gold-dust, but it’s well worth getting on the search. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabal_sisters

2007 Kawasaki Vulcan VN1600 Classic, 52000Km Just serviced and new tyres. Power Commander, Vance & Hines pipes & more accessories. €9.000 Tel. 699 499 144 PRO MAX 6000 Generator, as new. Cost €1600, sell for €850 Tel. 660 937 281 Wooden dogs travel crate (suitable for jack russell size) €50, daewoo fridge freezer €90, tv (techmagen) larger then portable €50, chest freezer 60x50 €100, fridge (express cool) silver 60x50 €80, calor gar heater with bottle €70, window upvc 117mx141mm €40, grandmother wallclock repro mahogany €70, victorian wall shelf (with bird detail) €80, display cabinet with matching table and chairs (victorian repro) mahogany and gold light wood €450 majicmanda@hotmail.com CS KIDZ Quality childrens clothes 2yrs - 12yrs Good prices, direct from the UK Open Thurs, 5pm-7.30pm The English Centre, Naquera Hills, Naquera Available for clothes parties. The party host receives 15% off the total order. Nanette 620 332 906/ 639 513 531

14 August 1940 – The proposed date for the Invasion of Britain codenamed Adler Tag (Eagle Day). Unlike the film The Eagle did not land.

Downtime

Recipe

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Bajoques farcides/Stuffed peppers - for 2 2 red peppers (but I like green ones too) ¾ cup of rice (Fallera is our favourite) 200g meat/tuna (mushroom for a veggie alt.) 3 cloves of garlic 1 tablespoon of olive oil 1 tin of chopped tomatoes some foil a sprig of parsley to top it off This is a traditional dish from the surrounding villages and not that difficult to make as long as you keep an eye on them when they’re in the oven. You’ll need a pepper for each person and about ¾ of a cup of rice for two people. I personally prefer beef but you can just as easily use the same amount of tuna or mushrooms depending on your taste.

Each letter in this puzzle is represented by a number 1-26. Crack the code and solve the crossword. Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. 3 letters are already in place to get you started.

Competition This month’s competition is on Page 16. All entries to be in by the 1st of the month to be in with a chance to win a special prize. Email britchateditor@gmail.com Thanks to all the entries for Tom Jones birthday. The winner was John Lord, well done John and Happy Birthday Tom.

1) Pre-heat the oven to 220º 2) Dice the garlic and fry it in the pan until it is soft. 3) Brown the meat (or tuna) in the pan. 4) Add the tinned tomato and stir occasionally. 5) Whilst you’re doing this you can cut the tops off the red peppers carefully and clear out the insides of the peppers. Make sure not to throw away the tops. 6) Add the rice and stir it in. Do this for about 2 minutes. 7) Now fill the peppers with the rice/meat/garlic. Don’t fill the peppers completely, leave room for the rice to expand. About ¾ full should do the trick. 8) Put the tops back on the peppers and wrap in foil. 9) Put in the oven for about an hour. This time can vary, so just remember to check on them every now and then. When they are ready, the peppers will be quite soft and the rice will have a risotto like texture. Sprinkle with herbs to finish. I’ve got a friend who uses curry powder in hers. You can add this when you’re browning the meat if you like something with a bit more of a kick. Let us know how you get on with our recipes, and if you have any you want to share, please email us at britchateditor@gmail.com

Wow factor| Another fresh out of the oven colourful moment. The prize was generously donated by Tyris Beer, Effort| Medium at the start, leaving loads of time The beer of Valencia. for a cool glass of local wine while it cooks. 15 August 1969. Turn On! Tune In! Drop Out! Woodstock opens its doors to the public. A few hours after this it opens its walls too. 3 deaths recorded. One of an overdose, one of a fall and one run over by a tractor. Very Rock and Roll!

Animals

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The Spanish are obsessed with their dogs. Parks are filled with evening strollers and their four-legged friends tagging along, with the extraordinary diversity of breeds, from Paris Hiltons Chihuahua up to the titanic Great Dane.

ORANGEHOUSE BOARDING KENNELS Pedralba

Research from Finaccord’s ‘Pet Metrics: Consumer Approaches to Pet Insurance in Europe’ investigated dog and cat ownership in UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. It found that only in Spain do dog ownership rates exceed cat ownership with 32.5% of people owning dogs. The number of people who have dogs came only second to France. But it’s the type of dogs here that are surprising. Less mongrels, more breeds.

tel. 962 117 558 And they all have their own personality. But Stanley Cone ranked 133 orangehousekennels@hotmail.com breeds in his ‘Intelligence of Dogs’. See where yours sits in the list of www.orangehousekennels.webs.com cleverclogs and dipsy doughnuts shown below. The chess players 1. Border Collie 2. Poodle 3. German Shepherd 4. Golden retriever 5. Doberman 6. Shetland sheepdog 7. Labrador retriever 8. Papillon 9. Rottweiler 10 Australian cattle dog

The snap players 1. Afghan hound 2. Basenji 3. Bulldog 4. Chowchow 5. Borzoi 6. Bloodhound 7. Pekinese 8=. Beagle, Mastiff 10. Basset hound

ANIMALES Y NATURALEZA would like to say a big thank you to Caroline and all her supporters of the Sunday rastro at Olacou for raising the magnificent sum of €89 for our abandoned animals. This money has allowed them to give medical aid to a number of sick animals and food to starving animals. Thank you so much. Lin Shepherd. Name| Alfie Age| 4m Size| Small & won’t be big Personality| Affectionate, playful puppy. Loves Name| Kelly Age| 2m other dogs & kids, Size| Will be medium. walks well on a lead. Personality| Loving, Is in a foster home. bright and adventurous. Health| Healthy & Has 6 siblings in foster fully inoculated. homes. History| Found Health| Healthy & abandoned in an getting puppy jags. orange grove at about More info| P.E.P.A on 4 weeks old, but now 650304746 completely socialized. www.pepaspain.com More info| Lin on 962707229 / 680790059

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