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Went to Gandia to look at the Fallas yesterday and to watch the parade. As usual chaos, lots of people, paths blocked, roads closed....
The winning Fallas in Gandia.....
The Procession down the paseo.
And on of the Fallas had a "Cut away" section so you could see the inside and the wood and polystyrene blocks the use to build it up...and this one also had photos documenting the design and construction of the Fallas....
Didnt stay for the crema....but certainly heard it!
Well, justs spent a (LONG!) day in Valencia - at Fallas......
Train from Gandia to Valencia was very crowded, lucky we opted to go from Gandia and not do the usual of pick the train up at Xeraco! By the timethe train was at Valencia Nord, "Sardines" sprang to mind....
Anyway, here some what we saw:
Ayuntamiento Fallas - unusually it did not win 1st!!! One just beside the train station did!
The aftermath of todays Mascletà - we were in a different location that we normally are, and the "bangs" did not sound as loud as they normally do...will have to change that for next year!
The the parade starts, nice to watch, but bloody annyong as you cannot cross the roads / procession, and if you can only at certain points, and of course the procession has priority....you do get "comfy" with new friends in the crush!
And toward the end of the procession, the flowers built up into the display
And the costumes are stunning, and everyone tales part (Cue - ahh cute!)
Also had a very nice lunch at a small place we found - its very close the the townhall square...called the Ginger loft - [url]www.thegingerloft.com[/url] - first time i have had hummus, but only seats 45 people, it is cosy, and good atmosphere, and their cheesecake is to die for (and the chokkie cake look damn good also!)
One of my most favourite time in Spain is Fallas time.
Just the whole fiesta always has me amazed, and how relaxed everyone can be when they close down main roads in town for a week or more to build a Fallas, have a party, throw fireworks and banger at each other, the Fallas Queens in their dresses, then burn the lot down in a big fiesta on the 19th March in a big "up yours" to Elf n Safety.
One from 2007 in a small street in Valencia:
Its always an experience going down to Valencia and seeing the 2pm Mascletà. Thousands of people flock to the city centre out side the town hall for the 2pm spectacular. You feel the ground shacking as the "bomb" go off, and you cannot help wondering about how the glass in the buildings around you stays in!
The Mascletà is covered on TV, and they even have a decibel meter level on the screen to show you how loud it can be.
The Fallas can be huge, and have been in preparation for many months, and usually have a humourous side to them, usually at the expense of polititians or world events.....
Then they wait until the firemen arrive. Not to put out the burning fallas, but to spray the nearby buildings with water to stop them from burning whilst the fallas burn away. Sad to see all that time money and effort go to waste, but good when the huge cheers from the crowd happens as the fallas topples over onto itself.
Something you would not see in the UK at all, and was one of the times that I liked to visit Spain before I moved over here.
Gandia is the capital of the county of La Safor, between the mountains and the beaches of The Mediterranean. Like its much larger neighbour Valencia, Gandia greets the arrival of springtime with a spectacular pyrotechnic festival known as Las Fallas. Various events and entertainments take place over the period of a few days, culminating in the Feast of Saint Joseph on 19 March. All the hard work put into the creation of giant figures of wood and paper go up in smoke in the great bonfires that take place in the evening as part of the Gandia Fallas celebrations.
