Exploring Gandia, Spain

Whilst living in Madrid it was explained to me that the population decamped to the coast just as residents of France depart for the south. Gandia, south of Valencia, is one such destination for both so much so that a railway line runs directly to the beach area during the summer months, a day trip from Madrid is not out of the question. This is my first visit to this part of Spain, topical at the moment because it is part of Catalan. As in Wales, signposts are in two languages and the grammar changes. There are, in effect, three versions of Spanish in Spain; South American Spanish in the Canary Islands, "King's Spanish" on the mainland and Catalonia Spanish in the North East. I digress. After a relaxing day at casa Jackson I have my first visit to Gandia on Saturday 22nd December. A reasonably warm day in the sunshine, we park on the site of the open market. As this is holiday time there is a huge funfair on the site which will spring to life later in the day. Parking is free unless a roustabout tries his luck. My first view of the city is across the Plaza del Tirant footbridge.

The new Municipal Building with a stylish courtyard to the left and the city with the Borja Palace to the right. The river Serpis forms a southern border to the city, looking down from the bridge this is a beautiful sight with natural stone dams keeping the water level up winding its way through green foliage. A tranquil walk to be explored one day. A footbridge is an ideal way to enter a city imposing a sense of calm and majesty even if the centre itself is not pedestrianised, people have the priority on wide paths separated from the traffic. The first Christmas market stalls are at the head of the bridge as the area opens out into a wide boulevard. Our first destination which my brother is keen to show me is at the "Casa de Cultura Marqués de Gonzáles de Querós". Inside we will find the traditional; communally crafted diorama commemorating the nativity. Each one is unique. Take it from me it is well worth the visit. Admission is free so I buy a souvenir to support the endeavour. There is a long tradition and very competitive spirit between towns constructing these models. Photography is not allowed here but you can get the idea from previously reported posts I made when living in Tenerife. There are some links are at the end of this document.

From here we cross and head down one of the busy streets leading into the centre of the city. A variety of shops and cafes present themselves in their festive finery. Again the nativity scene is reflected in these window displays. Not long in residence my sister-in-law already has her favourite cafes marked out and we aim for one now to partake of coffee and a light lunch. Onward and we enter placa (plaza) del Rei Jauma I where, looking up, the remains of the ornate cinema building can be seen. In front crowds are drawn to displays of dog training and, in contrast, traditional Spanish dancing with castanets and instruments. Onward I dive into interesting shops as we walk until we arrive at the plaza of the town hall. Here I have my first surprise, a statue of a Borja, more of this later in another post on the subject.

The Plaça Major is full of Spanish and tourists relaxing in the winter sunshine. Opposite we have the "Ayuntamiento" or "Town Hall" to the right; the Parroquia de Santa Maria. The town hall was built in 1778 during the reign of Carlos III. There are photographs of the information plaques in the album. A stage is being erected for a show this evening commencing at 18:00 hours. I mention this because we missed it. Normally in Spain everything starts late and continues on into the night however this started and ended promptly and we missed it. Never take anything for granted! We wandered on past gaily decorated shops, alas the high streets of England sadly reflect the festive spirit. I believe that the high streets here survive because business, retail and domestic accommodation are all mixed.

Onward we find statues of the Borja family in front of the exhibition centre. I am intrigued because I always thought that the family lived in Italy. As I mentioned earlier there will be a post devoted to their palace here in Gandia and this intriguing period of history. A plaque commemorating the Junta Local Fallera can be seen on the corner of the building. Again I will devote a separate post to this subject as my brother took me to visit the Fallera museum later in my stay. However, depending upon your point of view, the 'estación' road train may be of more interest for those with tired feet. 

We backtrack on ourselves, street furniture, the permanent design of shop fronts, doorways and residential apartments attract my eye. What happened in 1832 to cause the erection of bespoke street lamps? The ruler at the time was Ferdinand VII, King of Spain whose monogram is depicted thereon, he died the year after. Did a Jesuit monk called Andrés Hibernón cross the road to enter the monastery here. A kiosk, does it sell tobacco or sweets and newspapers? The design is nice. Then we find ourselves back at the footbridge and the view out of the city. 

Retrieving the car my brother has one last building to show me on the outskirts of the city centre before we return home. I don't know if these buildings can be explored, I didn't have time to find out but they certainly look interesting housing a Catholic school, church and convent. Looking at comments from previous students it appears to look nicer on the outside than in so perhaps not.

This is the link to the "Exploring Gandia" photo album containing many photos of this visit.

I refereed to examples of Nativity dioramas in Tenerife. I have gathered together some examples of this amazing communal craft work