Here in the Northern Hemisphere the days get shorter, while the weather gets greyer and windier. Did we really complain about the heat? I wonder while putting on two sweaters to keep the rain out. Our long weekend in the province of Valencia feels so long ago, but while paging through the photos I can once again feel the warm, pulsating rhythm of Spain. There are more than 2,5 million people residing in this province, of which one out of three people live in Valencia. The much smaller towns are being managed by 265 municipalities. The coastal areas between the mountains and sea are some of the most fertile land in Europe – hence the well-known Valencia oranges and other fruit.
We ended up in Benicassim by accident but was very impressed by the 6-km-long esplanade along the sand beach, flanked by the row of 27 traditional villas from the 1920s. Most buildings boast information signs illustrating the rich history. It seems that swimming – or rather bathing – became quite popular in the 20th century when the therapists decided that it offered a healthy past0time. All the musts and must nots, as well as the when, was discussed in detailed in the Bathing Decalogue. For some or other reason, the Spanish elite of the arts and theatre world built their villas here. The group of villas are known as the Celestial Courts – or, if you want, heaven on earth. There were so many parties then that one of the noisier villas was labelled as hell-on-earth. The famous American author Ernst Hemingway apparently began his affair with the war correspondent Martha Gellhorn here. During the Spanish Civil War some of the villas were used temporarily as hospitals.
These days, Benicassim is renowned for its major music festival, the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim or FIB. Liam Gallagher and the Pet Shop Boys will appear at the 2019 festival – and there are only about 75 weekend tickets left at a modest €180 each.
Between the history and wealth, however, the plain pockets of humanity in this part of Spain remain with you, like the group of little girls who were enthusiastically selling their “jewellery”, or the group of old-timers who loyally practiced their yoga every evening even after nine o’ clock.
