Visiting Alcoy with Javier

It was time to see the traditional ensayo (rehearsal) they have each month in Alcoy, a small city close to Valencia. Javier asked me and Jussi (another finnish Erasmus) to come and see the what the party was all about. It turned out to be very fun. Especially the way that the fathers and sons drank and ate together and had a good time. People at the fiesta were really interested to know about Finland, so we had a lot to talk about.

Alcoy lies in a valley surrounded by steep rocky mountains. There are four long bridges that take you over the valley and to downtown. It's something that really catches your eye. I heard the rate of cars per population in Alcoy is the second highest in Europe after Milan. Just look at the cars running by - they all have just one passenger!

I learned that Alcoy was one of the first two cities in Spain to have a textile factory, in addition to Barcelona. The small town became wealthy and the alcoyans still have a strong relationship with barcelonetas. After all, the streets of Alcoy do resemble Barcelona with the narrow, rundown streets full of small balconies. On the other hand, there are the posh, miles long shopping avenues full of small shops. It seems you can find most of the things you need right here in Alcoy.

Javier, big thanks for all your effort! Let's see if we can get those hotel rooms booked for April's Gran Fiesta ;)

Here are some of the fotos I and Jussi took in Alcoy