Monday, November 12, 2012
Yesterday we slept in until about 10:15. Since it was Sunday, a bagel with lox and cream cheese seemed appropriate. After breakfast we went about doing whatever we tend to do in the morning and a little after 1:00 we showered and dressed. We had made a reservation at A Nou for their second anniversary celebration. In addition to lunch, there was to be a concert after lunch. The group is called La Ronda Borda and their repertoire, for the most part is mad up of traditional Valencian songs.
When we arrived at 2:00 the restaurant was filled to capacity and we were the only table for two in the restaurant. All the other tables were filled by large groups and as it turned out, the very large group behind us was made up of the members of the singing group and their families. This was a typical Sunday scene here in Valencia where it is not uncommon for three generations of a family to be seated around a table. Javi showed us to our table, gave us a copy of the menu and soon after delivered two glasses of sangria de cava.
Our meal started out with a salad of lettuces, tomato and cucumber, some julienne of ham and a cream of garbanzo dressing. Next came two crujientes – one was filled with sea bass, creamed spinach, raisins and pine nuts. The other was filled with slices of cooked egg and an array of vegetables. We chose a paella for our main course. It was filled with a variety of mushroom and a half dozen cigalas, which are comparable to crayfish. Our wine glasses were never empty and the Verdejo that was being poured was quite nice. Dessert was a brownie with almond ice cream. We finished our meal with coffee and Javi served us a round of cava to sip while we listened to the music.
At 4:00 PM tables were moved out of the way and the group began to warm up. In addition to a flute, two guitars, a five-string instrument called a tiple and a variety of percussion instruments. The group sang for an hour. Each song was preceded by an explanation and there was one recitation. The recitation of a poem was done in Spanish, but everything else was in valenciano. Our understanding of the language is improving to the point that we could understand or thought we could understand most of what was being said. The concert lasted until 5:00 at which point we paid our bill – 50 Euros for the two of us – and we made our way back home.
We took things easy for the rest of the day. We did watch an episode of Inspector Lewis and afterwards we read for a while. It was a little after midnight when we made it to bed.
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