Remembering an Alcossebre long gone by

It was at the end of May 1966 when I first visited Alcossebre, after having crossed the narrow railway tunnel which always made you fear some scratches on your car.

In those days Alcossebre was still called Alcoceber, and there were people who didn´t like speaking Valencian as they thought it quite vulgar - several years later those people were the most fanatic supporters of Valencian speaking.-; the Spanish were dreaming of a flat in a high storey building, and owning a fridge meant wealth, that´s why you would find it sometimes in the dining-sitting room and not in the kitchen.  

We were housed in the apartments San Miguel  - today replaced by a modern building - Our apartment was next to the stony path which lead to the Cargador beach - today´s Colón street -. On the other side of the path was a small farmhouse with a well whose waterwheel was moved by a mule with taped eyes, just a show for my two little children:

Strange enough, the waterwheel is still there, decorating the little roundabout, on the left, when coming from the traffic light and going towards restaurant Dora.

Another spectacle, in the early evening, was the goats´return to their stable in front of the apartments. It´s a pity that my husband´s suggestion of calling Avenida de las Cabras, Goats Alley, the sandy path in front of the apartments – today´s Ausiach March street - just caused anger and offence, but today it would remind us of old Alcossebre.. 

Another spectacle could be seen at sunset, the farmers´ return to Alcalá, an endless row of carts, with a tethered dog trotting behind. Then suddenly, as if by magic, all carts disappeared and tractors were rattling along the road. Such is progress!

The shortest way to the beach was crossing the field of almond trees that was behind the apartments and which belonged to Socrates, the owner of the apartments. There was a long row of blooming oleander, the border between Socrates´properties and the “Casa de la Marquesa“, the Marquess´House.

One day I got quite a shock when seeing a huge green lizard, looking at me from under an oleander!

When entering Alcossebre by the Rench (rench = row, in reference to the row of houses), there was, on the left, a butcher´s shop whose row of chairs  quite intrigued me. What were chairs for at a butcher´s? I soon would discover rows of chairs at

other butcher´s too and what they were for. While the butcher was serving the customer - a woman, of course, I never saw any man - and carrying out her countless and sometimes tiny wishes, the other customers were enjoying a nice chat which, as everybody knows, is much more comfortable sitting on a chair than standing. Some years later a rotisserie was put outside - inside there wasn´t any room – which roasted the best chicken ever tasted. According to some people it was because of the cars´fumes, but that´s just silly.There was nearly no traffic, and traffic jams, traffic lights and blue areas were still far away.  

Walking the Rench a little further along, there was, on the right, the tobacconist´s, better known as Carmeta´s, where they sold food too.

Continuing the walk along the Rench, there was on the left, on the same spot as today´s church, the little XVIIIth century St. Christopher´s church, wirh some cypress trees in front.

Just a few steps further on, on the right, was the old school, which now houses the medical centre and the library.

Behind the school, towards Vista Alegre, you could still see some carob trees whose shadow offered a nice car parking area.

Near the end of L´Atall was the grocer´s, the shop of Pepe (José) Marín and his wife Paquita - now a boutique - and next to the corner, Fuster´s bakery.

When entering Vista Alegre square, in those times as well as today Alcossebre´s real centre, you would find today´s row of houses but much smaller, and among them one of the symbols of Alcossebre, the bar La Maya, which was run by Vicente Marín, the elder brother of before mentioned  Pepe.

On the other side of the square was the restaurant Montemar which was opened in summer1966 after the old chiringuito´s demolition.

I still remember long candle- lit chats in the restaurant, not because of romanticism but because a thunderstorm had left us once more without electricity, for hours and hours.

In the late Saturday evening was dance with a dance band on Montemar´s terrace,

 where the natives, especially the women, were watching the dancers while sitting on the small wall next to the street.

When tourism was increasing one could even watch movies under the pine trees behind the restaurant, well, when the wind didn´t have anything against us!

When celebrating the Patron Saint a small bullring was built up with the farmers´carts, on the still dry sand at the beginning of Cargador beach.

.Another symbol of old Alcossebre was “The Jeremías“, a small, modest inn whose origin was a bar and whose owner was the builder Jeremías. Every winter Jeremías could be seen, together with his three sons, attaching a room, a store room or something else, even a floor, and every year Jeremías paid religiously the fine for not having asked for the building permit!

The Jeremías offered economical lodging and food and became one of the most frequented and favourite sites. Later on the Jeremías was just a quiet family hotel which was demolished, not long ago, being replaced bv the sophisticated aparthotel Sea Experience, thus disappearing, without any trace, two symbols of old Alcossebre, the Jeremías and the restaurant Montemar which, after its demolition on Vista Alegre square, had settled down at the end of Cargador beach, on Jeremías land. Sic transit gloria mundi!

Due to Alcossebre´s well known good climate, several wealthy families, mainly from Valencia, had built more or less huge summer residences, some of which are still preserved, such as the house at the beginning of Cargador beach, next to restaurant Valentine.

There were, too, those charming little summer villas from the beginning of 20^th century which are nearly all gone by now, but there is one preserved at the corner Blasco Ibañez Alley and the promenade.

Towards the end of the sixties, great excitement was caused by the mansion, the famous actress Nuria Espert had built, with more than 1000 m² and an integrated big swimming pool; the house is still there, at La Mola street, but the owner has changed several years ago.

One of our favourite walks was going to Santa Lucia, from behind, near the small railway halt. In the beginning we still met some mules carrying building materials.

There were still wild cats in the Sierra, though it was impossible to convince a German that the animal he had seen one night when driving along Las Fuentes road, hadn´t been a hyena!

Sometimes foxes could be seen crossing the small road towards Alcossebre.

Another nice walk was bordering the coast towards the camp.

At the beginning of Romana beach there was – and still is, though quite spoiled – one of the old summer residences, and a little further along, a building with a little tower which is still there, though somewhat changed. And then nothing but fields – I  remember a big field which grew peas, where there is now Habitat -  pine trees, prickly pear cactus and other Mediterranean plants, even one of those round stone shelters, typical for the Maestrazgo.

The camp only admitted boys who all were wearing the blue shirt of Falange, Spain´s only political party. Later on girls were accepted too and there were no uniforms any longer.

We frequented Cargador beach with its high sand dunes where the dung beetles, no longer there, were struggling with their cargoes

There weren´t still many visitors on the beach and the people, at least the natives, were very strict as to dressing rules. I was looked at quite disaprovingly as I had dared to let my small children run naked along the beach.

There were people who made the sign of the cross before entering the sea, and a black underwear dress was worn by some women.

Strict dressing rules on the street, too. One day in Torreblanca, when going past two elderly women who were sitting on those typical little chairs, I heard something like: “Look at that woman. How does she dare putting on this dress, at her age“!

I was wearing quite long shorts and I was about 40!

Alcossebre has never thrived on fishing, but on farming, that´s why there was just one family living on fishing, the Massiano. When their boat was pulled onto Cargador beach you could buy fresh fish on the spot.

I still remember some fields of the best and sweetest muscatel ever tasted; later on they were replaced by nicer looking but less tasty muscatel, and finally there weren´t any grapes at all but just buildings.

Mobiles and phone boxes were still far away. You were on holiday and you didn´t need any phone at all; besides, there was the public phone, though I don´t remember where it was and who was in charge of it.

There was no medical centre.either. Dear doctor Ricardo Cardona from Alcalá came once a week for two hours. In summer there was no problem as he lived in his big house in Alcossebre.

Medcine and medical stuff had to be bought at Alcalá, and only several years later a small auxiliary drugstore was installed in the school.

Who installed in the school too, was popular Paquita who sold fruit and vegetables, though several years before a greengrocer´s had been opened in the upper part of the Rench.

When the little church was demolished because of the tourists´growing number, the mass was celebrated in a small pine wood next to today´s Vista Alegre building.

And that´s the end of my memories about the old Alcossebre of the sixties and seventies of last century, without mentioning Las Fuentes where I nearly never went.