The Christmas season has definitely arrived. Walking around the crowded streets this past Sunday, it eventually dawned on us that all the stores were open. On a Sunday! This is not normal in Spain, but apparently even the strictest of Catholic customs is vulnerable to the gluttonous whims of capitalism.
But it was fun to be out, especially in Valencia which is one of the few regions in Spain not being blasted by nasty wintry weather. We navigated through the hordes to Mercado Colón, where we took a break, enjoying a drink along with a free choral concert.
The drinks were not very good — I ordered a Manhattan, and the waiter looked at me as though I had said “ScksZZhhyeh#”. I showed it to him on the menu, where the ingredients were even listed out, and still ended up with a foamy concoction that was liquid and possibly had alcohol in it, but was definitely not a Manhattan. No bother, ’tis the season to be jolly.
Besides, the concert was nice; a tasteful change of pace from the regular Christmas hits being pumped out of every other store’s speakers. The concerts are being put on every day at 7pm at Mercado Colón, through Dec. 20th. On the 21st, a whole program of Christmas themed activities for kids begins:
Sunday, 21
11:00 – 14:00: Workshops for making aromatic soap and Christmas tree decorations
18:30 – 20:00: Interactive animation show
Monday, 22
18:30: Clown Show
Tuesday, 23
18:30: Magic Show
Wednesday, 24
11:00 – 14:00: Father Christmas greets children
Friday, 26
17:00 – 20:30: Poofy Children’s Park
Saturday, 27
18:30: Interactive animation show of superheroes
Sunday, 28
11:00 – 14:00: Workshops for face painting
18:30: Interactive animation show
Monday, 29
18:30: Children’s Theater – Calcetin y Calceta
Tuesday, 30
18:30: Marionette Show – The Pied Piper
Wednesday, 31
12:00: Magic & Illusion Show
Friday, 2
18:30: Micky & Molly, the Clowns
Saturday, 3
18:30: Thematic evening of magic, workshops, and tricks
Sunday, 4
12:00: Story Time
18:30: Visit of the Three Kings of the Orient
Whooo… that’s a lot of baby fun time.
Definitively or you are someone that is not living currently in Spain or you did not take the time/effort to learn anything about the culture. About opening on Sundays “This is not normal in Spain, but apparently even the strictest of Catholic customs is vulnerable to the gluttonous whims of capitalism”.
Maybe it happened long time ago that we were extremely religious but the reason behind not opening now the stores on Sundays or during Holidays is because there is a government intervention (that thing that you americans do not believe in… until it is convenient for your businesses). The local governments are trying to protect our local businesses from powerful predators (like Carrefur, Wal-Mart, El Corte Ingles or Macys…). This is something that in small scale happens in cities on the States. Next time you write about something, try to read and understand.
I though I’ll be reading about Mercado Colon, but all I got from this article is you bitching about a Manhattan. Who cares?
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