La Nucia, a really pleasant village just a few km from Benidorm and well-known for its big flea market on Sunday mornings, held its first Medieval Market in 2005 to celebrate its 300 years of existence, and enjoyed it so much that it decided to have a Market every year.
This year it will be the tenth time and there will be a varied programme with troubadours, a juggler on stilts who also plays with fire, lies on a bed of really sharp nails and manages to get both feet tucked behind her head; a story teller, street theatre, medieval table games and a merry-go-round for the children.
That all takes place next to and in between some 70 craft stalls, carefully selected by Amata, the organizing craft association, so that nothing is imported, nothing is made in craft factories – in fact, everything is made by the people on the stall and there is a wide range of different products. Something for everyone – if not for the visitor in person, then perhaps for a friend or relative.
And quite a few stallholders will be at work – Vito, a czech blacksmith, on his anvil and showing pieces of medieval armour, Aurélie carding and spinning wool and even making felt, Tomás painting his T-shirts (the ultimate designer wear, each one is unique), Chema the bookbinder showing how books were bound in medieval times, Dave building his castles, and Tony with his sturdy and decorative leather bags.
The inner man (and woman) has not been forgotten – there are taverns, an Arab tea tent and stalls with preserved food made using medieval recipes.
Two separate groups of musicians pass along the narrow streets, followed by various medieval characters – nobles, beggars and soldiers – while Ly walks on her stilts, juggling clubs as she goes and, at night, turning into a real faquir, tying herself into knots on a bed of nails. Buffoon Bertoldo tells funny stories that even foreigner with no Spanish at their disposal can follow.
There are medieval table games such as Nine Men’s Morris, quoits, table skittles – meant for the young’uns but enjoyed just as much by their parents. For the very young there is a merry-go-round and four donkeys in miniature medieval trappings.
La Nucia Medieval Market (about 10 km from Benidorm) gets going about 6 in the late afternoon and keeps going till midnight or so; the stalls are set up in the narrow streets to the back of the Town Hall. If you don’t know the way, just follow the white-on-green arrows with "Mercado Medieval". There is ample room to park your car nearby.
More information (in English) can be had by ringing 639 979 678 and you can look at Amata’s web site on www.amata.es which includes photographs of other markets.
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/44040/
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