Lots of Carmens
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
By Pablo de Ronda
Carmen is a common given name here in Spain. I have known a few over the course of my 50-plus-years relationship with this magnificent country. From my first visit aged 20, through subsequent holidays and work trips to the last 15 years as a resident of the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía.
Carmen Bujanda
The first of my “Carmens” was a Basque, a colleague when I worked as a tourist guide in San Sebastián (Gipuzkoa) in my early 20s.
“Bufanda” (scarf), as we were wont to call her, was very slim, very dark and very attractive. Unfortunately, she had a novio, who was very big and strong, so she was off-limits.
Carmen the Dancer
Still in San Sebastián in the early 70s, this Carmen was the gorgeous flamenco dancer who performed for our clients during one of the excursions we sold.
Carmen was only 18 but already had twin girls. The story goes that she had wanted to delay starting a family, but back then Spain was still a devoutly Roman Catholic country controlled by the not-yet-dead General Franco.
No form of contraception was available in Spain back then, not even condoms. So, she asked a friend, who used to go frequently to nearby France, to smuggle something in for her. He brought her the Pill, yet she still got pregnant. Apparently Carmen thought the pills were pessaries …..!
Other “Carmens”
As time has passed, I have known and forgotten many a Carmen. However, in the last quarter of a century, from 2000 onwards, there have been several Carmens on my radar.
Carmen "Paprika"
I first met this fluent English-speaking señora nearly a quarter of a century ago when I first came to the Barrio San Francisco in Ronda. I had two properties in the barrio and lived there for a time after I retired in 2005.
Paprika was pareja (partner) of German Martin who has lived in Ronda for many a year, after leaving hometown Frankfurt am Main for Andalucia.
Paprika appeared in the Jamie Oliver documentary "Jamie Does Andalucia" (Channel 4, 2009) that featured Ronda and Benaojan. At the time she was "landlady" of Bar Ambigu, where a segment was filmed.
I popped into the Bar recently, but she no longer works there. According to locals she is still around in Ronda and still with her Frankfurter, Martin.
View Carmen "Paprika" with Jamie Oliver here: Jamie Does Andalucia, Spain (youtube.com)
“Carmen”, the comic opera and film
“Carmen” is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked audiences.
The opera was adapted for a 1984 French-Italian film directed by Francesco Rosi. Julia Migenes stars in the title role, and Plácido Domingo as Don José.
The film premiered in France on March 14, 1984, and in the USA on September 20 of that year. In 1985, the film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.
Much of the film was shot in Ronda (Málaga) where I live, and a local bar in the Barrio Padre Jesús contains photos of the shoot, which include a very young and very slim Placido Domingo, later to become famous as one of The Three Tenors, alongside Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras.
Carmen Myers
This half-Spanish, half-English lady is the wife and manager of Marcus Myers, former guitarist for the English pop duo of the 1990s and early 2000s Alisha’s Attic. The two singers were sisters Shelly and Karen Poole, whose father is Brian Poole of 1960s group Brian Poole and the Tremeloes.
Carmen is a great singer in her own right. I remember a super rendition by Carmen and Marcus of The Beatles song “In My Life" at the funeral in 2023 of our mutual friend Guy Hunter-Watts, 64, the author of 12 books about walking in southern Spain.
Two Carmens in a week!
This past week I have come across two Carmens.
The first was an amateur production of the opera “Carmen” by Bizet (see above) in our local theatre in Ronda. We decided to go. The theatre was packed, but unfortunately the production was not very good, so we left at the interval and went for dinner instead.
Then, yesterday, I showed an American client who is looking to buy a house around here, one of the “houses on my books” (I dabble in house sales as a corredor, or unofficial estate agent).
My contact to arrange a viewing was Carmen, the lawyer daughter of retired Seville-based doctor Rafael and his retired teacher wife, also Carmen.
Carmen, daughter, lives and works in Ronda. As it turned out we had met before. She is the lawyer for a local electricity provider who tried to overcharge me for a house re-wire.
It’s a small world (el mundo es un pañuelo).
© Pablo de Ronda
Links:
Guy Hunter-Watts, author and walking guide, RIP (eyeonspain.com)
VIDEO: Three Jamies - including celebrity TV chef Jamie Oliver - in one day! (secretserrania.com)
www.marcusmyersmusic.com
www.help-me-ronda.com
Acknowledgements:
Carmen Narvaez
Paul Whitelock
Discogs
Wikipedia
www.secretserrania.com
Tags:
Alisha's Attic, Beatles, Benaojan, Bizet, Brian Poole, Brian Poole and the Tremeloes, Carmen, Carmen Bujanda, Carmen Myers, Carmen Narvaez, condom, contraception, Cortes de la Frontera, bufanda, dancer, Franco, Guy Hunter-Watts, "In My Life", "Jamie does Andalucia", Jamie Oliver, Jose Carreras, Karen Poole, Luciano Pavarotti, Marcus Myers, Montecorto, Pablo de Ronda, "Paprika", Paul Whitelock, Placido Domingo, Prosper Mérimée, Rafael Narvaez, Ronda, San Sebastian, Shelly Poole, Spain,
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Published at 7:35 AM Comments (0)
Spis lige brød til
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
‘Spis lige brød til’ is Danish and translates to ‘Have some bread with that’. It is a phrase usually used to say take a breath to someone who has worked hard for something difficult.
For the purpose of this article, I am sticking to the literal meaning:
‘Have some bread with that’
On the eve of Andalucia Day, my wife Rita and I went de tapeo to Ronda with a Danish couple, Claus and Ellen. This recently retired couple from Copenhagen, are touring Spain and Portugal for two months. They drove from Denmark through Germany and France and entered Spain via Catalonia. They are "great Danes"! Boom! Boom!
I met them at my local, Hotel Ronda Valley (formerly Hotel Don Benito) on the Seville road out of Ronda. They were staying for two nights before heading south to Tarifa, then Cadiz, before entering Portugal.
We struck up an immediate friendship, as a result of which I offered to give them a tapas experience in Ronda. Rita came too. She found Claus and Ellen enchanting.
When we arrived in Ronda, we parked on the carpark at the old Guardia Civil barracks and walked into town. First stop was Toro Tapas, on Calle La Bola (Espinel) where, despite it being very busy, we got a nice table just inside.
We ordered several tapas: rabo de toro, chorizo al tinto, tosta de salmón and patatas bravas. Our Danish guests and Rita chose a nice Ronda wine, Lunares, while I stuck to Estrella Galicia beer.
Our lingua franca was English (theirs was nearly as good as mine!) and the conversation flowed: they were interested in us and we in them.
Next stop was the newish bar, La Caña. Guess who were there; our good friends Michael (Irish), Malcolm (English) and Elaine (Scottish), all three long-term residents of Ronda. Michael is a translator, teacher and poet; Elaine is a successful painter and jewellery maker and Malcolm a retired estate agent.
Our foursome grabbed the last available table and were attended by the lovely Laura. Here I chose a beer from Jaén, El Alcázar, while my companions went for another Ronda wine Niño León.
Foodwise it was albondigas, chorizo al tinto (again!), bollo de filete and bollo de calamar both con mojo picón.
After I had a brief chat with a young couple, Maria from Cataluña and Ashley from England, who were visiting with work, we decided to head back to the carpark and get one last round at one of our favourite bars, Bodega San Francisco. It was heaving but we found a table.
Here, the wine connoisseurs took another Ronda wine, this time from Chinchilla. I had an Alhambra 1925 from Granada.
We ordered our favourites: aguacate stuffed with seafood and rollito de salmón. Mmmm!
Then, it was back to the valley in their luxury hybrid BMW 504e, fond farewells and off to bed.
© Pablo de Ronda
Further reading:
Elaine Moore All about Elaine
LOCAL AUTHORS - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)
Days of (Ronda) Wine… and Roses - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Acknowledgements (Photos):
Ashley Brocklehurst
Trip Advisor
Tags:
aguacate, albondigas, Alhambra 1925, Andalucia, BMW 504e, Bodega San Francisco, bollo de calamar, bollo de filete, Chinchilla, chorizo al tinto, Claus, Copenhagen, Denmark, El Alcazar, Ellen, Estrella Galicia, Granada, Hotel Ronda Valley, Jaen, La Caña, Lunares, mojo picón, Niño Leon, patatas bravas, rabo de toro, rollito de salmón, tapa, Toro Tapas, tosta de salmón
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Published at 10:35 AM Comments (0)
ImPRESSive!
Friday, February 23, 2024
La Asociacion de Prensa de la Costa del Sol (Costa Press Club), of which I've been a member for some dozen years, is a social grouping of journalists, writers and other media people living and working in Southern Andalucia. The group is international; present at last Tuesday's get-together were English, Welsh and Scots; two Australians; two Germans; an Argentinian, as well as a couple of Spanish.
Pre-amble
The February get-together for a presentation and dinner was earlier this week at Restaurante La Alvaroteca in Malaga City.
An impressive 34 members and guests turned up, the highest attendance yet in the 20-odd year existence of the association.
What was the attraction? The restaurant where we were to meet? Or, the speakers? A combination, I think.
The chosen restaurant on this occasion was La Alvaroteca, in the centre. After a pre-dinner vermouth-based cocktail and a natter, we occupied our seats in the private dining room, and were treated to three talks by publisherd authors.
Two women and one man, ranging from 70-odd down to 22 years of age. Two were/are members of the CPC.
The evening was introduced by Joanna Styles, CPC committee member and the organiser of this event, and compered by Neil Hesketh, the new chairman, elected following the sad and premature death last year of previous incumbent Dane Jesper Sander Pedersen.
"Writing and publishing under the microscope"
The panel of authors taking part in the presentation included a Scottish lady, an Englishman and a Welshwoman.
First up was Joan Fallon, a Scottish-born lady who has lived in southern Spain for longer than she hasn't. She is the author of 18 published books, one non-fiction and the rest novels, usually set against a Spanish historical backdrop. Joan is a long-standing member of the Costa Press Club. Joan managed to find a publisher,
Nick Foster, an Englishman, writes novels based on true crimes. Nick splits his time between Spain and the Netherlands and has half a dozen published books. He self-publishes and his books are available from Amazon.
Katie Lewis, born in Spain of Welsh parents, is the "new-kid-on-the-block". Just 22, she is tri-lingual and has one book published but several others in the pipeline. She also self-publishes. She writes fantasies in English and translates them herself into Spanish.
All three spoke about their own backgrounds and what inspires them to write, and offered advice to aspiring authors.
After a few questions from the audience, we settled down for the main event. We were getting a bit peckish!
La Alvaroteca
Dinner was a menu de degustacion, comprising a wealth of exquisite tapas. My wife, an occasional guest at these functions, and no mean cook herself, declared it to be the best yet of the several CPC dinners she has attended. We were served the following:
Ensaladilla de Gambas
Tosta de Arroz Negro, Anguila Ahumada y Ali Oli
Coliflor a la Crema
Chipirón en Salsa Americana
Merluza, Holandesa y Lechuga
Postre - leche, Tomillo y Calabaza
Then, it was all over. People got into their Ubers and Bolts and headed off home. We just ambled across the road to our hotel, the reasonably-priced Hotel Goartin. We had planned a mini-break around the CPC meeting, so that we could enjoy a couple of days on the coast and in magnificent Malaga.
© Pablo de Ronda
Factfile:
Costa Press Club, http://costapressclub.com
La Alvaroteca, C. Gerona, 38 bis, Cruz de Humilladero, 29006 Málaga Teléfono: 680 62 52 14
Hotel Goartin, C. Gerona, 32, Cruz de Humilladero, 29006 Málaga Teléfono: 952 36 51 35
Joan Fallon, Home - Joan Fallon, Amazon.es: Joan Fallon: books, biography, latest update
Nick Foster, Amazon.es : nick foster
Katie Lewis, (5) Video | Facebook - "A Curse of Love and Law" is available in both English and Spanish and is the first of a series.
Acknowledgements:
Liz Parry (official chronicler of the Costa Press Club)
Karl Smallman (photo of the authors)
Paul Whitelock (all other photos)
SUR in English (background information)
Tags:
Alvaroteca, Asociacion de Prensa, Costa Press Club, Hotel Goartin, Jesper Sander Pedersen, Joan Fallon, Joanna Styles, Katie Lewis, Malaga, Neil Hesketh, Nick Foster, Pablo de Ronda, Sur in English
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Published at 10:32 AM Comments (0)
“Tropicana” Romántica
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Celebrating St Valentine’s Day in style
The Tropicana is a restaurant in Ronda. We used to go when it was a tiny place on a corner on Avenida de Malaga. Then, around 2019, they purchased premises in the centre of Ronda, and refurbished the local. Then came the Coronavirus pandemic, with its lockdowns, and the team, led by father and son, both called José Antonio, had to adapt their plans. Since the “all clear”, however, this fine restaurant has established a strong reputation and it’s hard to get a table these days. Well, it's number 2 in Ronda on TripAdvisor.
14 February 2024
We tried to book last year, but they were full. This time I booked a few days in advance and there was no problem. On arrival last night, there was a sign outside informing would-be diners that Tropicana was fully booked.
Polite staff showed us to our table in a well-designed and spacious dining room. We checked out the menu to a background of foreign voices, some English, but, astonishingly, lots of Italian. Was there a conference in town?
Of course, at 8.30 pm there were no Spanish – far too early for them.
Our food
For our entradas (starters) we opted to order two and share.
We went for ensalada tropicana, which as the name suggests had some tropical fruit in it with a variety of leaves and a scoop of ice cream. We also chose croquetas de la casa. Both were delicious.
For our main courses Rita chose pulpo (octopus) and I went for conejo (rabbit), which you don’t see much on menus these days. But what to drink? Red? White? We went down the middle and chose rosado – Cloe, from local bodega, Doña Felisa.
Rita found her pulpo sensational, and I thoroughly enjoyed my conejo. There was no buckshot to contend with, which has been my experience in the past.
The wine, nicely chilled, went well with both the “fish” and the “meat”.
Nicely replete, we nevertheless shared a dessert, tarta de zanahoria (carrot cake). Not too sweet, except for the Chantilly cream which we ended up scraping off.
All in all, a very pleasant evening. The bill came to 106 euros, which, for what we’d consumed, was perfectly in order.
The best bit was, Rita paid, her Valentine’s gift to me.
© Pablo de Ronda
Photos:
Cover photo courtesy of Restaurante Tropicana
All other photos by Paul and Rita Whitelock
Further information and Links:
Restaurante Tropicana, Calle Virgen de los Dolores, 11, 29400 Ronda (Malaga)
Tel: 952 87 89 85
www.bodegadoñafelisa.com
www.help-me-ronda.com
Restaurante Tropicana - Restaurante Ronda (negocio.site)
Tags:
Bodega Doña Felisa, Cloe, conejo, croquetas, ensalada Tropicana, Pablo de Ronda, pulpo, Rita, Ronda, rosado, tarta de zanahoria, tropical fruits, Tropicana, zanahoria
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Published at 9:42 AM Comments (0)
Kilómetro 26
Monday, February 5, 2024
As we all know, exits from motorways and main roads correspond to the distance in kilometres from the start of that road. For example, all roads leading from Madrid start at kilómetro cero. The Carretera de Sevilla (A374) in Andalucía starts at Algodonales (Cádiz) and continues to Ronda (Málaga) at kilómetro 34.
The title of this piece, Kilómetro 26, refers to the exit to our house, but also to four hotels, three vineyards, two real estate agencies, the Spanish Foreign legion barracks and around 50 fincas.
This area is not a town, nor a village, but a pedanía, a district. Its name is Fuente de La Higuera, after the spring at the area’s heart. It has its own mayor(ess), and an active Asociación de Vecinos (AVV), a neighbourhood association.
Hotels, guesthouses, vineyards, estate agencies and casas rurales
Ronda Valley Hotel
The hotel right by the exit at kilómetro 26 is the Ronda Valley Hotel. The name was changed fairly recently by the Portuguese owners, probably unaware of its similarity to the name of an area in South Wales, the Rhondda Valley.
Locals and delivery drivers still know the hotel as the Hotel Don Benito, the name it had for several decades.
The Ronda Valley (nee Don Benito) is my local. It’s the second-nearest to my house, but, crucially it is open every single day of the year. Other hotels are seasonal and close for the winter.
I visit my local most days, either for an early morning coffee in the spring and summer months or for pre-dinner drinks in the evenings all year round.
Most of the patrons are locals, neighbours or folk who work in the area. These locals are farmers, agricultural workers, vineyard staff and off-duty legionaires. All Spanish.
There is also a sprinkling of foreigners (guiris), either tourists or residents. I am one. We are commonly referred to as ex-pats, but I prefer the word immigrants, because that is what we are.
The hotel is always busy and often full. The rooms are well-priced, so the Ronda Valley attracts lots of tourists, as well as commercial travellers. There is also a large free carpark, a massive terrace, a pool, tennis court and padel court. And, a restaurant. And the bar.
And it’s only seven minutes’ drive to Ronda.
I really like the Don Benito. It’s better than any local I ever had in England. Friendly staff, friendly locals and friendly prices.
***
Hotel Molino del Puente
100 metres along the road is this English-run hotel and restaurant. Ian and Elaine Love met as youngsters on the Costa del Sol. They got together, married and ran a successful restaurant in Cabopino, The Harbour Lights. They had three daughters.
Then after thirty successful years they decided to sell up and move inland. They chose Ronda, where they found, bought and renovated a dilapidated mill, and turned it into what it is today – a charming three-star hotel and acclaimed restaurant, La Cascada.
Photo courtesy KAYAK
***
Love Viviendas
With offices based at the Hotel Molino del Puente, this relatively new estate agency is run by the aforementioned Ian Love and his middle daughter Carly Love. They are both experienced in the field, Ian inland and Carly on the coast. Now they have combined their expertise and experience and have developed a portfolio of properties across the whole of the Serrania de Ronda.
Love Viviendas
Telephone: +34 619 056 055
***
Cortijo La Perla Blanca and Bodegas Badman
From the hotel, take the right-hand fork and in 100 metres you come across the entrance to this mini-country estate. Up a 50-metre drive through a field of vines, you first come to the elegant cortijo, now a bijou hotel around a central courtyard. The rooms are well-appointed and expensive, but they are invariably full, especially at weekends.
Currently in the hands of a family from South Africa, they have been busy re-organising and tidying up.
Bodegas Badman are housed in a part of the main building and their vineyards extend up the hill. The winery is run by young entrepreneurs Sinbad and Manuel, hence the name of the winery.
They haven’t been going long but have steadily built a good reputation for their wines. They have already attained Denominación de origen (DO) status, which is equivalent to Appellation Controlée (AC) in France.
We like their tinto made from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.
***
A1 Inmobiliaria - Real Estate
Retracing your steps to the T-junction, turn right and after about 50 metres on your right is this independent estate agency.
A1 Inmobiliaria is a solo outfit run online by Paul Whitelock, although he works in collaboration with a number of other companies (see below).
A1 has a small portfolio of properties predominantly in Ronda and Montejaque. The properties range from hotels, bars and restaurants to small businesses, to fincas, apartments and village houses. We have visited all properties listed and know the owners personally.
A1 works in collaboration with: Andalucia Inland Properties (Málaga and Cádiz provinces), Inmobiliaria Atica (Ronda), Emma Inmobiliaria (Ronda), Montejaque Holiday & Service (Montejaque), Ronda Realty Properties (Ronda and Arriate) and Sierra Estates (Arriate).
Tel: Paul (+34 636 52 75 16)
English, French, German and Spanish spoken
***
Bodega Joaquín Fernández
Continuing up the hill, turn right at the fork and after about two kilometres you come to this ecological bodega. One of my favourites. I’ve done a couple of tasting tours there in the past led by Joaquín’s son “Moses” (Moises).
Unfortunately, Joaquín retired and sold out to an English pair. The new owners have decided to close the winery to the public – so no more tastings - and concentrate on wine production.
My favourite of their wines is a dry white wine made from black grapes. Delicious!
***
Hotel Molino del Arco
A bit further on along this country lane and you fetch up at the Hotel Molino del Arco, another mill conversion, which is now a 4-star hotel.
Spanish-owned and run, I know very little about this place. They seem to want to keep themselves to themselves. I think it’s guests only.
It's a beautiful and tranquil spot.
Tel: (+34) 952 11 40 17
info@hotelmolinodelarco.com
***
Finca Retama
Another five minutes further on and you reach a delightful casa rural, which has a 3-bed, 2-bath apartment in the main house and a separate luxury 2-bed 2-bath country villa with disabled access.
There is a large pool set in lawns, a sauna, table tennis and extensive grounds.
Owners Nick (English) and wife Julia (Hungarian) live on site and personally welcome their guests.
Between them, they speak English, Spanish and Hungarian.
www.fincaretama.com
Tel: (+34) 666 40 73 33
***
Bodegas Gonzalo Beltrán
Going back to the exit from the main road at kilómetro 26, on the other side of the road is a dirt track which takes you down under the railway line to the main buildings of the winery. Gonzalo has vineyards throughout the Valle del Tajo, below the town of Ronda, but this is his HQ.
My favourite wine of theirs is a tinto called Perezoso (lazy).
***
Campamento de la Legión
A little further on past several houses, many of them abandoned, is the Spanish Foreign Legion barracks. This army grouping was modelled on the infamous French Foreign Legion.
There are just two Legion bases on the Spanish mainland: here in Ronda and in Almería in eastern Andalucia, three hours away.
Apart from deploying troops to trouble-spots, as part of Spain’s commitment to NATO, La Legión is very active in the community, organising events and hosting tours. The most important of their events is the 101, a race for cyclists, runners and walkers. This take place, normally on an annual basis, over a weekend in early May.
The distance is 100 kilometres. The cyclists need a couple of hours or so, the quickest runners around six hours, and the walkers quite a bit longer. They are still walking past our house (the route passes through Fuente de la Higuera) in the early hours of Sunday morning.
***
Epilogue
So, Kilómetro 26, just an exit off the A374 road from Ronda to Sevilla, but an interesting one, I think. I wonder whether all junctions lead to such exciting places. I doubt it.
© Pablo de Ronda
Further reading:
Days of (Ronda) Wine… and Roses - Secret Serrania de Ronda
Early Morning Coffee (eyeonspain.com)
PLACES TO EAT - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)
PLACES TO STAY - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)
The other "Ronda valley" (eyeonspain.com)
Three new kids on the restaurant block - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)
What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? (secretserrania.com)
Tags:
101, A1, A1 Inmobiliaria, AC, agricultural workers, Almeria, Andalucia, Andalucia Inland Properties, Appellation Controlée, Badman, Bodega, Bodega Badman, Bodega Gonzalo Beltran, Bodega Joaquin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabopino, Campamento de la Legion, Carly Love, Cortijo La Perla Blanca, Costa del Sol, Denominación de origen, DO, Don Benito, Emma Inmobiliaria, farmers, Fernandez, Finca Retama, French Foreign Legion, Fuente de la Higuera, Elaine Love, Fernandez, guiri, Harbour Lights, Ian Love, Inmobiliaria Atica, Joaquin, kilometro 26, kilometro cero, La Cascada, local, Love Viviendas, Madrid, Manuel, Moises, Molino del Arco, Molino del Puente, Montejaque Holiday & Service, Moses, NATO, neighbour, off-duty legionaires, Pablo de Ronda, Paul Whitelock, perezoso, Rhondda Valley, Ronda, Ronda Realty Properties, Ronda Valley, Sevilla, Sierra Estates, Simbad, Spanish Foreign Legion, Valle del Tajo, vineyard, winery
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Published at 11:55 AM Comments (2)
OLIVERs all over the place
Saturday, February 3, 2024
Did you know that in 2023, Oliver was the most common given name in the United Kingdom? That being the case, I’m surprised I only know two Olivers, and neither was born in the UK!
Oliver F, 19, was born in Ronda of English and Hungarian parents, and is a student.
Oliver D, German, is a joiner, who lives in south Germany, in Montejaque’s Twin Town, Knittlingen.
Famous Olivers
I also know “Oliver!”, the musical (1960) and film (1968) based on Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” (1838), written by the late Lionel Bart.
I also knew of and admired the late actor and rabble-rouser Oliver Reed (1938-1999). He was in some memorable films, including the afore-mentioned Oliver!, as well as Curse of the Werewolf, The Triple Echo, with Glenda Jackson(d), Women in Love, The Devils, and the musical film Tommy! His last film role was in Gladiator in 2000 (it was released a year after his death in 1999.
Oliver Cromwell (1599 – 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of the British Isles. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially as a senior commander in the Parliamentarian army and latterly as a politician. A leading advocate of the execution of Charles I in January 1649, which led to the establishment of The Protectorate, he ruled as Lord Protector from December 1653 until his death in September 1658. Cromwell remains a controversial figure due to his use of the army to acquire political power, and the brutality of his 1649 campaign in Ireland.
In Germany, arguably the greatest ever football goalkeeper for the national team was Oliver Kahn. He is now a big cheese at Bayern Munich and a TV pundit.
He was loathed by English fans, because he was so arrogant, and so bloody good!
Staying in the land of my wife, Rita, there is a fashion brand in Germany called s.Oliver, but it’s out of my price range.
Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), the tubby American half of the comic duo Laurel and Hardy, starred in umpteen Hollywood films of dubious quality.
Oliver Stone, US film director (b. 1946). Stone started his film career writing the screenplays for Midnight Express (1978), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Conan the Barbarian (1982), and Scarface (1983). He then rose to prominence as writer and director of the Vietnam war film drama Platoon (1986), and Born on the Fourth of July (1989) for which he received Academy Awards for Best Director and Best Picture for the former and Best Director for the latter. He also directed Salvador (1986), Wall Street (1987) and its sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010), The Doors (1991), JFK (1991), Heaven & Earth (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), Nixon (1995), Any Given Sunday (1999), W. (2008), and Snowden (2016).
Jamie Oliver, the TV chef, I got to know briefly when he filmed in Ronda, Benaojan and the Serranía for one of his TV cooking shows.
One event was especially fun. He learned how to cook a massive paella in Benaojan. Read about it here.
There's a film on YouTube about Jamie's visit to the Serrania de Ronda. Click here.
Oliver is also used for place names. In Spain there is a barrio of Zaragoza that bears the name. In the USA, Oliver is the name of towns in Georgia and Pennsylvania.
“My” Olivers
Oliver D lives in Knittlingen, the German twin-town of Montejaque and Benaojan (Malaga). One day in 2020 I got a phone call out of the blue:
“Hallo! Mein Name ist Oliver. Ich bin ein Freund und Kollege von deinem Stiefsohn Johannes.”
Oliver told me he was a friend and colleague of my German stepson Johannes. They are both cabinet makers/joiners, ie top quality carpenters.
Oliver told me he was planning to come to southern Spain for an extended trip with his young second family: wife Lily, three daughters and a baby son.
He wondered if I could help him out with accommodation, perhaps in exchange for his labours.
Long story short, they stayed in my house in Montejaque rent-free in exchange for work on our three houses. He also picked up a few other paid jobs with local friends and neighbours.
The three girls attended the local colegio and mum Lily enrolled on a local Spanish class.
We struck up a great friendship.
A year later we visited them in Knittlingen during a trip to Rita’s family in Germany, and enjoyed a great lunch with them.
For more on this, click here.
Oliver F is the elder son of friends Nick and Julia, English and Hungarian respectively.
Ollie was born in Ronda and has lived here all his life. He attended local schools until the age of 13 then went off to the alma mater of his father in Somerset, where he sat his A-levels in 2023 gaining a great set of results. He has a place at Exeter University starting in September 2024.
With three schoolfriends Ollie is off to the Far East for four months. In fact, they have just left. In order to finance the trip, they all had to earn a tidy sum.
Ollie has been industrious and hard-working. He has worked on a vineyard in France, in a local hotel, in a couple of local restaurants, and has been a gardener and general dogsbody for his dad, Nick, and for me.
I’m very pleased with what Ollie has done at my place, ranging from strimming, to lawnmowing, from cleaning the pool, to constructing a log store and generally tidying up.
You can read about Ollie’s work for me here.
© Pablo de Ronda
Note: On a similar theme Eye on Spain blogger Only Joe King recently wrote about all the "Lola's" he has known. Click here.
Further reading:
HOW TO ..... build a LOG STORE? (eyeonspain.com)
“Quick! Hire a teenager while they still know everything!” (eyeonspain.com)
Ollie and Lily (eyeonspain.com)
Acknowledgements:
Alamy
Decline21
FilmAffinity
Joe King
Legends
Pablo de Ronda
www.secretserrania.com
Tapas Magazine
Wikipedia
Tags:
Academy Award, Any Given Sunday, Bayern Munich, Benaojan, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, Born on the Fourth of July, cabinet maker, Charles Dickens, cleaning the pool, Conan the Barbarian, Curse of the Werewolf, Exeter University, Gladiator, Glenda Jackson, Heaven & Earth, Jamie Oliver, JFK, joiner, Julia, Knittlingen, Laurel and Hardy, lawnmowing, Lionel Bart, logstore, Lord Protector, Midnight Express, Montejaque, Natural Born Killers, Nick, Nixon, “Oliver”, Oliver Cromwell, Oliver Hardy, Oliver Kahn, Oliver Reed, Oliver Stone, Oliver Twist, Ollie, Pablo de Ronda, Platoon, Ronda, Salvador, Scarface, Serranía, Snowden, Stan Laurel, strimming, The Devils, The Doors, The Triple Echo, tidying up, Tommy!, vineyard, W, Wall Street, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Women in Love,
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Published at 6:29 PM Comments (0)
What’s in a name?
Monday, January 22, 2024
By Pablo de Ronda
Parents often find it hard to name their new-born babies. In some countries of course, it is straightforward; tradition dictates that the first-born son takes the father’s given name. Problem solved. In others, especially catholic countries, by convention a Christian name must be religious or biblical. Some countries have an official list of forenames and only names on that list are permitted. In others certain names are taboo and avoided. In the majority of secular countries, anything goes.
Preamble
One of the first questions to be resolved by couples who are about to become parents, when they learn of the sex of their baby, is “What are we going to call him/her?”
They will often not be short of advice from relatives and friends. “You’re really going to call her that, are you?”
Others will say “Too modern, too classical, very long, very short.”
Seriously, though, naming a child is not to be taken lightly. A child’s name is, after all, it’s calling card.
Trends
In some western countries, eg the UK and the USA, names come in and out of fashion. Who, today, would name their child Elvis or Madonna? Back in the day many did.
Names like Wayne, Lee and Darren have pretty much come and gone.
Going further back, how many British females alive today are called Elsie, Gladys or Hermione?
My four British grandsons are called Felix, Wilbur, Jude and Buckley. Quite unusual, although Jude has crept into the charts lately.
A noticeable trend in Germany in the last few decades has been to choose Nordic forenames, like Lars, Björn, Ronja or Freya.
My German step-grandchildren are Anton, Madita and Lotta, the latter two characters from children's stories by Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren.
As for the tradition of naming the first male child after the father, a certain former American Heavyweight Boxing Champion, took it to extremes. George Foreman named all five of his sons George also, and one of his seven daughters Georgette. Vain, or what?
George Foreman [Photo: Mundo Deportivo]
Tables or lists
A list of the most popular forenames based on registered births in the UK in the year I was born, 1950, revealed the following:
Top 5 Baby Names for Boys in 1950
1. James
2. Robert
3. John
4. William
5. Richard
Top 5 Baby Names for Girls in 1950
1. Linda
2. Mary
3. Patricia
4. Barbara
5. Susan
70-odd years later, there has been quite a change.
Top 5 Baby Names for Boys in the UK (2021)
- Noah
- Oliver
- George
- Leo
- Theo
Top 5 Baby Names for Girls in the UK (2021)
- Amelia
- Olivia
- Isla
- Ava
- Freya
Note that there are no names common to either list.
Official Lists
In some countries, eg Spain, certain names are banned. Indeed, there are official lists of approved names enshrined in law, la Ley del 8 de julio de 1957 of the Civil Register. It is regularly updated to account for changing trends.
Banned names include Hitler, Judas, Osama Bin Laden, Loco (Crazy) and Caca (Shit); names of fruits; acronyms; complete names of famous people, eg Rafael Nadal, Pedro Sánchez; commercial names such as Chanel, Nutella, Mercadona; surnames.
So, the daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow and Nick Martin could not have been named Apple if they had been living in Spain at the time.
Classic names such as Martín, Mateo, Hugo, Lucas; and Lucía, María, Martina, Julia and Sofía are still, popular. Up and coming are Leo, Enzo, Thiago, Noah; and Alma, Mía and Chloe (according to the Instituto Nacional de Estádistica (National Statistics Institute).
No Restrictions
In many countries there are no restrictions, including, as mentioned earlier, the UK and the USA, as well as Germany, but by convention, in none of these three countries has the name Adolf been in use since the Second World War.
Apparently, back in the late 30s, Adolf Hitler’s brother is rumoured to have lived in Liverpool, UK. Rumour has it he changed his surname smartish! However, my extensive research has failed to verify this as fact.
© Pablo de Ronda
Acknowledgements:
Carmen Barreiro (Diario Sur)
Diario Informacion
FirstCry Parenting
NHS
Wikipedia
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Published at 11:38 AM Comments (2)
Bar International
Tuesday, January 16, 2024
My local is the Ronda Valley Hotel just outside Ronda. It sits in a valley. Hence the name, I guess.
Named for decades Hotel Don Benito, it is still called that by the locals.
It’s a bit of a landmark.
Delivery drivers from DHL, MRW, Boyaca, Correos Express usually ring up to check where you live.
“Do you know the Ronda Valley Hotel on the Seville road?”
“Never ‘eard of it, mate!” is the usual response.
“What about the Don Benito?”
“Yeah, I know that …”
Hotel Ronda Valley
I digress.
I like the Don Benito (sorry, Ronda Valley). It’s near my house. It’s open every day. The staff are delightful. And the prices are OK, albeit slightly dearer than in the villages or in Ronda.
But, if you drink there, you don’t burn lots of expensive fuel getting to Ronda nor have to pay exorbitant car parking charges.
It’s a short walk or an even shorter car trip and the car park is huge and free.
International
A good handful of foreign local residents use the bar in the evenings for a pre-prandial drink or three.
Since Covid-19 lockdown rules were relaxed and the explosion in tourism in Andalucia since 2022, the number of foreigners who stay at the hotel has rocketed.
Added to that many of the staff are from overseas, most from Latin America, and most on the WorkAway programme.
Foreign locals
I’m there for an early morning coffee when I can. As a result I am known by and also know lots of neighbours and local workers. No foreigners at this ungodly hour!
I am also there four or five evenings a week when the neighbours have switched from their breakfast coffee and a chaser (anis, Miura, Patxaran or coñac seem to be the alcoholic tipples of choice) to something more substantial like a whisky and coke, or a vodka and lemonade (not for me I’m afraid, at 6€ a pop!)
This is when the foreign locals also come. Most, by far, are beer drinkers: Nick (English), Julia (Hungarian), Oliver (English/Spanish); Jim (Irish), Helen (English); Vic and Si (English); David (Scottish) and Dagmar (German); Ian, Elaine (both English) and their daughters Robin, Carly and Megan (English/Spanish).
Occasional visitors are Peter (English); Paul (Yorkshire) and Synnove (Danish).
Foreign guests
Over the years I’ve got chatting to travellers from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Holland, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, USA.
Interesting.
Foreign workers
The hotel has benefited from the use of Workaway volunteers. Since Covid, most seem to be from Latin America. Currently there are three argentin@s, una uruguaya and dos chilen@s.
In the past there have been workaway@s from Austria, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Russia, Slovenia and USA.
Some have stayed for months; others for less time. To a man/woman they have all been pleasant, polite and intelligent.
Last week
One night last week I popped into the RV for a drink, as is my wont. I hadn’t arranged to meet anyone, so I used the time to catch up on my mobile phone messages.
That went well for about half an hour, until suddenly I found myself in a fascinating conversation with two Chileans and two Argentinians.
Felipe, just arrived, is 34 and from Chile. He is a physiotherapist, and now a Workaway.
He has lived in Ireland, the UK, and Portugal, and is now in Spain for a period. He speaks good English, so most of our conversation was in my mother tongue. Felipe sees his future here in Spain.
His “missus” Andrea is also Chilean, aged 33.
The two argentinos, who arrived a month or so ago are tall and handsome Lucas (26) and beautifully-formed Victoria (25).
Another argentino, on the full-time staff, is Gaston. His wife, also called Andrea (incidentally the name of my first ever proper English girlfriend when I was a teenager) is from Uruguay.
On Friday I came across a couple of Danish pastries, I mean ladies, mum and daughter, who were guests at the hotel.
Lotte, 50, and her daughter Mie, 21, were making a short tour of Andalucia. They’d “done” Cadiz, Sevilla and Ronda, and were planning on visiting Setenil de las Bodegas (Cadiz) before heading to Fuengirola for the last five days of their holiday before flying home.
As you would expect they spoke excellent English.
We ranged through several topics of mutual interest, before Lotte revealed that they had recently bought a holiday home on the Baltic coast. We are invited.
OK, bar talk, but we exchanged business cards and promised to keep in touch. I’ve since viewed their property on the internet. It looks fantastic, just off the beach. Brilliant. I think me and the missus might head off there later in the year.
This week
It’s Tuesday. I haven’t met anybody foreign yet this week (except my missus, she is Deutsch) . I’m off down to the Bar Internacional now for an aperitif or three. I wonder who’ll be there …..
Stop press
I met an English couple, birdwatchers, who know the area and were here for five days.
I also met a delightful Polish couple, Kamilla and Woytek, who came on the spur of the moment from their home in Lodz, Poland.
We spent a couple of hours putting the world to rights. Good stuff.
Further information
Workaway.info the site for cultural exchange. Gap year volunteer for food and accommodation whilst travelling abroad.
Working for free? Why? Er… why not? Part 2. (eyeonspain.com)
Note: Some names have been changed by request.
© Pablo de Ronda
Tags: anis, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Boyaca, Canada, Colombia, coñac, Correos Express, Danish, Denmark, DHL, France, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lodz, Miura, MRW, Netherlands, New Zealand, Patxaran, Peru, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Workaway
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Published at 11:17 PM Comments (0)
The cat is out of the bag!
Wednesday, January 3, 2024
By Paul Whitelock
I've been writing for Eye On Spain for several years under different aliases, although I never really tried very hard to be completely anonymous.
Now it's time to "fess up", so here is a list of all my noms de plume on EOS.
MY COVID-19 DIARY - MARCH 2020 TO DATE
The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world hard, with over 120 million global victims.
I am British, married to a German and we live in Andalucía in the Serranía de Ronda.
This blog contains articles i've written since we both caught Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020. It was a weird life of curfews, lockdowns, masks, hand gel, rules and regulations and, for those of us who were affected directly, the vicious after-effects of the virus, long-covid, bereavement and financial ruin.
I started this blog in the aftermath of our personal experiences with the Coronavirus. Hopefully it has run its course, ie both Covid and this blog.
SPANISH MATTERS - A BLOG IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH FOR THOSE LEARNING THE LANGUAGE
This blog is entitled "Spanish Matters", because it does!
Matter, that is.
If you have committed to living in Spain, in my opinion you should also make a commitment to learn some Spanish. Your life will be enhanced.
So this is a blog about matters Spanish, as well as promoting the notion that Spanish does indeed matter.
The blog contains articles in both English and Spanish. Don Pablo hopes it will be helpful to those learning the language.
The name Don Pablo betrays my origins as a former Spanish (and German) teacher in the UK.
This blog will continue to be added to from time to time.
HOW TO ..... ?
This blog is intended to be helpful to English-speaking foreign residents in Spain by explaining "how to ... " do certain things.
The Crazy Guy has lived in Spain full time since 2008. A fluent Spanish-speaker he reckons he knows his way round the bureaucracy, the indifference and sometimes downright rudeness of "funcionarios".
The Crazy Guy is known amongst the Spanish where he lives as "El Loco", largely because, despite his advanced age, he's always on the go, doing this and that. The Crazy Guy hopes his "How to ..." articles will be helpful to others.
ONLY JOE KING
A light-hearted look at life in Andalucía and Spain in general; its good points and its bad. This blog doesn't pull any punches.
Only Joe King didn't really want anybody to know anything about him. That's just gone out of the window, BTW.
He's blogging because he thinks he has valid things to say. He hopes readers appreciate the pun in the name (Only joking!).
PUNTOS DE VISTA - A PERSONAL SPAIN BLOG
Musings about Spain and Spanish life by Paul Whitelock, hispanophile of some 45 years and resident of Ronda in Andalucia for the last 15 years.
This is my main blog, indicated by the number of posts I have made, already in excess of 100.
SERRANÍA KITCHEN - RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
This blog contains a selection of recipes from all over, in particular from Andalucía, Asia, England, Germany and the wider Mediterranean area.
Contributors include Rita Drechsler, Jovan Le Knorz, Madita Schröder, Carolyn Emmett, Simon Whitelock, Julie Wilkinson and Paul Whitelock, who are mostly members of the same extended Anglo-German family. Rita and Paul live in the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía. Madita and Jovan live in Baden-Württemberg, near Heilbronn, Germany. Carolyn and Julie also live in the Serrania de Ronda and Simon lives near Bristol, UK.
THE CRAZY GUY
The Crazy Guy is known amongst the Spanish people where he lives as "El Loco", largely because, despite his advanced age, he's always active, doing this and that. So, he's "The Crazy Guy".
This blog is about some of the things he's been getting up to lately.
The Crazy Guy (El Loco, according to his fellow villagers) likes to keep busy. He hopes readers of this blog find his experiences interesting. He has another blog on EOS called "How to .....?" which offers advice on how to do things here in Spain, based on his experiences.
THE CULTURE VULTURE
A blog about cultural things: art, music, dance, literature, film and theatre.
The Culture Vulture enjoys the good things in life. These include art, music, dance, film, theatre, and books.
THE CURMUDGEON
The Curmudgeon is a miserable sod. He likes to have a moan. He tackles subjects which many foreigners living in Spain agree with but are too polite to say anything about.
The Curmudgeon is now in his early 70s now and has lived in the Serrania de Ronda since he was 58.
THE HISTORY MAN
This blog contains interesting facts about the history of Spain and things Spanish.
The History Man discovered Spain some 50-odd years ago and he fell in love with the place. He has been resident here for 15 years and takes a keen interest in all things historical, geographical and cultural. He is blogging because he hopes readers will find what he writes interesting.
THE SPANISH FLY - TRAVELS IN SPAIN AND BEYOND
The Spanish Fly is a nom de plume of Paul Whitelock who first visited Spain at the age of 20. Now more than 50 years later, he has been to most parts of the country, including nine of the 12 islands. He has owned property in Andalucía since 2001 and has lived in the region for the last 15 years. This blog is a travelogue about some of the places he has visited.
The Spanish Fly writes keenly about his travel experiences in Spain and beyond. He hopes you enjoy sharing his journeys and are inspired to make similar ones yourself.
***
EPILOGUE
So, now you know. All of these blogs are written by li'l ol' me, Paul Whitelock.
I hope you enjoy reading them. Please feel free to comment.
© Paul Whitelock
Tags: Andalucia, blog, blogger, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Crazy Guy, Culture Vulture, Curmudgeon, Don Pablo, El Loco, EOS, Eye on Spain, History Man, How to .....?, Joe King, noms de plume, Only Joe King, Paul Whitelock, Puntos de Vista, Serrania Kitchen, Spanish Fly, Spanish Matters
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Published at 7:48 PM Comments (0)
CPC in Cala de Mijas - Christmas Party
Thursday, December 14, 2023
On Tuesday night it was the Christmas Party of the Costa Press Club, Club de Prensa de la Costa del Sol, of which Pablo de Ronda has been a member for some 15 years, since he has lived in Spain, in fact.
Photo: Karl Smallman
Along with his wife Rita and 15 other media people and their guests, this hardy international group gathered in Restaurante El Olivo in Cala de Mijas for the group's annual Christmas Party.
Christmas Dinner 2023
Despite having been a member of the CPC since 2009, this was the first time I'd managed to get to the Christmas "do". Well, I've been missing a treat, haven't I? What a great night!
The group gathered in the private dining room of this top class restaurant close to the beach in Cala de Mijas. Those of us who knew each other reacquainted ourselves and several new members were warmly welcomed.
The international group is more a social group then a networking forum, and is all the better for that. Comprised of writers, journalists, photographers, bloggers, web designers and radio and TV folk, the ages range from young to old. I'm not even the oldest, amazingly, and there are members as young as mid-twenty-somethings.
We had the pleasure of sitting with the former editor of SUR in English, Liz Parry; current acting president Neil Hesketh; Georgina Oliver, Arts and Style correspondent; Helen O'Leary, writer and illustrator; Sally Harrison, former actress and TV presenter from England, and her guest Javier from Argentina; and Sabine and Rene von Reth, new members originally from Germany.
Photo: Karl Smallman
Sabine von Reth has just published a book about the couple's experience of opening and running a small chain of Bavarian restaurants, "Bavarian Beerhouse", in London. Her book is called "Prost!" I bought a copy, which I look forward to reading over Christmas.
Photo: Bavarian Beerhouse
The Christmas meal
We had pre-selected our choices. Rita and I both started with spicy duck roll served with guacamole and mango chutney. Then we got a sorbet to clean our palates. For our main course, Rita had fillet of sole in a cava cream sauce on spinach, while I had gone for the traditional Christmas turkey with all the trimmings. Afters was chocolate Brownie with vanilla ice cream for Rita and apple strudel with vanilla ice cream for me. All washed down with copious amounts of wine.
Photo: Paul Whitelock
Christmas Quiz 2023
This was a light-hearted quiz with a Christmas theme, prepared and hosted by Neil Hesketh. It was pretty tough but good fun. We came second.
Secret Santa
We each brought a wrapped gift to a value of not more than 10 euros and we drew lots to pick a present. I got a copy of the game "Snakebite", currently in its pre-publication version. Rene also gave me his gift - some tin mugs bearing Christmas messages.
The morning after
Several of us stayed the night at the nearby Gran Hotel de la Costa del Sol, where we got a favourable rate of 60€ including breakfast. Helen, Neil, Liz, Rita and I met for breakfast, before Neil had to head off for work (sucker!) and the rest of us headed for our various homes to continue enjoying being retired!
Photo: Wikipedia
© Pablo de Ronda
Tags: Bavarian Beerhouse, Bavarian restaurant, brownie, Cala de Mijas, cava, Christmas, Christmas dinner, Christmas meal, Christmas quiz, Christmas turkey, Club de Prensa de la Costa del Sol, Costa Press Club, Georgina Oliver, Gran Hotel de la Costa del Sol, Helen O'Leary, Javier, Liz Parry, Mijas, Neil Hesketh, Pablo de Ronda, Rene von Reth, Restaurante El Olivo, Rita, Sabine von Reth, Sally Harrison, Secret Santa, Snakebite, sorbet, spicy duck roll, SUR in English
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