The village where The Curmudgeon lives is beautiful, a pueblo blanco set high in the mountains of the Sierra de Grazalema. He loves living there ….. except on Thursdays!
The small village where I live some of the time is a great place: friendly locals, a spattering of foreign residents and plenty to do.
However, two problems have emerged this year, which are concerning local and guiri alike.
Closures
Firstly, this village of almost 1000 souls has “lost” five bars / restaurants in 2022 alone. There were 12 on 1 January; there are just seven today, 11 November.
The reason for this is neither Covid-19, the cost-of-living crisis nor the lack of tourists. The five that closed were all for legitimate other reasons, since all five were economically viable. It’s unfortunate that they all came one after the other. Just bad luck: one bar owner retired (he was 66); another closed down (he was 22); three thirty-somethings, who had successfully run two establishments for a couple of years, decided to try something else; and the fifth? His lease was up and wasn’t renewed.
Thursdays
The second problem, which directly inspired this moan from me (and others, I have to say), is Thursdays, funnily enough market day! This is the day of the week when two of the three bars in the square choose to have their rest day. The remaining bar there does not open until 9.00 am and doesn’t offer breakfast. Another café in the village does breakfasts but he doesn’t open until 9.00 am either. The remaining two are pubs, so they only open late afternoons through till the early hours.
Workers, old men and insomniacs, who like an early coffee and a natter, have to get in their cars and drive to the next village. At least there the bar opens at 6.00 am!
It got worse
This Thursday, yesterday, it was even worse. There was nowhere to get a coffee, a beer or a tapa. The two remaining bars that are normally open, were on their annual holidays!
Yesterday everyone was wandering around, lost and confused with nowhere to get a caffeine hit or a chupito. Crazy or what? Everyone was wondering what happened to communication, cooperation and forward-planning? Surely between all the bar-owners and with the "encouragement" of the Town Hall, a contingency plan could have been organised …..
Just saying …..!