Mascarillas y Musica

It’s very difficult not to talk about Covid-19 when, in reality, it is still all around us. However, we determined that our blog this year should not solely be about the negative impact of a virus on our everyday lives, and we are beginning to find a new regime here in Spain, and a regime that has more than its fair share of agreeable moments.

Summer has most definitely got into its stride, and the daily temperatures threaten to nudge the 40 degree mark. The days are long, languid and mature dictating the pace at which we run our errands. We get up and out early to either take Alfie for a quick turn or water the garden, and then lapse into a sedate glide through the remainder of the day until the temperatures ease in the evening. We can almost set our watches by Alfie’s reaction to the heat. He manages to remain perky until around 10:30 am and then sneaks beneath our bed to hide where it is cool. Occasionally, he may venture out onto the bedroom balcony to grumble at a passer-by, but then the heat once again defeats him.

The wearing of face masks (mascarillas) in all public areas is now mandatory in many regions of Spain, including Andalucia. There is much debate on social media regarding the efficacy of wearing a mask, but interestingly my attention was drawn to a report in the Lancet that showed the impact of wearing masks and other protective gear as a way of slowing down the speed of infection. There are so many statistics floating around, but if the wearing of masks can reduce spread to the reported 54 in every 1000 people, then surely it makes sense to wear a mask as the virus will soon run out of new breeding ground. The wearing of masks is not about protecting oneself, but protecting other people and we are quite happy to do what we can to reduce any risks if it means we can enjoy some of our normal everyday activities.

Some of our non-Spanish neighbours have started to return to the area. We received an email the other day from one couple who own a house in the village. They have flights booked for next weekend but were concerned that their arrival may be viewed with some concern by the villagers. However, the village is very much going about its business, but behind face masks. The bars are open, visitors from outside the immediate area are returning every weekend to enjoy the fresh air, the hiking routes and a drink and tapas afterwards. These rural villages need to get back to some sort of normality, as the income associated with visitors is essential.

Over the last week or so, we have started to get back into our own routine.

We have managed to enjoy a couple of days on the beach, which have been fabulous for the mind and the body! The beaches along Granada’s Costa Tropical have been delightfully quiet and everyone has been enormously respectful of the regulations and the need to spread out. We have opted to rent sunbeds from one of the chiringuitos on Playa Granada, merely for ease and comfort. We can drive down, park right outside the bar, flop onto a sunbed and enjoy waiter service knowing that everything has been thoroughly cleaned and the nearest person is more than likely to be at least 3 metres away if not further.

The Granada Festival of Music and Dance has, naturally, been affected by the current situation, but it has managed to continue with a programme, either via digital means or with a live audience. As travel restrictions were relaxed, we were over the moon to see that one of the world’s best choirs, Tenebrae, were able to get flights to perform in the festival as originally scheduled, and without quarantines. Some years ago, I interviewed the founder of Tenebrae, Nigel Short, for the radio and the choir is one that I will always book to see perform whenever the opportunity arises.

The choir’s free performance as part of the festival took place in the stunningly beautiful Real Monasterio de San Jerónimo in the centre of Granada, at midday on a hot Saturday. Face masks were worn, and the queue to get into the venue was managed very calmly, ensuring that everyone remained a good 1.5 metres away from anyone else. The doors were opened early to allow everyone to be ushered to their seats in the cool, ornate and majestic space, with only 3 people allowed on each pew. Even Andrew and I had to remain 1.5 metres away from each other.

The programme of music, drawn from the mid 16th to early 17th Centuries, included works composed by some of Spain’s finest choral composers, music that was perfect for this building that was built in the early part of the 16th Century. Allegri’s wondrous Miserere was seamlessly placed between works by Alonso Lobo and Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Nigel Short had previously mentioned that this was the first live performance by the choir since March, and that it would be an emotional moment. How right he was. The music was sublime, as we both knew it would be, but the drama and exquisite evocations wrought by performance and space gave us both a chance to take stock and we both shed a tear. For an hour, and despite being masked, we were transported away from the ordeals of the past 4 months and into a world of beauty, tranquillity and reflection.

We have had guests in our Bed and Breakfast, and have started to get into a new rhythm. There is something exciting and refreshing about having guests come to stay for the first time, as we see our home through new eyes and we’re able to remind ourselves how unbelievably lucky we are to be living here. We are not surrounded by crowds of people; warm summer breezes float overhead and we can lose ourselves in solitude, clear air and untamed landscapes.

We have ventured into Granada on several occasions, for appointments as well as for a drink and a meal. The paucity of tourists, while difficult for so many businesses, does bring a new perspective to this mellow city, and sitting in a bar watching a diminished world go by has its own unique sense of peace.

The shortage of tourists has allowed us to book a night-time visit to the Alhambra, which will provide us with yet another unique opportunity to enjoy something magical, and we will undoubtedly try to catch some more performances during what is left of the city’s Festival. 

We have emerged into the intense summer months with a sense of new adventure rather than a life being dictated to by a wretched and insidious virus. We can’t forget that there is some invisible entity that restricts the way in which we live our lives right now; something that prevents us being with our families with the ease that we once took for granted. However, we are hugely thankful that we live where we do, and we love this place more than ever for the way in which we have felt protected and safe. 

We will wear our face masks, and remain a respectful distance away from other people, simply because it is the option that makes sense to us in order to restrict any possible transference of infection, and that is within our control. It is with despair that we read of people being shamed for wearing masks in parts of the UK, and that mask-wearing seems to be yet another factor of the Government’s advisory approach that is there to be ignored. It is equally disturbing that some people here in Spain have decided to voice their own opposition, aggressively, to the mandatory wearing of masks. 

We will take steps to make sure that we protect other people around us; that is the very least we can do. This is even more important now that we are able to get out and about and enjoy this life in Spain, a life that we hope we will never take for granted.