JC Diary 1965: July 8-12, JC's curious obsession with bullfighting

For me, life continues pretty dull.  I'm fortunate not to to know anyone personally yet who has been confirmed with the Corona Virus.   Maybe, and I reiterate it's a bit of long shot, maybe Ted has had it -- cough and 2-3 days of fever and nothing else -- he isolated for a couple of weeks and is back at work.  The grandkids were here overnight and we had the Easter Bunny here at the house this morning a day early; Max and Bobby worked together really well; Max may complain about Bobby getting his way or being a "baby" but they really are good friends and this is so important in these days of isolation.  

Spring has returned after a couple of lightly snowy days -- Sunny and Cool here with a little more warmth in the forecast. I'm betting the ice comes of the lake on Tuesday about 10 days ahead of normal. 

We join JC and his friends basking in the Spanish late-spring Sun in Pamplona.  This is also the very famous Piedra Monastery that was clearly a highlight for JC as he spoke of it often -- right to the end. 

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Thursday, July 8/65 

We got up at 5:30 am as some Spanish kids woke us offering wine from a goat skin. (They had been up all night as many had). The run through the streets starts at 7:00 am so we went to get a good vantage point. We had seen the minor run the night before as the bulls and some steers are run to the corral. In the morning the bulls run from the corrals to the bull ring. 

First came a mass of young men (mostly Spaniards, but some tourists) then the bulls in among and butting more young fellows. We had tickets into the ring in the morning for 60 cents. In the ring there would be perhaps 500 to 600 young people. In would come a bull running crazily into the crowds and hitting many people if they were not quick enough to dodge. One bull ran into the wooden wall and broke off one horn. It was hanging by some skin but eventually some lucky person got hold of it and tore it off. This spectacle is much more fun than the bullfight itself because sometimes 3 or 4 bulls will be in at the same time and it becomes a real 3 ring circus. We only saw one person carried off but many suffered bumps, bruises, and torn clothing. 

Took Florence to the train station and said goodbye. After much discussion we agreed to spend the next month in Spain and not go to Italy at all. I am very much in favour of this, as I'd like to see a smaller area, but see it well. We left for the Monastery of Piedra between Madrid and Zaragoza. This is now a hotel and had been recommended by two of Robin's friends who were here last year. 

On the way we saw a sign for an MGM movie lot and drove in. They had just finished "Frozen River" and had used tons of white crushed rock to simulate snow. Even had a dock built on land and a clump of maples stuck in the ground. Another picture they were making was in English and was a Russian story. Omar Sharif and Charlie Chaplin star in it. [This would have been Doctor Zhivago which featured Geraldine Chaplin and Sharif but not Charlie... Geraldine is Charlie Chaplin's daughter and still working as an actor today -- you may have noticed her as Wallis Simpson in the crown]. In the middle of a flat land was the set, a house built in the Russian style of 100 years ago. Part of it was covered in white and had icicles to show winter (Temperature 80f). 

On the way from Pamplona I saw some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen. High hills and low villages as we went through the foothills of the Pyrenees. Three vegetation areas were evident: lush tree covered areas; 2nd areas with low shrubs dotting the sandy soil; and 3rd semi-desert hills (on north) with very little vegetation The combination of rock, sand, sun, sky and vegetation is really most dramatic. 

We arrived at the monastery (hotel) around 8:00 pm and are staying until Sunday morning and perhaps longer. After driving through semi desert areas we came up a very lush valley with the monastery situated on the top of a hill ( really small mountain). The mountainous scenery is simply spectacular -- impossible to describe. We have a single and a double room with three meals for about $5.00 a day. After a shower in (in the room) we had dinner and finished about 11:00 pm. A typical dinner is jellied consomme, fish puffs, pork and potatoes, cake and wine. The next day's lunch was varied meats and salad, hard boiled eggs in a liver sauce, veal cutlet and vegetables, ice cream and wine. A brief walk finished the day and I was read for a comfortable bed after a long day beginning at 5:30 am.

 Friday July 9/65 

Woke about 10:00 and had coffee, rolls, butter and jam in the room. Robin and Rod went for a walk around the waterfalls and met some Spanish people from Valencia who told us to visit them when we get there. I stayed to write my diary and will take the trip tomorrow as they both raved about the beauty. There is also a trout hatchery here and the streams are filled with 12" to 18" or 20" trout who swarm if you throw in a nut (walnuts grow here) or something. 

After lunch we went to the pool which is something out of a resort picture ad. The pool is in the shape of a bell and is about 75' at its widest point and deep enough for diving. All around it is a flag stone terrace and on one side this drops off into a valley a few hundred feet deep. On some of the sides which aren't too steep farming is done. Across the valley large hills rise and some are sheer rock cliffs. Again a perfect picture with the sun, temperature about 80f, and a slight breeze. Robin got a picture which shows the contrast (I've heard that Spain is a study of contrast) of rich and poor. A farmer leading three mules loaded with grain which he had cut with a hand scythe and us at this beautiful pool ( all for $5.00 a day). Two girls from California came in yesterday and we met them this morning. They, of course, were at the pool with us this afternoon. Except for an old woman who watched the change house and a French girl who came down we had the pool to ourselves for the whole afternoon until about 7:00 pm when the breeze got up a little and it became slightly cool.
After dinner we had a cognac in an open air but covered terrace and listened to some Spanish guests sing and play the guitar for an hour -- then to bed after a wonderful day.

Saturday July 10/65 

We had an early breakfast and then some tennis with the french girl. One of the rackets broke and we came back to the hotel where we met the owner ( french girl is his guest for a month). Got two more rackets and more tennis. I left early and on the way to the pool talked to the owner Senor Muntadas. He has 2000 hectares ( about 900,000 acres) [John's conversion is way off here. 2000 hectares ( He spelled it Hectors) is only 4942 acres. 900,000 acres would be almost exactly half the size of Algonquin Park... But those were the days before the internet and before the metric system. KM ], his own flocks of sheep, pigs, and vegetable gardens etc. We swam until lunch time and after that took a long walk through the forest with its many waterfalls, streams and ponds. The big waterfall his a grotto behind and we walked in there. Again, the scenery was magnificent. We must have walked for 4 hours because I was pooped afterwards. Naturally with waterfalls the terrain is not flat. The State has leased some land for fish hatcheries which we walked through. In the streams the fish eat everything tossed to them even a cigarette filter. After dinner we had a liqueur made near the Monastery and named after it. And very nice stuff. [I can find no history of this liqueur on the web. Someone may need to go do research in person...] Robin and Rod wanted to go fishing illegally so they left about midnight. Because it was so dark they got no fish and because they returned too late, the doors were locked and they slept outside.

Sunday July 11/65
Another very lazy day in the sun. We have decided to stay until Tuesday morning as the place is so wonderful, life so easy and food so good.

Monday, July 12/65 
More or less a repeat of Sunday. It's lovely to do nothing for a while but now I'm anxious to get on and see more of Spain. The jaunt over to Africa from Gibralter should prove most interesting. Tomorrow we're going to Madrid for a few days -- only about 3 hours from here. [Spanish highways have improved. Today it's a two hour drive most days from Nuevalos to Madrid -- you could obviously take a lot longer. It is lovely, interesting and arid country.]

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