| Mention Benidorm and with it, by
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| | ripped from critical areas. Over the
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| implication, the concepts of package
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| | years the pay had been good, the pressure
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| tourism, hotel buffets, British bars with
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| | significant and, overall, the rewards
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| one euro a pint lager, northern English
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| | worth the pain. But times change, lives
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| Working Men's Club turns imitating
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| | change, priorities change and people
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| something neither themselves nor their
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| | reach fifty.
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| audience have ever been,
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| | This was the time to do something
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| lobster-impersonating spit-burnt
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| | different, to trade income for quality.
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| sunbathers and fried English breakfasts
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| | We bought a house in La Nucia, just five
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| with the bacon already coated in tomato
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| | kilometres from Benidorm's beaches, the
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| sauce, and I would bet that very few
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| | town's skyscraper hotels visible from our
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| punters would auto-associate the phrase
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| | front balcony. Our aim was to establish
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| "cultural experience". More likely,
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| | our own niche business renting the two
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| perhaps, might be the image of
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| | bedroom garden apartment while we lived a
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| over-revelled revellers spewing out from
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| | modest if sometimes indulgent life on the
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| the industrial-sized, garish and scruffy
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| | first floor. We have now been doing this
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| discos along the strip at nine in the
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| | for more than four years, have an
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| morning, seated wavering by the roadside
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| | established clientele and basically have
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| amidst the split, cracked and squashed
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| | achieved what we wanted to achieve. We
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| plastic waste which these no doubt
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| | will not get rich from the trade. That
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| environmentally aware individuals seem to
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| | was never our goal. From the start we
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| generate by the ton.
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| | wanted to offer simple, clean, affordable
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| Benidorm, certainly, is not Spain. Like
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| | accommodation at a reasonable price,
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| many other popular mass tourism resorts
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| | modelling our pitch on the kind of place
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| around the world, it has an identity
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| | middle class backpackers like ourselves
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| which is quite apart from its host
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| | would find both satisfying and a little
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| country or hinterland. Benidorm is not
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| | surprising at the price. And it has
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| Spain in the same way, perhaps, that Kuta
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| | worked well. What we had not bargained
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| is not Bali, Nice not France, nor
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| | for was the "culture".
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| Acapulco Mexico. On the same scale,
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| | For some sixteen of our thirty or so
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| Blackpool is Britain! In effect these
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| | post-graduation years we had lived in
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| places are melting pots of imported
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| | London. We were vultures of the cultural
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| identity, usually with a strong flavour
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| | type whenever energy levels ran to it. We
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| of the largest group of visitors. In the
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| | were friends of the English National
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| case of Benidorm, of course, it's the
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| | Opera during its 'power house' years. I
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| Brits. A fortnight in Benidorm can offer
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| | was a teacher and, during school
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| about as much exposure to Spanish culture
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| | holidays, used to walk from Balham to
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| as the experience of September lights in
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| | central London for the lunchtime
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| Blackpool informed the visitor of the
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| | concerts, St James's in Piccadilly being
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| Lancashire cotton industry. (The past
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| | my favourite venue. Then we moved to
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| tense is highly relevant here.) Equally,
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| | Brunei and then to the United Arab
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| Benidorm juxtaposed with the word
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| | Emirates. In Brunei we were members of
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| "culture" might vie for a definition of
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| | the Music Society and helped to organise
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| "oxymoron", alongside German with humour,
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| | concerts. In Abu Dhabi, cultural events
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| Ireland with culinary and British with
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| | were very much in the purview of the
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| honest. (I may borrow here and there from
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| | diplomatic and private sector people, and
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| our working Men's Club humour tradition,
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| | there was and remains a vibrant cultural
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| but perhaps employing a consistently
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| | life in the city which, after all, is the
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| different skin colour!)
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| | nation's capital. So we were able to
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| Benidorm is known for its seven
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| | attend good quality cultural events,
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| kilometres of perfectly kept, clean
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| | comprising mainly music, theatre and
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| beaches, its year round tourism, its
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| | visual arts, in both places. And then we
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| millions of visitors. It has fine places
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| | came to Spain.
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| to eat in its old town and environs. It
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| | Our initial visit had suggested that
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| has nightlife, theme parks and five star
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| | there was more going on in this sphere
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| golf resorts. It is surrounded by
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| | than a browse through the package tour
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| mountains, has an island nature reserve.
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| | brochures might suggest. But if I was to
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| And in a European sense, the area as a
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| | relate that in the last eight months we
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| whole is truly cosmopolitan and
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| | have been to four operas, four full
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| increasingly sophisticated.
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| | orchestral concerts, ten chamber music
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| So when my wife and I came here about
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| | recitals, five local festivities, an
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| five years ago to claim a November base
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| | international film festival, uncountable
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| while we examined the possibility of a
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| | art exhibitions and goodness knows what
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| life-changing shift from work-a-day
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| | else - and furthermore if I were to
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| pressures, our prime goal was to
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| | qualify this by saying that not once did
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| investigate whether, near this tourism
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| | we have to travel more than ten
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| megalith, there might be space for a
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| | kilometres from home, would you associate
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| small rental business, aimed at those who
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| | this with Benidorm and the Costa Blanca?
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| might crave proximity to the iniquitous
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| | And, if you are mildly surprised by what
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| den whilst also wanting to retain a
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| | I have just claimed, it would probably
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| suburban distance from the rasping
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| | further surprise you to learn that in
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| motorbikes, the hen and stag parties, the
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| | addition to this, Benidorm itself is
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| beachfront Harley Davidson pubs, the
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| | building a new cultural centre, that ten
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| plastic glass discos and even the line
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| | kilometres down the road the new
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| dancing. Well we found our place and took
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| | Villajoyosa Cultural Centre is about to
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| the plunge. What we had not bargained for
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| | open and that this year La Nucia, our
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| was "the culture".
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| | home town, itself opened a 600-seat
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| In that first month, as late-booking
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| | concert hall and a 3000-seat outside
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| package tourists ourselves, we were
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| | auditorium.
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| making our first visit to mainland Spain
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| | Perhaps I need to re-state how local is
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| for 24 years and we were pleased to find
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| | my claim. About thirty kilometres down
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| an odd festivity or two. Having lived
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| | the road from Benidorm is Alicante, a
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| here for a few years we now know, of
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| | regional centre with a nineteenth century
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| course, that it's actually quite hard to
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| | theatre presenting a full programme of
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| avoid them! The Benidorm town band -
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| | ballet, drama and opera. About a hundred
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| symphonic bands are the Valencian
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| | and forty kilometres north is Valencia,
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| tradition, we now know - did a free
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| | where the programme of the spectacular
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| concert in the salubrious Benidorm
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| | new Reina Sofia opera house is
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| Palace, a place whose usual show apes the
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| | coordinated with those of New York's Met
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| Folies Bergeres. The local choral society
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| | and London's Covent Garden. What I have
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| did the Venusburg music from Tannhauser
| |
| | described excludes those venues and only
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| alongside original compositions for the
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| | includes what can be found within ten
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| band and some populist offerings. We
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| | kilometres of where we live, within ten
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| sought and found a sub-set of the band
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| | kilometres of Benidorm, a cultural
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| doing a jazz and Latino evening at the
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| | paradise.
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| CAM Bank auditorium where, another night,
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| | You may have guessed that we are very
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| there was a chamber music recital. Just
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| | keen on music, my wife and I. But we are
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| along the road at the Cultural Centre in
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| | also keen on theatre, dance, painting and
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| Alfaz del Pi there was an American
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| | the arts in general. We don't tend to go
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| pianist who had studied in Barcelona
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| | to pop festivals, but if we did we have
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| playing Montsalvatge.
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| | those locally as well.
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| Similarly, we found a soprano giving
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| | Why not check out the listings for La
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| opera arias in Calpe.
| |
| | Nucia, Altea, Benidorm, Alfaz del Pi,
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| And so we bought the place and we were
| |
| | Villajoyosa and Finestrat? Choose your
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| owners of a house with two apartments, a
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| | time of year and you could attend a
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| beautiful Mediterranean garden, proximity
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| | superb musical event every night of your
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| to the tourist hub, but still very much a
| |
| | stay and I guarantee that the performance
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| part of its own town, a place with
| |
| | standard will be as good as anywhere. And
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| outstanding local services. Our aim was
| |
| | if you can also take in Joachim Palomares
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| limited, pragmatic and clear. After some
| |
| | and his ensemble playing their
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| fifty-six years of unbroken professional
| |
| | arrangements of Piazzolla tangos, or
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| employment between us, we decided that a
| |
| | Altea's April opera week or La Nucia's
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| change was potentially better than a
| |
| | Les Nits festival, you are in for a real
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| rest. We had already lived and worked in
| |
| | treat. And when Benidorm's new cultural
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| five countries and had extended
| |
| | centre is open, imagine glossy package
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| experience of several others, but we had
| |
| | tour brochures offering deals inclusive
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| also concluded that pounds of flesh weigh
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| | of stalls seats for Puccini or a
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| the same the world over. Though we had
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| | performance of Steve Reich's Drumming!
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| gained a few of these over the years,
| |
| | Followed, of course, by a one euro pint
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| having them occasionally demanded and
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| | of lager, bacon and eggs and a northern
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| extracted ran the risk of their being
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| | comic, perhaps.
|
