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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250119
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20250120
DTSTAMP:20260406T142608
CREATED:20250105T135645Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250107T120744Z
UID:11328-1737244800-1737331199@anglophone-direct.com
SUMMARY:Festivals: Olives in Espolla & Beans in Santa Pau 2025
DESCRIPTION:TWO FESTIVALS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE…..19th Jan 2025\nOlive festival\, Espolla and bean festival\, Santa Pau\nPlants\, olive related produce\, photo exhibition of decorated doors and balconies\,  donkey rides\, bouncy castle\, Castellers….…bubbling beans and local wine….. \n\nJane Mann describes her visit  to the olive and bean festivals in southern Catalonia…..Quite a few years ago since she visited the festivals so some things might have changed…..but the principal is the same! \nBean festival\n \nIt had a bit of the feel of hacking through a Borneo rain forest. \nFallen trees obstructed forward progress\, huge roots turned off piste scrabbling into an assault course of titanic proportions. \n“It’s just an hour’s gentle stroll through the woods to Santa Pau\, gives you an appetite for the bean feast” Ellen had said. \nBut the previous week’s tempest had strewn enough trees across the path to render strolling unrealistic. We were not young\, we were not particularly fit but we did want to experience the bean festival. \nFamous locally for the excellence of its dried beans\, this was to be an opportunity to taste and buy any number of them in the delightful medieval village that hosted the annual feast and visit the olive oil festival at Espolla.  Two festivals for the price of one… \nWe did eventually burst out of the forest to the distant sound of medieval festivities taking place in the village of Santa Pau that\, from the distance\, looked authentically medieval. We hastened towards it. \nOlive oil festival\n \nJostling crowds surged through the narrow streets. Bags of beans were being sold at exorbitant prices at stalls lining the route. The crowd was good natured\, Quaint music played\, a few jigged along\, morris dancer fashion. \nSome had plates of beans in hand\, many were imbibing wine from those pointy jug things so essential to all Catalan occasions. The sun shone\, the beans bubbled\, the atmosphere was good\, the views from the ramparts were of farming countryside rolling forever to distant\, distant hills. \nLoud Spanish music drew us to a market place where goods from the orient were competing well with the bags of beans. Ellen bought us all generous plates filled with beans\, a large grilled sausage\, some fatty bacon and a pan tomate. Delicious (except for the bacon). \nWe ate it balancing our feast on the sloping side of a derelict farm cart in a scrap metal yard not far from the passing crowd. It seemed an appropriate spot. \nThe plastic mugs of local wine added a pleasurable frisson to the experience and allowed us all to forget that to regain our cars and make it to the olive festival we still had Borneo to get through. \nFuelled by beans we made it. It was even fun. The sun was setting on Espolla by the time we arrived. \nWe were not late\, many others were jamming their cars into the few remaining places in the car park. There was much olive oil to be tasted. It tasted good and was\, by French standards\, very reasonably priced. \nSoon we were all carrying five litre containers. Honey\, also in generous jars\, was obviously essential. When we could carry no more we repaired to the village bar\, a cavernous neon lit affair full to overflowing with festival goers of all shapes sizes and ages. \nA television was\, for the most part\, ignored\, despite its size and dominant position. The atmosphere was convivial\, conducive to relaxation. Wending our way home felt unattractive. We had another drink. \nShare this:\n				Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)\n				Facebook\n			\n				Click to share on X (Opens in new window)\n				X\n			\n				Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)\n				LinkedIn\n			\n				Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)\n				Pinterest\n			\n\n	Related\n
URL:https://anglophone-direct.com/event/espolla-santa-pau-beans-olives/
LOCATION:Espolla\, Spain
CATEGORIES:Festivals & Traditions,Food & Drink,Markets & Vide Greniers,Over the border
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://anglophone-direct.com/ap_img/dry_beans_web.jpg
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