Today, being the first Saturday in the month should have been the Badajoz flea market. So, bouyed by our success last week at the jumble sale (yes, I know I said I’d write about it, however to sumerise – 2 bedside tables, 6 very Spanish looking wooden chairs, a wash stand and 36 forks) we headed off. Only to find that it is another fiesta and again EVERYTHING was shut. There is less of a frenzy at this time of year, as presents are typically exchanged Jan 6th, so it isn’t quite the same as having all the shops in the UK shut 3 weekends before Christmas.
Even so, we had planned to go to El Cortes Ingles, Carrefour as well as stock up on junk and we certainly hadn’t planned to stand there miserably looking at shut shops.
However, a little light bulbed flashed and we thought ‘Portugal’. So, we nipped over the border and did the shopping we needed in Elvas. Today is Constitution day, which is, of course, unique to Spain. It’s a bit strange though, people who normally work Saturday get the day off – people who don’t normally work Saturday get Monday off. So the shops will be open on Monday but offices are closed. Actually, thinking about it, that probably works quite well.
Anyway, when we were heading into Portugal I just happened to notice a chair that had been dumped. it is a wooden framed armchair and perfect for rennovation. So, we stopped and popped it in to the back of the car. It is, however, in appalling condition, with bits of tree, leaves and general debris hanging off it. We looked even more like gypsies.
And I am sure that this is what the Policeman thought when he pulled us over.
On the way back, we thought we’d go to Talavera. There were three big battles or sieges here during the Penninsular War. There was the Battle of Albueara (These glorious fields of grief – Byron), the Siege of Badajoz (which if you have seen Sharpe, you will know that Sean Bean won single handedly) and the Battle of Talavera. So we thought, as we go past the road to Talavera we’d go in and have a look. There was a siege at Talavera, however there are no signs of any city walls left. We were looking for any reference to the battle and took a turn down a one way road. A nice policeman was sat in his car watching, and pulled us over. I think he wished he hadn’t, and it all got a bit confusing. Particularly when we thought we were supposed to follow him as he led us back to the main road, and judging by the panicked way, after we had been following him for while, he eventually waved us on, I don’t think that this was the case.