My Spanish teacher, Beatriz, and her husband, Miguel, invited Colin, Margaret, Jordi and me to the fiesta in La Pobleta d'Alcolea, a small village where Beatriz and Miguel sell bread once a week.
This was the village's annual fiesta. The village was about 30 minutes away from our village. So, we anxiously accepted their invitation.
When we arrived, we saw the small, pretty village perched on top of a small mountain, 1000 meters (3280 feet) above sea level. This is almost twice as high as our village. The scenery was magnificent! (However, I can imagine the winters must be very cold and windy.)
The festival started off with a mass in the village church.
The inside of the church was in much better condition than the one in our village.
I believe this is a statue of San Roque.
When mass was finished, the church bells rang....
....and the procession began.
We walked from the church to the top of a hill overlooking the village, where there is a tiny cross. (Fortunately, the walk was slow!)
The scenery was breathtaking and well worth walk. 
Up....up....up we go. Destination - tiny cross.
When we got to the top, the view was fantastic!
On top of the hill, the priest blessed the cross and prayed for rain....
....then blessed boxes of flat, round, hard pieces of bread - which were then given to each of the people. The flat, round, pieces of bread were made by 25 women - by hand, and from what I could see, each one was different. These were made in Miguel's bakery, and then he baked them.
Miguel is stooping on the ground handing out the bread.
Beatriz is in the red sweater handing out the bead.
This is what the bread looked like.
Like I said, each was handmade and different, some just slightly different.
We hung around on top of this little mountain admiring the view (and me catching my breath) for awhile. I hated to leave it was so beautiful.
The walk back was just as pretty as it was going up.
We then walked back down to the village where snacks were waiting on several tables for the 200+ people that came for the mass and blessing of the cross on top of the little mountain overlooking the village.
When the doors to the building were opened, the people attacked the tables of snacks like a swarm of locust! (I was glad I got my pictures of the tables when I did!)
After most of the people left, Miguel and a few other men started a fire in the bar-b-que pits and prepared to cook a lamb that had been slaughtered and cut up.
When the bar-b-que pits were lit, they were near a pen where a bunch of sheep were penned up and they started getting restless - like they knew what was about to happen and were afraid one of them would soon be roasting on the fire.
Miguel and me checking the meat.
This meal was for the 40+ "invited" guests, which we were happy to be a part of.
Miguel tending the bar.
Beatriz and her friend.
Beatriz and her mother
Miguel's mother
It didn't take long and the meat was cooked and being handed out to the hungry people.
Tables of happy people.
Sauce for your lamb?
Mother and father of Beatriz
Beatriz's father and friends
Floyd, Jordi, Colin, Margaret
Happy and full!
~•~ The End ~•~
2008 May 1 - La Pobleta d'Alcolea
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