Tarifa re-enacts siege of 1812

TARIFA (Cádiz) – Tarifa was under siege last weekend. Well, it might have given that impression to a wandering tourist. In fact, the town was really under siege by French forces on June 1812, during what in Spain is known as the War of Independence, and the Peninsular War in the UK’s history books. Napoleon’s troops were mostly in Cádiz towards the end of the blockade. The fun and games was presented by an association from Bailén that specialises in re-enactments all over the country – usually in themes related to the French occupation of the peninsula. On Saturday, they re-enacted the battle at La Caleta, which saw the breach of the old town walls (faithfully reproduced by municipal workers during the week) at what was once known as Puerta del Retiro and is now called Plaza de Calzadilla de Téllez. The siege itself lasted for twenty long days, seven of which the people of Tarifa had the scarred wall to defend heroically.

Castle, anyone? No? A fortress, then!

Drastically reduced
from €2.3mm to €1.9mm

SPAIN – You can buy your own castle, or even a fortress, if you have a spare €600,000 to €10million. No doubt as one of the results of the crisis but also because it costs a great deal of money to maintain one, castles are – while not exactly two-a-penny – for sale all over Spain. This country does not have the equivalent of a National Trust, as in the UK, so owners and heirs find it difficult if not impossible to keep them up. Interest has arisen in the last couple of years, mainly from international investors. While most have been in private ownership, several are held by companies and some, a small minority, by the State.

Historic Anthony Quinn’s boat sold as scrap

As she once was

LA LÍNEA (Cádiz) – This boat used to belong to Anthony Quinn. Before that it belonged to the Nazi secret service in World War 2. Now the rusted hull has been sold for scrap, after it sunk in La Línea. The hull can’t say a word, but if it could it would tell us about espionage at wartime, of Anthony Quinn’s escapades in or near these waters, where the film star spent many a holiday. Then there are the adventures of all the people, stars, and crooks and otherwise, who rented Sir Anthony over the years. Such a boat deserved a better end: she sank at the Alcaidesa Marina after a long, tiring life; then the ignominy of being sold for scrap. Sir Anthony’s last owner chartered her out as a recreational item in the area, and was featured in several websites for that business – some still have her picture and description online. When she was last up for sale, the price was €48,000, not long after her half sinking. Her scrap value was a great deal less.

Spanish ship headed for Cuba sunk by CIA

CARIBBEAN SEA (Central America) – The Sierra Aránzazu, a Spanish merchant ship belonging to the Marítima del Norte company and carrying foodstuffs, cloths and a large variety of work tools, was attacked on September 13, 1964, by two launches commanded by members of the Movimiento de Recuperación Revolucionaria [MRR], one of many anti- Castro groups financed by the CIA during the Cold War, and only one year after a rigorous trade embargo was started against the island. For ten minutes that night, the Sierra Aránzazu was shelled incessantly by machine guns and small cannons fired from the launches, destroying the ship’s bridge and chimney and causing a fire that spread quickly throughout.