Quote: ‘When I arrived, the Moors and Christians were not yet celebrated, the only parties were those of the Virgen de las Nieves and the Cristo del Sudor’
Los Montesinos born Carmen Ferrández Sánchez is the oldest person in Calpe, having celebrated her 104th birthday on September 6 last year.
“Along with my husband and four children, I can say I am proud that I have been in Calpe for 53 years. “They have welcomed me as a Calpina”, she proudly said.
Over five decades on, Carmen reflects back on memories, with her 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.
“The wedding of one of my grandchildren took place last year. I was in charge of taking the rings to the altar, just two weeks after my 104th birthday,” she said.
“Calpe was a small town, everything was countryside – now it is a capital that has everything,” she said. “When I arrived, Avenida Gabriel Miró was still dirt, there was only the Avargues Winery and a few buildings,” she added.
“It was a very quiet town, but tourism was beginning, with Spaniards from different parts of the country and English people arriving, along with well-known Spanish actors and artists.
“Calpe was a fishing town and I was a pioneer in my bar. Before, nobody wanted octopus, they gave it to me and every day I cooked five or six, 3-kilo octopuses,” said Carmen.
“Sala El Victoria was filled every night, a place where countless artists of recognised prestige passed through. “A weekly cinema forum was held, as well as dances at night on Saturdays and Sundays. Leisure was also limited to the cinema, with western films the highlight,” said Carmen.
Carmen, who spent the Covid-19 pandemic with her daughter, said: “When we arrived in Calpe in the seventies they were building the Maryvilla urbanisation and I ran Bar Larios with my husband.
“There were many workers who came to look for work.”
Carmen, who also lived in Zamora for three decades, first visited Calpe in 1970 on holiday to see her sister, later running Bar Zamora, and the ‘Ace of Pentacles,’ the latter with her son.
“I remember with special affection walking on Sundays through the Manzanera (apple trees).
“That was the novelty and we all wanted to see the ‘Red Castle’ “, she said, referring to the Red Wall, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023.
Construction of the Red Wall houses began in 1968, designed by Catalan architect Ricardo Boffil, his design having Arab influence.
Another of the emblematic places she remembers is Puerto Blanco. “When I arrived the Moors and Christians were not yet celebrated, the only parties were those of the Virgen de las Nieves and the Cristo del Sudor,” Carmen recalled.
