A few words & pictures of this area not covered in the other topics, to give a flavour of daily life in our village of Cómpeta

The Cómpeteños are fiercely proud of their village, but I think even the proudest amongst them would probably admit that in places our village was getting a bit scruffy. Our new Mayor who, as mentioned on another page was once our priest, (he received a sabbatical from the church to stand for Mayor & took over the position in 2007) felt that Cómpeta was being let down under the previous incumbent. Since taking office he has overseen the improvement of the village, encompassing the upgrading of all the utilities, the laying of new pathways and generally improving the look of the village A lot of small but noticeable improvements have also appeared, such as the petanque pitch with a seating area & pagoda for the seniors to plays cards or dominoes . seats placed at strategic points for resting during the navigation of the village (a lot of which is uphill!). Wooden structures to enclose the rubbish bins all of which add to the general ambience. One of the first items was the purchase of a mechanical street cleaner which is in evidence everyday. (those familiar with Spanish villages will also be familiar with what appears in the narrow streets on a regular basis due to the many four legged friends that abound!). But now the absence of these little presents are very noticeable. Larger projects have also been been undertaken & completed, the main one being the new paseo in the main square, at the side of the church. Where once stood an unused covered market with rubbish bins, there is a beautiful paseo with plaques recording the history of the village.

The Ayuntamiento (Town Hall) employs a regular workforce to carry out general maintenance, rubbish clearance etc, but perhaps not widely known is that some townsfolk are also employed for street cleaning and painting etc. Mothers or the unemployed are required to work at certain times before they receive child or unemployment benefit. This adds considerably to the staffing levels and helps to keep the schools, walls and railings looking pristine and maintained.

the picture shows La Plaza Almijara (our main square) receiving, what is now its regular jet wash

A new edition to the village, a petanqe pitch.

What was once a rubbish tip is now a very useful recreation area.

Already being put to good use

While the men while away the day with various pursuits!, the women folk, after cleaning the house, cooking the lunch etc, spend their spare time exercising. In the afternoon groups of women of all ages can be seen walking around the village. It not only has a fitness ethic it also a way of getting together

the pictures show the Cómpeta card school, complete with guard dog! & the women folk taking their exercise

There are many freshwater outlets in the town, all of which are checked regularly by a local chemist. The water is safe to drink, unless there is a sign "agua no potable" or, (as in the picture) , " No apta para el consumo" in which case DO NOT drink it.

*** I would always advise visitors to only drink bottled water****

Those familiar with Spain will know that it is the responsibility of the householder to take their rubbish to the local bins. In Cómpeta we are well supplied and benefit from a daily service (most important, particularly in the hot weather). Every evening at about 5pm, there are are empty bins put in certain places around the village and collected later. There are also permanent sites, like the one in the picture. We also have an open air tip for garden & building waste.

You will note that there are recycle bins as well (the bottle bank tends to get quite a lot of use!)

(the photos show the main rubbish depository & our local hard working bin men doing their evening round)

The newly reformed football pitch on the highest point of the village - (who would be a ball boy! ) & the new childrens play area

Our local post office, a family run business, has recently been upgraded to a full time post office, as the population has increased. Where once it was only open for 2 hours in the morning. and run from a house in the village, it is now run from a proper office & open during office hours. Those of us who live in the village get a delivery, whereas those who live in the campo have their own boxes.

When upgraded, the post office moved to a larger premise. (above right) This building started life as a ladies underwear factory, then when our Church was being reformed it was consecrated as a temporary Church. It is now a social activities center and post office.*

*The post office has since moved across the road and is now a plush new office type shop (second picture)

Cómpeta cemetery

located to the side of the Ermita San Sebastian and always open. Like all places of rest it is lovely and peaceful and you are welcome to walk round, but please bear in mind that there maybe a service in progress. Unfortunately it is all too often in use as there is a large elderly population. like all the local villages, most generations have stayed and lived their lives here. Because life expectancy here is late 70s early 80s, this by definition increases the elderly population.

the three pictures on the right show the inside of the cemetery, a sculpture outside, (recently commissioned by cudeca and meant to represent the spirit leaving the body) and the entrance next to the Ermita respectively

The picture to the right is the new chapel of rest being built. (Located just below the cemetery), because of the amount of foreigners now living here, being concious of the fact that dying & burial within 24hrs does not allow time for relatives to attend, but also because, although the main religion here is Catholic, Spain on the whole is a secular country & the nearest crematoria at the moment is Torre del Mar (14 Kms away on the coast)

a local wedding (boda),

One of the recent projects initiated by Jose Luis (Mayor) was the restoration of an ancient walkway to the side of the church, most recently a covered market, which had fallen into disuse & disrepair. Now restored and a beautiful addition to the village.

click picture on left to see more

As already mentioned on previous page, Cómpeta is famous for the production of wine made with locally grown muscatel grapes. There are many private houses in the village that make their own , which you can try & buy, as long as you don´t mind what bottle it comes in!. (a 5 litre water bottle is a good favorite). Below is our local brewery, Jarel, which also makes fine wine from the aforesaid grape. Here you can also try and buy, and they will show you the manufacturing process as well.

The bodega is situated on the road between Cómpeta & Canillas de Albaida, in easy walking distance of both

My neighbours wine making

Tapas Variadas