The Concierto de Aranjuez is a beautiful and haunting classical guitar piece by the composer Rodrigo. John Williams plays it superbly. Many people may wonder- is Aranjuez a person, or place, or a Spanish word for something? It is of course a town, with magnificent royal buildings that this dramatic concerto seeks to encapsulate. Above and below are examples of these edifices.
We are on a campsite at the edge of Aranjuez, next to the lovely winding river Tajo. It all sounds idyllic: all we need are the strains of that very concerto floating over us on the gentle breeze. But no, it is not to be. As I am writing this, at midnight, in the caravan, on Saturday 21st May, we are totally engulfed by the sounds of a thrash metal rock concert close to the campsite. The gig’s star is Angelus Apatrida and his band is bigtime in Spain.
It’s now 8.00 am, Sunday. The concert has continued ALL night at FULL VOLUME and we haven’t slept a wink. Neither has most of the campsite. I know this is Spain where noise is endemic, but surely we should have had some warning, preferably at booking-in time when folks can decide if they want to suffer a sleepless night or proceed to a quieter venue.
Let’s finish on a more serene note, a fountain from the Royal Palace gardens. The palace in Aranjuez was used by the monarchy as a spring residence. It was embellished over the years to increasing levels of opulence. We took a guided tour and were duly amazed at the fine furniture, décor and examples of clothing worn. Photos forbidden, unfortunately. Despite the huge inequality of wealth in those days, the provision of all these items and the upkeep of the palace would have involved and benefited a vast number of artisans who, in turn, would have spend their earnings for other’s benefit. So some crumb of comfort for the plebs.
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