Another Summer Concert & Health Notes

Friday and Saturday (after I’ve gone back to Atenas) the hotel is hosting another concert weekend featuring Debi Nova singing on Friday night from the stage in the swimming pool! Since the Ministry of health is not allowing public venue concerts because of Covid, the hotel gets around that by renting rooms with balconies overlooking the swimming pool, priced by quality of view! 🙂 And a max of 4 to a room. The above link on hotel’s site has photos of earlier concerts with people watching from balconies and below is this Friday’s singer Debi Nova . . .

Debi Nova

There won’t be a crowd of thousands but a fun experience for a lot of young adults I’m sure and a tiny boost to one of the many hotels suffering from the Pandemic lack of tourists. Below are my photos of the setup as it looked on Thursday and I won’t be here to photograph the concert. 🙂 . . .

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Oxcart Parade!

One of 200 or so colorful carts pulled by oxen in the annual Atenas parade.

As I had planned, I got a seat on the outside window bar at Gelly’s Restaurant for a front-row seat for the entire two hour parade including purchased food and drink! Best seat for parade and beats standing that long! It was packed! This is one of the big events in Atenas each year.

It began with horses . . .

As each oxen team got to us they paused in line waiting for their introduction
over a PA system and I assume some judging happened at that spot.

Runaway oxen! This team decided they wanted to leave this parade,
but the Boyero (team driver) managed to keep them in the parade,
after literally going in circles for a few minutes.

Some oxen teams were “in training” and had no cart to pull this time.

Several carts were filled with children having a ball!
Cart Drivers happily allowed for kid photos by doting parents.

Meanwhile the artisans never stopped trying to sell their wares. A big fiesta!
This Latin Crooner began some
beautiful singing as the parade ended.
And more until 10:30 each night!
And I doubt the clown every stopped! 

Tomorrow I leave early for Spanish class as I will stop by Crema y Nata Bakery to pick up a birthday cake I order for David Castillo, our Spanish teacher. Others are bringing drinks, plates, cups, etc. We might surprise him! Then it is back to getting my new house fixed the way I want it. A busy weekend and the new week could be too, though mostly slowing down.