It was a lovely drive up to the town of Polop de La Marina as the approach features well-landscaped roundabouts decorated with local stone, native plants, and fountains, and the roads were perfectly clean and tidy. Polop is a charming village, known for its picturesque streets, historical architecture, and stunning views of the surrounding mountains and countryside.
We arrived at 10 am expecting to see a crowd of people, because it was the 3rd day of the ‘Festes del Porrat de Polop 2026’, a typical Valencian village fair whose origins date back more than 200 years. Far from it, the town seemed to be deserted!
We took a leisurely stroll, following the winding streets which led up to the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, where the floral offering was to take place, but discovered that the flower procession would not arrive until much nearer noon. It was an opportunity to have a coffee or continue exploring the town’s picturesque nooks and crannies, often flower bedecked. It was great to be joined by Sieglinde (who had come to meet us off the coach) and Bryan, who were known to many of the members on the trip as they had lived in Jávea before moving to the area.
Walking up to the ruins of the old castle was rewarded with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. When the 12th-century Islamic fortress fell into disuse and disrepair by the 18th century, parts of its interior structures were dismantled, and its stone blocks were used to build local Christian shrines and municipal buildings nearby.
A major €900,000 multi-phase restoration project in May 2026 successfully revived the 12th-century medieval fortress, its defensive walls, and the old cemetery site, adding a café bar, with an amazing panorama over the surrounding countryside, for thirsty visitors!
We knew that the sound of the marching bands signalled that the parade of flower offerings was wending its way to the church, so positioned ourselves in the church square or nearby streets to get a good view. The boys and girls looked resplendent in their beautiful costumes, worn especially for the parade, whilst the musicians were divided into their different peñas, and bringing up the rear was the mayor and other local dignatories.
Everyone entered the church and the flowers were placed around the altar, and a mass then took place.
We left at this point and made our way back towards the Plaza de Els Xorros. Stuart put his head around an open door leading into a bar and asked the girl when the opening times were – she promptly gave him a plastic cup full of beer – gratis – before firmly shutting the door!
The information for Polop tells you that In the square you can drink the crystal-clear spring water that flows from its more than 221 spouts – the problem was that only 2 had any water at all! Nor did we see any artisanal stores which were said to showcase traditional local crafts, handmade leather items and structural wood carvings!
Although the water spouts didn’t flow, the chat amongst friends, old and new, certainly did, and we had some refreshments whilst waiting for our coach to return to take us the short journey to the Molí de Xirles Restaurante for our splendid lunch with plenty of water, wine and beer, concluding with coffee.
Group leader, Angela, thanked our waiter, Alejandro, who had looked after us all so brilliantly during the afternoon, and we gave him a big round of applause. Then it was time to reboard our coach and return to Jávea, after what had been a lovely, relaxing day all round.
A special thank you to the following members for sharing their photos: Melanie de Melker, Gilly Macnally, Wendy & John Ranger, Sieglinde for her photos on the Jávea U3A’s Facebook page, and Angela.
Group leader: Angela Chantry
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