Behind the white walls!

In 1971 and 1972 Maggie and I were in Europe and during this time ‘bounced’ our way across northern and southern Europe in a Citroen 2CV van that was our transport, living, dining and bedroom. Our journey at this time through much of Spain was oblivious to the ‘secret’ war that had taken place during the Civil War and World War 2 and waged by communist guerrillas against the Franco dictatorship. It was secret war due to the support Franco received from the west during World War 2 and the Cold War era. 

Back in 1971 the closest we came to the Franco regime was the ubiquitous Guardia Civil that ‘worked’ in pairs on the plains and in the sierras where we often ‘camped’. They were conspicuous by their uniforms and the fact that they were far from anywhere! The mountains and caves that we today look up to were the cover the guerrillas used for the many and varied attempts to undermine the regime. They were aimed at creating an environment of civil unrest amongst the general population and lead to a communist revolution that would bring back the republic. 

The complicity of the West in covering for Franco during the second world war is well documented. The West was needing Spain to remain ‘neutral’ despite knowing that Franco had befriended both Hitler and Mussolini. Following the war the West was then needing  to isolate Spain from the Soviet Union and the communist bloc. Churchill was not conflicted in saying it was Spain to resolve its government. Principle seldom gets in the way of self interest. 

My reading this day of ‘Between two fires’ by David Baird is a stark and chilling reflection on Spain’s recent past, the bloody civil war (1936 - 39) followed by the Franco dictatorship (1939 - 1975). The book includes a description of the times plus key events and the recorded biographies of those from Frigiliana who were caught up in the conflict, its aftermath together with those who engaged in the guerrilla fighting to restore the republic. The locals were caught between two fires, the Guardia Civil to protect the dictatorship and the guerillas in support of a communist ideology. The guerrilla war was unwinnable in the face of a brutal Franco regime and an exhausted public that sought peace despite the hardships imposed by the dictatorship. 

The death of Franco came without a whimper in 1975. ‘No dancing in the street and no Reds emerged from under beds’.  But there was after 40 years a fear of the future. The locals tentatively used the word ‘democracy’ as they prepared for both national and local elections. The national election however did not deliver the interest in the village as they had expected and those that did campaign forgot that the price of potatoes was more important than the new constitution. 

Families in Frigiliana still wait for justice to the memory of family and friends who died and suffered. The “Law of Historical Memory’ passed by the Spanish Parliament brings some closure to those who have waited so long for the truth telling. Frigiliana was in the front line of the guerrilla war against Franco. The last vestiges of Franco were removed from the street names; Calle Generalissimo Franco has become Calle Real. But changing place names does not take away the loss. San Sebastián is the Patron Saint of Frigiliana with his bloody body torn apart with arrows. Perhaps a fitting figure for the village’s past! He is celebrated in January when he is carried through the cobbled streets to the church where he can overlook the fireworks.. 

In winter and spring time snow is visible on the mountain peaks a view we experienced  when driving on our arrival to a nearby village to buy wood for the fire. The small ‘white’ village of Campeta  brought us face to face with the ruggedness of the mountains and the tortuous roads.The coastal towns, whilst provided with freeway entries, are all downhill from there as you plummet to the sea. The houses are perched high above the Mediterranean Sea with commensurate stunning views. The esplanades are lined with cafes and restaurants with the occasional on the beach restaurant selling not only its seafare but its unhindered view of the beach palms and the blue blue sea. 

In his later book ‘Sunny Side Up’ Baird takes one on his lived journey having experienced Frigiliana in the mid 1960’s and then moving to live here. His is experiential telling of life in the ‘peublo’, the time, the people, the stories and the religious and cultural mores of the villagers. He describes a word never used in the village ‘why?’  Why were ceilings painted green? Why did farmers plant potatoes when the prices were so bad? Why did women go to Mass but not the men? Why did sons laze around while their sisters did all the work? ‘The answer was always  the same “custom”. He muses on how tourists have ‘drifted up from  the coast to see The Real Spain’ and how the Costa del Sol ‘has crept up the valley and on to our doorstep’. 

Today the village is home to the ‘fugitives from the grey skies of Northern Europe’ who have retired or established businesses. They have says Baird replaced the farmers, tractors, farm houses with 4 wheel drives, new villas with their sea views, barbecues and swimming pools. The Brits however have left post Brexit (can’t afford the holidays) and the Swedes and Finns have replaced their house buying. The northerners are moving south. But this has bought cash and prosperity to the village though at ‘the cost of the sale of half the old quarter and the other half up for sale’.  

Tourist buses park daily on the edge of the village and spill their passengers on to the laneways and stairways that cover the village in an intricate pattern of terracing for houses to perch, their whiteness for the world to see. Despite the tourists Frigiliana holds its own as a Spanish village both in culture and cuisine. There are vehicle restrictions for entry and many parts are inaccessible to vehicles. The village has an early morning to late evening buzz with the small shops, cafes and restaurants doing good business. Summers are very hot so months before and after summer spreads the tourist load. The narrowness of the streets and laneways mean the houses are kept coolish but in winter it works too well. Tourists are strung out along the Costa del Sol all year round  taking in the azure blue skies that melt into the sea as the white villages beckon and glisten in the mountains. Frigiliana, despite its tragic history, has a ‘sunny side up’ that has moved beyond its past and opened up for the outside world to enjoy the ambience, conviviality and of course the sun. But some things stay the same; ‘the Mediterranean reflects the same brilliant light, the ancient rituals mark the seasons, the swifts arrive, summer swelters, the grapes ripen and the rains renew’.