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Paul Whitelock is a regular at the popular Bar Rincón in the square in Montejaque. He normally sits outside on the terrace, but yesterday it was too hot, so he went inside. What a surprise awaited him…
Bar Rincón has been an important place in my life since I was 50 years of age.
This is where my first wife, Jeryl, and I fetched up in August 2000 when we came to Andalucía to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary. Back then the landlord was Ángel Martínez, now of Posada del Fresno.
We liked the bar and we liked Montejaque.
Strange things have happened to me in this bar.
At Christmas 2008, I ended up there with my second wife Rita’s two sons, both German, speaking German. Suddenly everyone in the bar was speaking German. It turned out that one of the landlord’s sons, Juan, had gone to the same high school as Rita’s younger son, Jojo, when the family lived in Knittlingen, Montejaque’s twin town.
For the full story click here.
Back to yesterday. When I popped in for a quick thirst-quencher, I stayed inside, as the terrace was in full sun and too hot.
Well, what a surprise awaited me!
There were memorials on the walls of two deceased British friends from the village, Tony Bishop and Philip Edge.
I hadn’t known Tony that long, about five years, but I attended his wedding to Eva Bratek originally from Poland.
Tony and Eva liked the same things: walking, birdwatching, the outdoor life.
In fact they researched and wrote what I still think is the best walking guide to the area, namely Walking in the Ronda Mountains (Editorial Serranía).
Unfortunately, Tony contracted Parkinson’s Disease and in August 2013 fell down the stairs at home. He was rushed by air ambulance to a Malaga hospital but he died the following day.
Philip I’d known for much longer. He pipped me and my first wife Jeryl to the post in buying a house in Montejaque in 2001 that we’d had our eyes on.
A Scot, public schoolboy and a career policeman – let’s face it three good reasons not to like the man! – Philip was very likeable, erudite, well-read, an hispanophile to his boots and nuts about the bullfight. He lost his cancer battle at his second home in Wales.
The memorials I referred to are a plaque in memory of Tony with a very apt quote from my favourite Spanish writer Federico García Lorca.
The other is a great photograph of Philip looking healthy and handsome, as we all like to remember him.
RIP.
