Benidorm Station, Spain - 30th July 1966.
The 1966 family holiday was 2 weeks at the Montesol Hotel, Benidorm, Spain. As usual, in addition to normal holiday activities we went searching for steam. Passenger services on the metre gauge line were already dieselised but there was one freight a day with steam - seen here waiting to pass an Alicante bound passenger service.
When we returned to Benidorm from Alicante I left the tape recorder on the train. I realised as soon as the train had gone and we went to the Stationmaster - he couldn't speak English, we couldn't speak Spanish and sign language didn't work. I tried school French but didn't know the word for tape recorder. I had learnt Latin but the Romans didn't have many tape recorders!! I had also done 3 years of Russian and realised I could say it in Russian and, much to my surprise, the Stationmaster understood and promptly rang the next station - Altea - it arrived back on the next train. Of course I was then in the debt of the Stationmaster who was an admirer of Churchill, so when we got home 2 of the recently issued Churchill Crowns were dispatched by my dad to Benidorm, he was also a guitar player and asked if I would record him playing. So as something totally different why not listen to 2 minutes Flamenco guitar playing by the Benidorm Stationmaster? The stationmaster and his wife are pictured below.
ESA10 - Leaving Benidorm, Spain - 30th July 1966.mp3