Rain and the promise of more rain in Alghero

It has just got a little more difficult for the beach traders.

It’s hard enough walking up and down selling everything from imitation designer bags and clothes to towels watches and toys and sun glasses which even on a good day doesn’t get many takers. And today the weather has closed in.  There was rain yesterday and late this afternoon the grey clouds and wind have cleared the beaches.

A few of the traders decided to find an early pitch on the long promenade while the sun still shone.  Now the best spots are by the fairground and close to the harbour.

The fair acts as a huge magnet attracting young and old and even if you don’t like what is on offer there is no getting away from the magic of flashing lights and loud music.

But for me it is the harbour which has more.  For a start there are the boats ranging from humble fishing craft to stately yachts and the very vulgar big boats which drip wealth, and a total lack of taste.

And the harbour is also the gateway to the old town. So it is here that the crowds come and are rewarded by all sorts of attractions from mime artists to folk singers and of course our traders.  But there is a whole different way of attempting to get a sale.  Our traders rarely approach potential customers but instead spread their wares out on the ground confident that people will come to them.  And they do, and in enough numbers to provide an income for the night.

But the warm sun shine of the early afternoon will not last.  Not that the  African trader sprawled out on his bench or the old man resting by the sea wall are aware that a change in the weather is about to descend on us.

They are passed by countless numbers of holiday makers heading for the harbour and the old town, but by the time I get back to the apartment the sky has filled with heavy grey clouds and the rain has begun which will make selling on the streets even more difficult.

Pictures; from the collection of Andrew Simpson