Valencia (EFE) he is not very good at it; that he is happy in the field, and that he cannot fall asleep if he does not read.
QUESTION: Your ideal summer vacation is…
ANSWER: Being in the countryside, dedicating myself to the trees. My mother has some dry land in her town that we work when we can.
Q: A sunset not to be missed in the province of Castellón.
A: Those of Segorbe, which are very beautiful. I see them almost every day.
Its music
Q: The soundtrack that accompanies you on your journeys from Segorbe to Valencia.
A: Galván Real, a kind of fusion of flamenco and bachata that my daughter listens to when I take her to school. At first I didn’t like her, she seemed very modern to me, and now she’s the one I always listen to when I can put on Spotify and I’m on my own.
Q: Tell me the writers that have accompanied you in your life and the book that awaits you on your nightstand.
A: There have been many. When I was in high school, what I read the most was Noah Gordon, which I liked a lot, and there was a time when I read Vargas Llosa, I think, all of his books. Pérez Reverte I also like a lot. Joe Abercrombie, a fantasy author, is waiting for me right now. I usually read things to escape myself. And I only fall asleep if I read, otherwise it’s hard for me.
Q: Is having your mobile in a drawer at times a utopia?
A: For me it is a utopia, I am connected 24 hours a day. I have a very hard-working president, Carlos Mazón, and he can write at any time. He actually does it, and I think it’s good, because that’s what we’re for.
Q: Does the family that plays cards together stay together?
A: I would like to believe so. It is one of the family hobbies and at least I have passed it on to my son, just as my mother passed it on to our brothers. We play when the weather allows me, which is rarely, but we have a good time.
Q: What do you play?
A: To wink. In the area where my mother is from, who is from Teruel, and in Segorbe, where I am from, winking is the Olympic sport, that is, they play that and almost nothing else. I play since I was little, this is learned at the same time as to walk. I remember my grandfather, who was a sheep herder, when we were ill he would come and we would play as long as he could.
Q: And are you good at winking?
R. No, I think not very well, I have more fans than quality. But hey, I’m also a runner and I haven’t won a race for many years. The important thing is to participate: if only those who win participated, the world would be very boring.
A lucky man
Q: Do you consider that life has dealt you good cards?
A: Yes, I have been very lucky. With everything: with my wife, with my children, with my parents… I have been very lucky and I still have it.
Q: A movie that I could watch many times.
A: I only see them once, but the ones I have seen with my children and they liked the most are ‘Alatriste’ and, although it is not recommended for children, ‘Inglourious Basterds’. My wife is more of movies with more content.
Q: A historical figure that you would have liked to meet.
A: It is possible that El Cid Campeador, who was the first Christian king of Valencia and passed through Segorbe. Or Jaime I, who two centuries later followed the same route as El Cid. Any epic character of those who made history in our Community and in Spain.
Q: What is that about when he grows up he will be a farmer?
A: When I retire, when I leave this, I would like to dedicate myself to the field. It is what makes me happy, it is where I disconnect. Where I disconnect the most is running, but every time I do fewer kilometers due to injuries, or in the field. It makes me very happy to be surrounded by trees.
Q: Is sport part of your day to day?
A: Yes, I have been a marathon runner, I did the one in Castellón three times. Now, at 54, I do less, but I usually run about 40 kilometers a week. I go out between three and five days, and on vacations I sometimes run daily.
Q: Any other sport?
A: Yes, I like all sports. Also play racquetball: in my early childhood we were provincial champions at school.
Q: What is your favorite dish from Segorb’s cuisine?
A: The typical one is the Segorbina pot, but that can only be done if you don’t work in the afternoon: it is a very delicious meal but very farmer’s, very energetic. I like the pot, although I am a pizza and pasta eater.
Q: And would you know how to cook the Segorbina pot?
A: Puff, no, I have delegated the kitchen. My son, my daughter and my wife cook. I am a ham sandwich. At home I prepare the breakfasts and clean up the dishes, but I’m not a cook at all. I would like to count it backwards.
Q: Is Segorbe your paradise on earth?
A: My paradise is my family, and since we all live in Segorbe all the time, yes. I have lived in Madrid, Valencia and Castellón, but where we were born, Segorbe, is the place we like. And we don’t plan to move from there, we are very happy surrounded by family.
We live right in the same place where my grandfather had his last sheep pen and where my wife’s grandparents had their pottery. We’ve been there for generations well and can’t find any reason to go anywhere else. EFE