Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, April 24, 2012


Coming back from Vigo yesterday on the superb 'middle-distance' trains on this route, I noticed a couple of things. First, work appears to be proceeding on our bit of the high-speed AVE train tracks. But it would be hard to exceed the quality of the current train and the question remains whether money wouldn't have been better spent on remedying the century-old problem that there's only one track. Meaning that one train must get out of the way on another one coming in the opposite direction. In other words, Galicia didn't need the AVE: it just needed a decent modern train track.

The other thing was a man in his 50s or 60s, dressed in a sort of three-piece suit and with tidy, slicked-back hair. With a very short pony tail sticking out of the back of it. A far as I know, this is a privilege bestowed only on bullfighters. Or, in this case, an ex-bullfighter. As is often the way with sightings like this (especially of pretty women), I clocked him again later getting into a car in Pontevedra.

In London, those phone boxes that remain are plastered with cards for prostitutes. These are taken out every night and are back in place the next morning. It keeps someone in work. Anyway, this doesn't happen in Pontevedra and when I walked past the phone outside the health clinic this morning, I noticed there was but a single card pasted to the outside of it - from a humble painter. And no one had yet torn off one of his carefully prepared little strips with his number on. Who can afford paint when you've got food and drink to buy down in the old quarter?

All of which reminds me that today I walked into the town centre using a different route from usual. And was shocked - but not surprised - to see the number and range of shops whose windows were displaying nothing but air. It contrasts with last night when I saw two male students walking out of the shopping centre and getting into two newish cars on which the insurance alone has to be between one and two thousand euros a year. Sons of funcionarios? Successful entrepreneurs? My bet is on the former.

And now I have to go and see my lovely neighbour, Ester, in her Happy Party shop. If it's still in business. So . . .

Finally . . . Dr Osler's word of wisdom for today:-

In seeking absolute truth we aim at the unattainable and must be content with broken portions.

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