One
of these differences that I mention from time to time is that,
whereas notaries and registrars are all-powerful here in Spain, they
simply don't exist in Anglo-Saxon societies. In the latter lawyers
have the sort of status accorded to notaries in Spain. Whereas here
they don't have anything like the status and the power they have in
the UK and the USA. For better or worse.
Talking
of Spanish customs . . . One of these is to use the word guapa
– meaning pretty, good-looking or attractive – with a frequency
which is at odds with reality. This morning, for example, I heard it
being used between members of a group of 70 year old ladies as they
met for coffee. But, then, I did say the other day that hyperbole and
flattery are very much a feature of Spanish society.
On
a wider 'cultural' theme, courtesy of Lenox, here's the blog of a
Brit who doesn't just dislike Spain but actively hates it. His post
is, to some extent balanced by another contributor and there are
Comments on both sides of the line. I, of course, am on the side of
the angels - those who find that, on balance, Spain offers a better
quality life than the UK. But there are some very basic rules, which
I suspect our disenchanted friend hasn't mastered. For example: Learn
the language. And get rid of your British inability to make eye
contact and smile. It does wonders for customer service. And learn to
manage your expectations and get comfortable with uncertainty and
spontaneity. Oh, and talk a lot. End of lecturette.
I
see the Pope has accused God of sleeping on the job. Personally, I
wonder what the hell He was doing for the tens of billions of years
of earth's existence before He decided to initiate life on it. If,
indeed, He did.
I
posted a video of Córdoba the other night. Here, from the same
source, my Ferrol friend Richard, is another one, featuring the
city's Roman heritage.
Phony,
fraudulent foodstuffs: Now it's fish. Which should, by now, be no
surprise to anyone.
Finally
. . . Feeling off colour last night, I was hoping for a good night's
sleep. But 7.30 brought an indication that bawling Toni was back from
the sea. Either that or the voice of his 16 year old son has quite
definitely broken.
Publisher's
Note:
This blog has a daily readership of around 250. Fewer at weekends and
occasionally quite a lot more. But, at 426, yesterday broke all
records by quite some distance. I have no idea why but wonder whether
the blog was cited by someone else. So, if you are a new reader who
arrived this way yesterday, I'd really appreciate confirmation of
this, either in the Comments below or to this email address. Many
thanks.
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