The
reason why Spain's 'old quarters' (cascos
viejos) are so aesthetically
appealing is that there's nary an ugly building in them. In stark contrast
to the new barrios
which surround them. Or, as a character in Domingo Villar's Death on
the Galician Shore puts it, "In the past, there were were rarely
any ugly buildings." There are, of course, buildings in decay -
like these two below - but the dictum holds true for Pontevedra's gem
of an old quarter.
Reader
Sierra had pointed out that there are far finer galerías
in the city of La Coruña, up on the windy and rainswept NW corner of
Galicia. But it struck me today that - apart from the inclement
weather - there's another reason. Up there, the impressive 6 or 7
storey buildings face the sea and its weather and every floor needs
protection. Here in Pontevedra, where the streets are narrow, it's
only the 3rd floor which is exposed to the elements. So there are no
galerías
needed for the lower floors. Only balconies.
Which
is a nice lead into today's fotos. When I was taking these, by the
way, I was constantly aware that I needed to be quick as people were
about to walk into camera shot. Since I wasn't hard to see, I was
forced to consider two explanations:- 1. They had seen me but didn't
care, or 2. As I've said before, they lacked antennae and were
unaware of that I was doing. I prefer the latter explanation as the
former amounts to very bad manners where I come from.
But
on to the pix . . . .
Final note on the galerías . . . They have a very modern use. Where the building houses offices, they fall within the definition of 'outside' for those who must smoke. Or so it seems.
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