Dawn

Dawn

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Ponters Pensées 1.6.16

Pickpocketing: Sadly, both Barcelona and Madrid figure in TripAdvisor's list of the 10 worst cities in the world for this, with the former grabbing the top slot. As they stress: Whether you're a tourist or a local, it's worth knowing how to keep your belongings safe. So, see here for their tips. As someone who had his laptop nicked in bag at his feet in Madrid, I recommend them. As would my daughter, who's twice had handbags taken from next to her feet in bars. In one case by a child crawling below the tables.

First Holy Communions: Despite the low level of religious observance here, these are still a big thing, more for social/cultural reasons than anything else, I suspect. Spring and early summer is the FHC season here, when ridiculously large sums are spent on outfits for the kids and on gift-rich parties for family and school friends, often in an obliging hotel or restaurant. Anyway, here's a foto of a young British boy at his own FHC, some years ago now. And here's an article from ThinkSpain on the subject.



Finally . . . Favourite Spanish Forenames: In 1930, these were:
  • Manuel
  • José
  • Antonio
  • Francisco
  • Juán
  • María Carmen
  • Carmen
  • María Dolores
  • María Pilar
  • Francisca
In 2014, they were:
  • Martín
  • Matéo
  • Hugo
  • Pablo
  • Daniel
  • Noa
  • Daniela
  • Sara
  • Martina
  • Lucía
Favourite Spanish Pet names: These are:
  • Thor
  • Coco
  • Zeus
  • Rocky
  • Aquiles
  • Kira
  • Luna
  • Lola
  • Nala
  • Noa
  • Layka
Imagine a tiny bloody lapdog called Thor.

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