SPANISH LIFE/CULTURE
More Beautiful Spanish Towns: These, says The Local, are the latest 13, to be added to the existing list of 44, here. I've only been to one of the latest lot, so far.
Youthful Independence: 80% of Spanish kids in their 20s are still living with their parents, says El País here, in English. Taking these stats and those of rising poverty gives you a rather clearer picture of what's really happening in Spanish society than the GDP growth number that's impressively higher than in most other EU countries. Some folk must be doing rather well. At a guess, older employees with 'old-fashioned' permanent contracts, on a wage considerably higher than the (largely ignored) official minimum. Oh, and civil servants, of course. No wonder most Spaniards aspire to be one.
My Satellite TV: They came today to tell me why I wasn't getting any stations. Turned out to be a defunct LNB. They replaced it with one costing €6.50, while telling me the one I had would be €80 plus. I didn't point out they'd installed this one years ago. To be fair, perhaps, I'd ordered it on someone's recommendation.
Trust: I occasionally say there isn't a lot of this around in Spain. And then you get something like this morning, when the technician said I could leave off paying for their visit and the new LNB until we knew if it was still OK in a few days' time. This is not, by any means, the first time this has happened to me. The personal connection?
SPANISH POLITICS
Reducing That Deficit: Under a verbal onslaught from Brussels, the government has inevitably decided to hit the consumer, by raising taxes on alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and fizzy drinks. All in the interests of improved health, of course. More here on this.
Castro: After making the ridiculous comment that all Spain was united in grief over the old dictator's death, President Rajoy (over?)compensated by sending a second-ranker to his funeral ceremony. The left-of-centre(?) El País has taken him to task on this, saying it was a mistake from the point of view of Spanish interests. They might well be right.
Reducing That Deficit: Under a verbal onslaught from Brussels, the government has inevitably decided to hit the consumer, by raising taxes on alcoholic drinks, cigarettes and fizzy drinks. All in the interests of improved health, of course. More here on this.
Castro: After making the ridiculous comment that all Spain was united in grief over the old dictator's death, President Rajoy (over?)compensated by sending a second-ranker to his funeral ceremony. The left-of-centre(?) El País has taken him to task on this, saying it was a mistake from the point of view of Spanish interests. They might well be right.
LOCAL STUFF
Pigeons: To say the least, these are a bloody nuisance in the old quarter. Especially now the tourists have gone and table crumbs are fewer. Left to my own devices, I'd machine gun them all. Though I usually make do with a large water pistol outside my regular bar. This measure being taken in Barcelona would probably be more socially acceptable. The Pontevedra council said they were going to do it here but, if they did, it hasn't bloody worked. Failing the machine gun option, I'd imprison the imbeciles who feed the flying rats. Though not their poor kids.
Veggie Square: Walking home through this at 3.30 yesterday, I was surprised to see what looked like a police cordon right around the trees. If you look hard, you can see it here:-
And more clearly here:-
It turned out to be say (in some places upside down): Space Free From Macho Violence. None of which I've ever noticed there, to be honest.
That Bread Shop in the Middle of the Road: By diligent investigation, I established that the address of this is in the nearby Rue Ponte, where George Borrow stayed in 1837 or 8. Or, rather, it isn't as there's no sign of it. This is my educated guess as to where it used to be.
The shop seems to sell kids' costumes. Which the owner clearly fears will be purloined some night.
By the way . . . Just along from here is the spot where there are plans for a new crematorium. And where they were astonished to find an extension of the old city walls they already knew about. It's the large dark spot on the left of this satellite picture. The walls are below the greenery. Well, not now.
THE GALLERY
ID Numbers: Reader Sierra tells me that the accuracy of one's ID number can be checked using an algorithm which divides the number by 23, and the remainder determines the final letter. Meaning that: If you altered the number, the remainder would change, and a different end letter is required. See here. So, as my number starts with an X(0) and ends in a P(8), my challenge is to invent a 7 digit number which, when divided by 23, leaves a decimal remainder of 0.348. Which is 8 when factored against 23. If I've got this right, the number X15333326P divided by 23 gives 666666.34782608. Which is near enough. So, this will be my number next time . . . Vamos a ver!
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