Dawn

Dawn

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain: 21.5.20

Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.   
- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain'*

The Bloody Virus 
  • The UK, the USA and - most interestingly - Sweden continue to outpace other 'Top Ten' countries in the deaths-per-million table. Here and here are commentaries on the Swedish situation. The latter ends with the sentiment: Ultimately, herd-immunity may be the only viable defence against the disease, so long as vulnerable groups are protected along the way. Whatever marks Sweden deserves for managing the pandemic, other nations are beginning to see that it is ahead of the curve. Maybe. Nothing is certain right now. 
Life in Spain in the Time of Something Like Cholera
  • I took a friend to get a Covid test last evening, at Pontevedra's Recinto Ferial, or Fairground. She had an appointment for 6.30 and I expected a long wait. But there was no other car in the lanes set up in the car park of the exhibition centre. And, after a couple of minutes of waiting, we were allowed to drive up to the desk inside it. I'm not sure what this tells us about Spain's testing policy/capacity. Maybe it really is quick and easy to get a test, albeit after seeing a doctor who makes the appointment for you.
  • The Olive Press looks here at how faithful Spaniards have been to the much-lauded Mediterranean diet over the last few months. Not very, it seems.
  • If you're still nurturing the dream of a holiday in Spain this summer, your best bet - from June perhaps - seems to be The Balearic and Canary Islands, or somewhere along our long coastline. Definitely not large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. But maybe Galicia's resorts too, which are normally dominated by Spaniards escaping the heat of Madrid and the South which attracts crazy guiris.
Real Life in Spain 
  • This is an informative post on the last days of the Franco dictatorship and the early days of Spanish democracy - from a blogger, Marinero/Sailor, I recently cited. It was this that led me to the wild goose chase I mention below. Though this can't be blamed on Marinero, of course.
  • The books that the Post Office(Correos) refused to keep for me when I went South in early March or to deliver to my neighbour in my absence have finally ended up back in the Netherlands 10 weeks later. I now await their re-delivery
The USA
Finally . . .
  • Got a good personal recipe? Then this invitation might interest you. Be warned that the blog author is a professional photographer and demands 'full res' fotos, whatever they are. Possibly no great challenge, in fact.
  • I spent a good half hour this morning trying to put my posts into a blog on the Eye on Spain web page, only to end up with this message, which hasn't exactly inspired me with confidence:-
Doh! Looks Like We Messed Up
Well, this is a little embarrassing.
It seems we've had a little trouble findng[sic] the page you were after.
Fortunately we've got Homer on the case so we should be able to resolve it soon.
If we can't then please let us know and we'll whip Homer into shape and get this problem fixed for you once and for all. I doubt I'll bother to follow this up.
 

 * A terrible book, by the way. Don't be tempted to buy it, unless you're a very religious Protestant.

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