Dawn

Dawn

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Reading Richard Ford’s 1855 Handbook for Travellers in Spain, I was pleased to see his positive description of the Bierzo region of Galicia as “One of the most interesting nooks in the whole peninsula.” Less impressive was his complaint that, although it was an ideal place to grow strawberries, the locals weren’t up to it. But he does confirm that Galician would have become the language of the entire peninsula if only Alonso El Sabio (The Wise) hadn’t plumped to have his legal codes drawn up in Castellano.

Back in the present day . . . Spain’s newspaper editors seem to have had one of those swings of attitude I mentioned yesterday. Now that the government has said it plans to ban the salacious ads which bring them so much revenue, the Association of Newspaper Editors has decided that prostitution is immoral and should be made illegal. Quite what their logic might be is rather lost on me.

Finally . . . Given the ambivalence of many Spaniards to their Arabic heritage, there has so be something ironic about the ladies of Pontevedra putting so much effort into making themselves look Moroccan once the summer sun has arrived. With great success, it has to be said. And mighty fine they look too.

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