Politics, they say,
makes for strange bedfellows. Look no further than Greece, where a
far-left party has allied with a far-right party to form a coalition
that can take on Germany. Sorry, Brussels. I fear the odds are a tad
stacked.
Talking of rogues . . .
I see that joke of a tyrant, Sepp Blatter, has called on Uefa to be
“respectful” of his wish to stay FIFA president for a fifth term.
Is it too much to hope that the organisation has enough self-respect
to oppose him? I fear so.
I've recently
questioned Facebook's efficiency when it comes to tailored
advertising. And now I'm wondering about Google. I've recently made
hotel bookings in 3 cities, ahead of a 4th camino in May. For some
reason, some computer thinks it's clever to keep on advertising these
same 3 hotels to me. I guess it makes sense to someone.
I've indicated the
lengths Spain's traffic police are prepared to go to earn their
commissions and raise tax revenues but this report takes the biscuit
- a couple were fined for speeding in a car being carried by a pick-up truck. As I can testify, the police have up
to a year to notify you of a fine and aren't obliged to provide any
evidence beyond their claim you did what you're accused of.
Though, to be fair, in my case they did supply (after 9 months) a
foto of the back of my car that could have been taken anywhere.
Talking of laws . . .
Though I'm sure it's illegal to carry them, machetes have twice
figured in the British news in the last week. I thought of them when
looking at the array of weapons on display at the flea-market in
Ponters on Sunday - including bayonets, daggers and Japanese swords. But this is nothing compared with what you can buy in Toledo's shops.
Broadswords and battle axes, for example. In the UK, I believe, it's
now impossible to buy anything more than a penknife. Though you can
still get large kitchen knives. Albeit only in kitchenware shops.
And, that said, this government note suggests it's illegal to carry
your knife home.
Galicia's 3 puny
'international' airports finally saw a bit of growth last year,
though mainly in the north coast facility in La Coruña. Which makes
no sense at all. But this tripartite growth was dwarfed by that of
Oporto in North Portugal, which is a serious facility that's grown
from about the same traffic numbers as those of its neighbours in
2005 to almost double them now. All this reflects Spanish regional and local politics
and economics - 'coffee for all' - at their worst. And we don't yet have the high speed AVE to hoover up Madrid passengers. Will
sense ever be seen? Not if La Coruña keeps expanding, it won't.
Going there is akin to using one of Spain's ghost airports. At least
Santiago seems half-busy. By the way, Galicia has
the same population as Greater Manchester, around 2.8m. Which city only
has one (profitable) airport. Possibly still owned, ironically, by a Spanish
company.
Andalucia is famous for
month-long festivities which kick off in April. Here in
Galicia, this week saw the start of Entroido, a 4-week preparation for Lent. And one good example of us having fun is the
flour-pelting fiesta of Domingo Fareleiro in Xinxo de Lima, up in the
hills, near the border with Portugal. Another fiesta will be A
Limia's "Women's Night", when Spanish men yet again display
their predilection for dragging up. Click here for pix of Entroido, as it happens up in the hills, though not down here on the coast.
Finally . . . "What
is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?"
- Sit in any restaurant and you’ll see that one half of a couple
can’t even nip to the toilet without the other feverishly reaching
for their phone to check Twitter or Facebook. The notion of simply
waiting until they come back is palpably last century. Which is why
you see people pass entire cross-country train journeys without
looking out of the window.
And: "Warning: smartphones make you stressed, stupid and less creative." Which is why I don't have one. I can achieve all those without an expensive phone. I think it's the Rioja.
And: "Warning: smartphones make you stressed, stupid and less creative." Which is why I don't have one. I can achieve all those without an expensive phone. I think it's the Rioja.
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