Life in Galicia

Rastrillo - This weekend in Monforte

We are loking forward to a nice warm sunny market in Sober on Saturday the 12th of May and subsequently to the rastrillo en Monforte (Parq de Cond) on Sunday the 13th.

It starts at about 11 am and around 1pm culminates into the local dog show  followed by the last minute sales and purchases before everyone heads towards tappas and lunch. Come and join – have anything in your loft? Bring it along and flog it! The afternoon session is now open!

Here is my mix of news over the last days or so.

No worry job

Undertakers of Galicia have been issued 7% salary increase, over two years, What is not mentioned is if they also agreed to work 7% more. I don’t mind people getting paid a decent wage, but in the crisis being in a job environment that is far from dying out or seeing cuts makes such a decission now incredulously short sighted , specifically as fly-tipping is already on the increase. Article is here en La Voz de Galicia.

But than we do live longer, but not necessarily more secure. Whilst break ins and mugging is on the rise here in Galicia, the US have successful tested their latest missile shield and brought down a missile with a missile. This they are willing to extend tou “our Europen allies”. So goodbye threads from north Korea and the alike –  hello local muggers.  Article BBC US interceptor test.

Less people - No driver

Coincidence? Ferrari was embarrased by a local Chinese emplyee who tested the weelspin of the latest Ferrari on a bit of ancient Chinese wall without people, whilst Google now has permission to test driver-less cars in Vegas amongst real people. Google is driver less

Therefore it does not surprise that the Amerikans will build a “ghost town” but with the latest gadets and technologies such as renewable energies and terrorism security systems.
Also they will test self flushing toilets a spoksman proudly anounced. Well if no one is there – what’s there to flush????

So we all have our moments BUT do not forget this weekend – Markets!!!!

Expat

So you may have realised that we had super luna. The moon is at its closest and at the same time its full moon. This doesn’t happen often – next in 2095 or so.

This translates into a 30% bigger moon, which is 15% brighter, dogs howl 20db louder and its a time of maximum locuras (crazinesses).

Which brings me to Spanish humour. I haven’t fathomed this, but there are some good near misses….

The Voz de Galicia regularly has some great caricatures. Like this one, when we had a lot of fires and amongst them the Fragas do Eume an ancient natural forest area nearly burned down completely. It is blamed on arsonists. – Reino Vegetal – Green Kingdom – Reino Animal – ……..

To the mother of all crisises

This one reads –  Mothersday – To the mother of all crisises……

Cartoons La Voz de Galicia Pinto Chinto

Will be interesting now that the Merkosy is at an end the Spanish and other governments have to look for someone else to blame whilst desperately trying to avoid a n election result like the one in Greece.

The Spanish burocracy is  the number one in the world. It has to be, how else can someone explain to me that in the province Ourense one needs a projecto tecnico (Technical project involving engineers and lots of stamps) to put up a temporary electric fence.

Here is the original article in Ourense digital

Spain is in deep crisis, what better way out of it than institute more laws and decrees.
The latest for regulating tourism. We have to pay 65€ for being reregistered (re!! we are registered already…), now need more paperwork, a proyecto technico, which translates into 1:100 plans drawn by an architect, etc. Who is going to pay for this – You dear tourist – Hope you can afford it.  Please do come – as one tourist family visiting Spain keeps a Functionario family employed for  a year and probably beyond.

Never fear – I still like living here and would not want to move. Just some times one wishes that people charged with looking after our society would have some sense as well and not just getting paid to dream up new regulations. Leaving you with another cartoon from the Voz.

Well, we have picture evidence.

The cow has - spoken -

We now know what Galician cows think about Citroen.

There is never a dull moment in the life here in rural Galicia.

We are now the proud owners of a brand new Citroen, a common make around here, as there is a large factory in Vigo.

It took a long time to learn that the Spanish do not care for automation, at least not when concidering cars.
Maybe it is the stick obsessed macho culture, but trying to buy a used or one year old smaller car that has automatic (piloto electronico), proved impossible. No chance – I, the godfather in the driving seat, determine when to switch gears regardless of economic conciderations.

Buying one in Germany and transfer it with all the rematriculation and all this palaver would cost serious money, so we hagled and ordered a new one here. The petrol / gas-oil savings alone will pay for this in less than 10 years.

The vote - Power to Galician cows

The electronic pilot saves about 10-20% compared to a manual drive, is available for the small but powerful diesel and it is fun.
It does shift a bit more aggressive than the old automatic we had, but also the engine is far more responsive.
And yes, we do 950Km with one filling of  45 liters (sorry I’m metric….).

The highly interesting electronics give present range and consumption. So now there is no argument!, just a decision to make – either pass the dominguero in front and rev up the engine to 20 liter of gas oil –  or stay behind him/her and “enjoy” a range of  more than 1000Km.

When Barbara decided to go shopping in the morning she got an interesting surprise. A local cow had very clearly determined that it did not like the white car in our drive. Specifically as it could not completely squeeze by and had to dump some load to make it into reverse. Well a clear vote…..

Maybe it is becaus it is white. But colour is extra and if you know the typical underground parking here in Galicia and have used one of the sharp cornered metal shopping trolleys, you would not want to pay for spray painting every couple of month either.

A cows voting paper

Its fun, roomy and has the steering wheel on the left side. So no longer any strange questioning looks – how does he drive with his feet on the dashboard? -

Saludos