Month: October 2006

Now this strikes me as one of the easier world records to beat. Aranda del Duero town council puts out an advert telling people that they get to taste some free wine, vote on it, and at the same time beat another world record. Now the Spanish love the whole Guinness Book of World Records concept (it was a popular TV show a couple of years ago, smashing great records like ‘fastest indoor soccer penalty’) and they love wine, so, how many people do you think they got to turn up?

The answer’s in the first comment below, and the winning wine was Abadia-Retuerta, in case you’re wondering!

An emotional radio piece on ageing Brigadistas that came over to fight against facists in the Spanish civil war.

I’ve said it many times before, but if you want to read a good book on the Spanish Civil War, then look no further than Orwell’s Homage to Catalonia.

Cheek to cheek – two kisses, gently placed on either side. Go left (right cheeks meet) – muac – go right (left cheeks meet) – muac! This is the standard greeting for the Spanish, at least when male greets female, or female greets female.

Or so I thought! In one branch of Marina’s family the men also go for the dos besos shuffle when you walk though the door, and up until recently I’d managed to escape by shoving my hand out in a most British fashion. At this weekend’s family gathering, however, having 2 kissed Marina’s cousin, I turned, palm outstretched, to her boyfriend. ‘Ah, come on,’ he said, ‘give me two kisses!’ Stubbly right cheeks meet – muac – stubbly left cheeks – muac!

Like it or not, I’m getting more Spanish – or less British – all the time!

In a recent podcast I was lamenting the state of Spanish underwear/lingerie stores, saying that the way the window dressers pinned out the wares was hardly, well, sexy (the French are much better at this sort of thing!) I was taking a look at my Rastro photos again today when I realised that this image presents a wonderful variation on the theme: tangas strung along a washing line with clothes pegs! See the full sized photo here – an ocean of colour if ever I saw one!