domingo, 6 de diciembre de 2015

BLANCA Y DULCE NAVIDAD



Hoy es uno de esos días en que he tenido la percepción de que ha empezado la Navidad en mi vida. Espinelves se ha convertido en la peregrinación de moda de aquellos que buscan un arbolito para adornar el salón de casa. Además del arbolito, te llevas una caravana kilométrica, una aglomeración mareante de seres buscando la esencia perdida de la niñez, una legión de niños llorando porque les asfixia el ambiente y el estómago vacío por no haber podido comer en alguno de los restaurantes del lugar. Todo se ha masificado por el poder televisivo, por la inercia de las masas faltas de criterio. Ahora se acercan los días en los que acudes a los centros comerciales para hacer todo aquello que está escrito en la los mandamientos de la sociedad de consumo: Comprar entre miles de personas que intentan hacer lo mismo que tú en Zara. Guardar colas interminables para pagar, entre medio de miles de niños corriendo por el Decathlon. Discutir con tu pareja sobre el restaurante elegido para ir a comer con tu familia, porque a ella no le gustó el del año pasado. Discutir con tu pareja sobre el restaurante que ha elegido para ir a comer con su familia, porque a ti no te gustó el del año pasado. Advertir a los tuyos de que no hablen sobre lo mismo  que el año pasado en la comida familiar, porque saltaron chispas y quieres comerte los langostinos sin sobresaltos. Comerte las uvas en las urgencias de Sant Joan de Deu porque alguno de tus hijos o sobrinos se ha descalabrado en el parque, mientras tú te afanabas en la cocina con esa pierna de cordero que nunca  acaba de salir como tú quieres y así agasajar a la familia que viene a cenar a casa. Finalmente llegará la noche de Reyes que será la más fría de todo el invierno y tendrás que aguantar hasta las diez o las once de la noche en la cola para que tu hijo entregue la carta al Paje Real. Tu familia, mientras tanto, estará a resguardo en un bar cercano, tomando algo caliente, entre medio de una turba cabreada porque nadie les atiende. No sé por qué, pero siempre hay un cuñado que no puede ir a la cabalgata y tienes que contentar tú a la sobrinita y que también entregue ella su carta. Esta es la Navidad tal como la veo en mi cuarentena; acaba de empezar y ya estoy deseando navegar en la tranquila cuesta de Enero. ¡Vivir para entenderlo!

Gaelia 2015


martes, 13 de octubre de 2015

JULY IN SPAIN

July is a great month in Spain. Begins the most popular city festival in the county and for me is my number one. Pamplona start the month with San Fermin and the city become like a little planet. People from many countries takes the city during seven days. You don’t feel you are foreigner in Pamplona because Pamplona’s people accept all the people could go to there. Bulls in the street every day at eight o’clock is impressive. Although I couldn’t go to Pamplona, every day I am in front of the TV to watch how the “encierro” finish. Feelings are impressive when you run in Pamplona among the people. Safety late years are getting better due to the big quantity of people run with the bulls. Apart from San Fermín, lot of cities and villages have their summer festivals, having account tourism is very important for many villages in Spain. Economy get better during the summer due to foreigners and Spanish people turning to the families villages resting for a days or disconnecting from the daily city life. Children and young people are on holidays enjoying of three months of summer. Grandfathers take care of the babies while mother and father  are working, if they are lucky and have a job, because nowadays is very difficult; we have around twenty five percent of unemployment. Summer is here and we have to enjoy it, near the beach, nature, or visiting Pamplona for a days. ¡Viva San Fermín!. ¡Gora San Fermin!.

Gaelia 2015

LIVING IN SPAIN IN OCTOBER



 WEATHER

October is the month where autumn begins. The days are getting shorter and lower average temperature, therefore is time to change wardrobe. Mornings are usually fresher, although during the day can wear short-sleeved clothing . We do not usually take shelter, but often imposed the fine jacket. Generally temperature they tend not to have important differences between night and day. It is one of the best months to visit Spain, if what you like is to contemplate its artistic and architectural heritage , as in summer , except for the north of Spain, the weather prevents walking the streets of cities and it is better to spend your time at the beach or near the swimming pool having a drink


AUTUMN GASTRONOMY

In October you can find in the market lot of kind of fruits for these season. Typical vegetables are chicory, artichokes, cauliflower, spinach, pumpkin or cabbage. The mushrooms are a gastronomic symbol of autumn. In brief season mushrooms, chanterelles and truffles starts. On the other hand, is possible to find delicious fruits as oranges, tangerines, pears, bananas from Canary Islands, grapes, grenades, kiwis from our Granada province last years, and one of the my favorites is quince. A famous village in Andalucia named Puente Genil is the most famous place where quince grows.
It is the best time for hunting pheasant, wild boar, rabbit, woodcock, partridge and hare.



EL PILAR FESTIVAL AND OCTOBER 12th.

The most famous festival in October in Spain is The Zaragoza’s festival, named El Pilar, in honour of the virgin with the same name. El Pilar is a very big festival, similar to San Fermín in Pamplona and go thousands of people from other provinces. I’ve ever gone to El Pilar, but people told me they are very exiting with the city full of people, music, gastronomy, etc.

October 12th is the Spanish Day (Fiesta Nacional), reminding when Cristobal Colón arrive to America, the new world. Lot of people thing is not a good idea celebrate the “conquest”, because the incipient Spain took the wealth of America and kill thousands of American Indians. Maybe they are right and it is not anything to celebrate, but on the other hand it was the start of the big meeting between two worlds. If you look the history with the present eyes, perhaps you will not be able to continue your life. Spain as a country did lot of things very bad, but we have the opportunity to recover and contribute to improving the daily life for American people. We have big links to share, and they are an opportunity to say I’m sorry for the previous generations. Is the best way to be united. Usually in Madrid ther is a big military parade of Spanish army, presided for the king Felipe VI since 2013. I had the honour to participate in 1987 when I was in the army in the mountains troops from Navarra.


ROADS


The road network is  influenced by the physical environment, which in Spain is characterized by a very compartmentalized space by mountain ranges and steep relief. In the Iberian Peninsula there are high mountain ranges exceeding 3000 meters (Pyrenees, Betic Cordilleras); interior and surrounding mountains above 2000 meters (Central System, Galician Massif, Cantabrian Mountains and Iberian) and mountains with average altitudes between 1500 and 2000 meters (Montes de Toledo, Basque and Catalan Mountain ranges Mountains) altitudes. Moreover, the central Iberian plateau, which occupies a third of the peninsular surface, has an average altitude of 600 meters. It follows that the country especially due to the large centrally unit has a high average altitude (660 m), making it the second European country after Switzerland altitude (1340 m).

Regarding the density of roads per square kilometer, the situation in Spain has always been lower than that of the most industrialized European countries (Germany and Britain). Inter-city transport was dominated by the railroad until the fifties.


The road network of Spain, according to their ownership:

State Highway Network.
Are those roads that are the responsibility of the State through the Ministry of Development. They are part of both the National Highway, as the motorways of the State.


Secondary highways of Spain: Includes both roads and motorways and integrates, based on ownership:


Regional Network: consists of all the roads of regional ownership (depending on the Autonomous Community)

Provincial Network: it consists of the set of provincial roads ownership (dependent of the Provincial)

Municipal Network: consists of all the municipally owned roads (under the Town Hall)

October is a transition month and it is ideal to enjoy of the nature. 

Enjoy October!


Gaelia 2015



sábado, 10 de octubre de 2015

PUBLICADO EN EL PERIODICO DE CATALUÑA


Relato publicado en EL PERIODICO DE CATALUÑA, el día 10 de octubre de 2015.

Muchas gracias a mis amigos y amigas de la infancia, por los momentos que todavía pasamos y que han inspirado mi pequeño artículo. ¡Sois grandes!



















SUEÑOS DE UNA NOCHE DE SAN JUAN

Me he levantado leyendo la columna de D. Manuel Vicent que publica hoy EL PAIS . ( https://elpais.com/opinion/2025-06-22/noche-de-san-juan-...