Free-D

Salamanca seems star struck at the moment, what with the recent royal visit and that of Forest Whittaker and co.  There are, however, other visitors that don’t seem as welcome. You may have noticed that the local press prints something almost every week about the rising level of immigrants and foreigners. Normally such articles aren’t overtly negative, but the constant presence of graphs and pie charts demonstrating the ever decreasing percentage of Castellanos in Salamanca is sufficient to create a sense of unease in the most liberal of Salmantinos. Of course immigration is a complex issue; it’s just our responses to it that sink into caricature. Not that I’ve personally experienced any negative aspects to being a foreigner here. Read the rest of this entry »

I wasn’t surprised upon reading the comments of Sánchez Dragó; the frighteningly named “Dragon” of journalism and “controversial” writer, that they mostly fell within the bracket of “having a good old whinge”. This is a popular pastime in England and usually includes, as does Dragó in his diatribe, easy shots at those in power.  For example, “we’re sick of in-fighting amongst politicians”.  It’s hard to argue with such no-brainers, which is why you’ll find  a dozen old men in every bar in Salamanca saying exactly the same thing. It’s interesting to note the difference in outlook one has on one’s own country compared to that of  visitors.  I suppose that to live in a place is to really know it; but there’s also a kind of blindness which creeps over one with such familiarity. A good example of this, if you’ll forgive a personal perspective, is the wonderful painting my aunt bought years ago in a bazaar in Khartoum. For a while it drew her attention almost daily, but little by little it became part of the background of her life. Nowadays it’s only when a visitor exclaims, “Good lord, is that General Gordon naked on a camel?”, that she notices it once more. What really set the old woolly liberal alarm bells ringing was the Gaceta’s referring to Dragó as “politically incorrect”. Read the rest of this entry »

The comments made  by Francisco Javier León de la Riva, mayor of Valladolid to the effect that his own city’s airport should be expanded but Salamanca’s Matacan airport kept at its current size, drew a sharp but unusually dignified response from our own, loveable Julian Lanzarote last week. It’s a thrilling prospect : a mayoral showdown, with shades of high noon, and it gives Julian the perfect opportunity to look like a good guy (heaven knows he needs it).  Read the rest of this entry »

So fiesta is nearly upon us. This time it’s the February carnival; a weekend of dressing up, drinking and dancing (for some at least).  It’s an embarrassing time of year if you’re an English visitor; the noise of the fiesta making communication all but impossible and the threat of being invited to dance hanging, horribly, in the air. “Dance”: could any concept be more un-English? That is unless you’re referring to those strictly regimented Jane Austen type of affairs. And the Jota’s alright of course; there’s very little physical contact or gyrating in that. Read the rest of this entry »