Alora introduces compulsory high visibility jackets.

Álora introduces Compulsory High Visibility Jackets


El Día de  los Muertos (31st. October. The day of all the dead people) seemed to go off well. 

El Día de Los Muertos is also Hallowe'en which we (the Spanish included) all love and blame on the yanks. Hallowe'en (I love those apostrophe's)  gets more attention every year and we have taken to buying a bag of sweets to give to the 'trick or treat' (susto o trato) beggars. This year Mrs. Sanchez and I took it in turns to answer the door until we realised that we had both 'treated' the same 16 year old kid twice each. (hood up/ hood down/ t-shirt over head/t-shirt normal plus evil grin). All for a few boiled sweets. I ask you.

The florists made a killing as usual as November 1st. is  'el Día de Todos los Santos' (All Saints' Day )     (pause for PJC to check the apostrophe). This is the day in the year when everyone has to go and visit the remains of their dead relatives. Flowers are the most popular offering but a few football scarves and  the odd plate of callos were reported. Now that virtually  all the niches have been removed from the castillo (castle) which served as the public cemetery for centuries (and briefly as a mass grave for murdered republicans) and the restos (remains) have been  relocated to the newish cemetery across the valley, nobody walked up Calle Ancha on Friday to pay their respects. The gates were shut anyway. 
The new cemetery is about a mile outside the town so the taxis had a fair day too.

                                                                 Niches 


 You'd think they would have put on a bus service for the day but there you are.  There are nine official taxis and they have a taxi stand on Calle Veracruz. I don't know how the drivers manage to make a living. There are  always four or more parked up outside El Boutique del Carne'. (The Meat Shop) They don't work at night if they can help it. We  booked one to take us to Los Caballos for a meal. The driver was really put out when we asked him to pick us up at 11.00pm. He drove us down there and sat waiting for us at the bar, scowling  as we had our dinner. We were out by ten. You can get them on :952 49 6424.

Do you remember this?;

Yes. It's the old road bridge linking Álora to the Barriada del Puente which was smashed in two by the floods last year. 

                                                Now you see it. Now you don't.

                                                       Now you see it again  
  
(well.....a bit of it anyway). It`s turned up 100 metres away on a traffic island. If that was Birmingham it would be gone by morning.

Still no sign of a new bridge or even a footbridge so the good folk of the Barriada have to walk all the way to Álora, with its delightful shops and bars, along the road and that's even before they have to slog up the big hill. The Ayuntamiento (town hall) has built a safety barrier along the side of the footpath to avoid accidents. Good job there's a footpath or they would be facing a 200€ fine if they should forget to wear a high visibility jacket.
We now have a law which allows the Guardia Civil (those nice chaps that fined me 200€ in June) to demand money from  anyone seen walking without a high viz. along a road that hasn't a footpath. I thought this was another Brit story at first so I asked at the Comisaria (police station). It's TRUE! You couldn't make it up. Nanny state gone mad etc.

In Lleida in Catalonia they made all the prostitutes wear high viz. jackets in case the drivers crawling slowly by didn't see them. They managed to get some quite attractive ones which sold very well. 40€ was the multa (fine) for not wearing one. I don't know if the cost of the jackets was passed on to the customers


On a lighter note, Bonfire Night was a flop. Not a lot of enthusiasm here for burning Catholic terrorists in effigy. Heretics and you might be on to something. And they do like fireworks and bonfires here.

8th. November 2013