Life in Cartagena

We have house guests at the moment - some of Maggie's family and their lovers. Generally all we've done is to walk, eat and drink with the occasional museum stop to imitate cultural longing. Yesterday we boarded the Tourist Boat for a gentle tootle around the harbour. It's a while since I've been on the boat so I was a bit surprised when there was no recorded "to the left the such and such fort and to the right the old fisherman's quay" - commentary. It used to come first in Spanish and then in English but now all is silence. Anyway we stopped at Fuerte de la Navidad - Christmas Fort. Non Spanish speakers were directed one way and Spanish speakers another. We got to see an English language film extolling the virtues of Cartagena and then we were left to stroll the fort at leisure. As we walked and nosed I realised that the Spanish speakers were getting a detailed introduction to the fort. I joined in. Interesting stuff I thought. Lots about the de...

Despite having a house that we own - paid for, no mortgage - we have paid rent for six of the eight years that we have been here. All to do with where we work. I quite like renting. No worries about upping sticks and going, no problem with the building maintenance etc. Maggie maintains the majority view that rent is money down the drain. Anyway the handle fell off the washing machine door yesterday. We don't deal directly with the landlord but through an intermediary estate agent. Now a handle doesn't sound like much but basically it puts the washing machine out of action so it needs fixing. "No, that's your problems says the estate agent" "What!!" says I, "Wear and tear," says the estate agent. "And if the plumbing goes phut is that fair wear and tear? - it's their washing machine and they need to get it fixed." I was very cross and surprisingly coherent. I hung tough. Having reminded them of a few jobs that they have fai...

There always seems to be something going on in Cartagena. Generally it's not Earth shattering stuff but nice little event after nice little event. Gay Pride last week, classic sailing boats this and we also have the Gastronomy Fair - The Taste of Cartagena. The Gastronomy Fair is simple enough. Nineteen local restaurants with a stall selling three little tapas each. Nearly sixty tapas to choose from. The idea is that the tapas are a bit special - roast pork cheek with peach, crunchy leek and a reduction of soya (I'm not absolutely sure that English uses reduction for a sauce but it sounded right enough) or a pear cake with paté and spicy pepper sauce. The food was great but the thing that impressed me most was the information sheet that came with our food vouchers. It listed all the tapas so it was dead easy to decide what you wanted and ask for it at the stall. How unusual, a menu. What a fab idea to use written information - who knows,it may even catch on.

We hunkered down in front of the telly in a bar last night with copious quantities of alcoholic beverage on hand and an oversupply of small rolls crammed with pig products. We were right at the very front of the room only a couple of metres from the huge telly. The telly hung on a mirrored wall so we could see what was going on in the bar behind us. As the game progressed and the home team seemed unable to gain its normal rhythm the punters in the bar got quieter and quieter and faces glummer and glummer. Fortunately the Portuguese, Britains's oldest allies, seemed to be afflicted with the same problem as England and had sufficient difficulty in kicking a football into the back of a net from 12 miserable yards away. And maybe that man Casillas had a small part to play too. The celebrations, at least in the middle of town, were surprisingly low key. Sunday then.

I'm reading a Spanish book called "Contra la sinceridad" - against sincerity. It's basic premise, so far as I can tell, is that sincerity or honesty is often a bad thing. "I know everyone else says you're a fool but you seem OK to me," or "Crikey, you're a lot fatter than the last time I saw you." Possibly your version of the truth but maybe better not said. Anyway one of his little stories goes like this: In dealing with children the English - who are maybe the most hypocritical and least sincere social beings on Earth - practice this distancing with a cool efficiency. Whilst the Spanish shout across the table "Manolito, don't eat the chicken with your fingers!" the English say, calmly, arching their eyebrows across the starched white linen, - "Manolitoooo!" and the English Manolito guiltily returns to his meal as if he had been given a severe beating. Meanwhile the Spanish child continues to run around, get t...

We live right in the centre of Cartagena, I mean right in the middle. First to pass by our street this evening were the Gay Pride crew to celebrate the end of a week's celebrations for Gay Pride Day. Men in high heels, rainbow flags everywhere and, of course the anthems by Gloria Gaynor and the Village People. Then it was La Roja, the Spanish Selection, the Spanish National Football team taking on the French in the European Cup. The bar at the end of the street has a huge telly outside. Oohs and aahs from the crowd and when the ball ended up in the back of the net the National Anthem. Then the Anthem again. And when it was all over the fireworks started because tonight is San Juan. The celebrations for the longest day/shortest night. I suspect it will be a loud night.

One of my students was shocked at the price of the plane tickets to the UK at the beginning of this month. He didn't know about the English school system of half terms. With more potential customers for the planes the ticket prices had risen substantially. Here there are no half terms. School is just about to finish for the summer break. Maggie's children finish tomorrow leaving the teachers alone for the last week to close down the school year. All being well Maggie will be back at school on September 1st and the children will return a week later. So the school summer break is all of July and all of August. The school day is also a bit shorter for the youngsters in June and in September. At Christmas the term ends, for teachers and children alike, around  December 23rd and they go back around January 8th, a couple of days after the Three Kings have delivered their presents. The Easter break is a bit shorter; all of the Easter week and maybe a day or two a...