Spanish Honours

Every year in Spain the Premio Principe de Asturias is given for, among other things, contributions to the arts. In the past the prize has gone to Margaret Atwood and Woody Allen, among others. In 2007 it was Bob Dylan's turn and last year it went to the Sistema Nacional de Orquestas Juveniles e Infantiles de Venezuela, the wonderful young Venezuelans who charmed us all with their music.

This year it has just been announced that, pipping Vanessa Redgrave to the post and beating home grown Spanish artists such as film maker Carlos Saura and singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat, architect Norman Foster (or rather, Sir Norman Foster) has been chosen. Now, the creator of the wonderfully futuristic Bilbao metro entrances, the amazing 2,460 metre Millau Bridge over the Tarn in France and of course, the (once bouncing) Millennium Bridge in London turns out to be a Mancunian, born there in 1931. It's a small world!

Meanwhile, Spaniards have been winning honours in other fields. Pedro Almodovar has once again been taken to the hearts of the French at the Cannes Film Festival. It would seem that they love his film Los Abrazos Rotos. Apparently, so I read in one of the local papers, the French appreciate his films more than the Spanish because the former watch them sin prejuicios y de forma objectiva!

And, finally, vigues fireman Vicente Alonso has been doing his bit for the reputation of Gallegos from Vigo in the Tall Ships Race. He has been on the Dutch boat Tecla which made it to Tenerife earlier than expected, before the Tenerife port authorities were ready for them by all accounts, thus winning the first stage of the race.

The Dutch captain, Vicente reports, is a real sea dog, un autentico lobo del mar, but the secret of their success is having Gallegos on board: Ganamos porque ibamos gallegos en el velero y somos muy competitivos. Now he can't wait to rejoin the boat for the last stage and has already bought his ticket to Ireland to do just that.