Important people (and shellfish) in Galicia.

This morning we got up late. We’d had quite a busy week with visitors to entertain and lots of running around to do and so we felt we deserved it. As a result, by the time we were up and about Su Alteza la Infanta Elena was already down at the harbour meeting the mayor, Abel Caballero, and the president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, and handing flags over to the captain of the frigate Méndez Núñez. All we saw were a couple of military helicopters hanging around as I went to the bread shop and some imposing looking fighter planes zooming around. Mind you there were probably so many people down at the harbour looking at the boat and hoping for a glimpse of royalty, maybe even a photo opportunity, that you probably couldn’t move. And it’s far too hot a day to be milling about in a crowd. Far better to stay in the cool and then head for the pool later.

Her highness described Vigo as a city which is «dinámica, emprendedora y vigorosa de la que todos los españoles nos sentimos orgullosos». Maybe she could do something about the library in that case, if the place is so dynamic and vigorous and everyone is so proud of it. On Thursday I received a phone call from the library telling me that the book I had reserved was back in the library. They further informed me that I had until Monday to collect it.

As we had a variety of things planned I decided not to collect the book until Saturday morning after seeing our friend Steve off at the bus station. Mistake!!! The library is closed on Saturday in the summer. Not only that but it is only open from 10.00 am to 2.00 pm Monday to Friday!! Does no-one in Vigo do summer reading? Have they not heard of flopping in a chair in the shade with a good book? Truly, the municipal library me saca de quicio – the closest you can get to “does my head in”, literally “takes me off my hinges”!!

Meanwhile in other parts of Galicia they have been having fiestas; it’s part of what you do in summer. In a place called Corme they have just had the Festa do Percebe, the goose barnacle fiesta. Something like a ton of these shellfish was consumed in the space of a couple of hours. A ton of percebes is worth an awesome amount of money. Because they are so difficult to acquire, involving more or less abseiling down steep cliffs and hacking them off the rocks with huge waves crashing around you, they are probably the most expensive shellfish you can eat. And personally I don’t really see why you would want to.

I had never eaten them until the other day when we went out to lunch with our visitor Steve and some Galician friends. In the parrillada de mariscos that we shared there were percebes. Steve described them as looking like the devil’s hooves, which is really quite an apt description. Anyway, we tried them, decided they were all right but nothing really to write home about. Frankly I would rather eat mussels any day. My palate is obviously not sophisticated enough!

On the subject of shellfish, it would seem that Madrid zoo is negotiating for the transfer of Paul, el pulpo adivino from Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany to their aquarium. As with all football-related transfers there is a lot of haggling going on. Will it be a question of handing over some money? Or possibly some money and an animal? Madrid Zoo waits with bated breath to see if the transfer will take place, rather like Barça waiting to see if they get Cesc Fabregas or not.

The Galicia connection with the world cup continues. New items pop up from time to time. The latest I have found is that Doctor José García Cota, resident in Pontevedra and official doctor of the Celta de Vigo football club was the traumatólogo on the medical team for the selección and so accompanied them to Soccer City, the only gallego to vivir el Mundial en directo!!

Watch this space for more exciting developments!!