The streets are alive with the sound of car horns!!!

At various intervals throughout the day we have been treated to a prolonged session of hooting and pipping, often answered with the lugubrious sound of fog horns from the container ships down at the port which we can see from our window. Everyone seems to be playing the football supporters’ game: if you see a Spanish flag as you drive down the road, pip your horn as loud as you can for as long as you can. The others respond to you and general cacophony ensues. What fun!

Meanwhile, there is apparently some controversy about the origins of Paul, el pulpo adivino. One theory is that he came originally from Weymouth, England, a couple of years ago and moved from there to the SeaLife Aquarium at Oberhausen where he now resides. However, the trainer of this fine specimen of mariscos says that she caught him herself about a year ago in the Mediterranean, off the Island of Elba. If only Paul could speak, as well as make predictions about football matches!

Here in Galicia, other people are claiming to have octopuses (octopi?) who can also make predictions. I wonder of they live in gipsy communities. Whatever the situation, there is a movement to make Paul a pregonero in the Fiesta de San Froilán. This is a festival that takes place in Lugo on the 4th and 5th of October. Like so many folk festivals it had religious overtones originally, involving romerías, mini pilgrimages to shrines up in the hills as a rule, but most of the religious aspect has been lost in the general fiesta atmosphere. There are musical acts, theatre groups, puppet shows, sporting competitions and, of course, lots of pulpo to eat. I have not been able to ascertain what a pregonero does: some kind of announcer, town crier or prayer-reader. Whatever it is, some people think such a role would be a good reward for Paul. Whatever happens, the general feeling is that he should not end up on a wooden platter!

According to Giles Tremlett, writing in The Guardian, and rather to his surprise, national pride has even spread to Catalonia, where Spanish flags have been waved on the streets of Barcelona, a most unusual occurence. They have been having huge demonstrations there because of the criticism of their new statute and the rejection of the idea that they are actually a separate nation. (Personally I find this insistence on separatism rather strange. I tend to think of myself as European and have difficulty understanding why we would want to split countries up into smaller chunks than already exist!) Organisers of the demonstration have been more than a little miffed to see so many Spanish flags!

It’s not really surprising that the Catalans are supporting the selección española, however. Almost half the team play for El Barça, after all. Amazingly, given that Galicia is the centre of the universe, there doesn’t seem to be a gallego footballer in the selección but that’s not stopping everyone here from being very excited about tonight’s match.

In France in the Tour, Alberto Contador (that’s Albeeeeeerrrrtooo Contadoooooo, to the commentators) has just reached third place, gradually creeping up the classification. Yesterday another young Spaniard, Rafa Valls from Valencia, came second in a stage, a tremendous victory for a young man on his first Tour in a team made up entirely of first time Tour participators. And today, yet another, Samuel Sanchez, has also achieved second place in the stage. The Spanish commentators are over the moon.

Spain is clearly on the way to more and more sporting triumph!!! But let’s not count our chickens before they’re hatched. La Roja still has to deliver the goods this evening!!