Cold weather and urban stuff.

Well, they said it would be cold and it was cold and still is. I set off out for a run this morning and had to walk a good part of it because the pavements and roads were so icy. These things happen! The ducks and geese were skating on the millpond and all the puddles were frozen. 

 

Later, I walked along the bridle path. Or, rather, I tottered along at the edge of the path as the mud on the main path has turned into one long skating rink. But at least it was bright and crisp then. The clouds came in towards the end of the afternoon. 

And they promised us snow and the snow has come. It's been rather thin, sleety stuff so far, not what you could properly call snow, but it has coated everywhere with white stuff and the grandchildren of the lady who loves in the basement flat were running around throwing (very small) snowballs at each other. Tomorrow is another day. We shall see what it brings but I suspect that I will walk rather than run into the village for the newspaper. 

With all this cold stuff around, it might be time to think of something else. I read today that Vigo's under-used Peinador airport has a contract with TAP airlines for them to fly from Vigo to Lisbon, starting in June or July. Maybe it's time this summer that we gave ourselves the trip to Lisbon we keep talking about. 

I also came across this headline:   
Vigo - El primer "urban market" verá la luz en la calle Progreso (Vigo's first "urban market" will open on calle Progreso). 

My first reaction was to wonder why they use the English expression when you can perfectly well say "mercado urbano". Then I wondered what makes that market more "urban" than all the other market halls around the city of Vigo. There really is no way you can describe them as "rural". And finally I wondered if it had anything to do with the street markets that they have been running monthly at the top of Progreso Street for the last few years, craft stalls and stalls connected to local shops. 

In fact, it's a new development within the old market hall on the street. It's going to be called "Progreso 41" and it will apparently be a mix of gastronomy and culture, modelled on similar "urban markets" in Madrid and Oporto. There will be 37 "locales" - shops/restaurants/whatever - all dedicated to "degustación" or tasting stuff. 60% of them will be food from other countries, 20% delicatessen and 20% what they call "tiendas pop-ups", places which will not be there on a permanent basis but remain for only a few days, or weeks at the most. 

I so like the way they have made "pop-up" agree with plural "tiendas", just as if it were a proper Spanish adjective! 

Food from other countries, eh? I wonder how well that will fare in Vigo. The Galicians are not noted for their willingness to try foreign food, almost as suspicious as my grandparents used to be of stuff that was not what they were used to. Sushi bars and Indian restaurants tend not to remain open long, for lack of customers more than any other reason. 

Assuming this all works, there will be a second phase when the upper floor of the building will be adapted to house little shops: barbers, tattoo parlours and the like. 

It will be interesting to see how this fares.