Back in town and so on.

The first full day back in Galicia, so I get up and run: down to the lighthouse roundabout, left up the hill towards San Joan do Monte, another left round the back of the area, down towards the Carrefour store and a final left to end up at the bread shop and then back to the flat. There was frost on the grass round the back of the area but then it is half way up the hill towards San Joan do Monte, one of the higher places of Vigo where you might expect it to get a little chilly overnight in February. The temperature given on the advertising hoarding down by Carrefour 4 degrees, which is quite cold enough for me. That was at 9.15 this morning before the sun had properly got itself over the top of the hill. 

Out and about yesterday, I noticed that the drivers here are as cavalier as ever in their attitude to traffic lights, especially red ones. As the little green man appears at pedestrian crossing, you don't take it for granted at traffic will automatically stop. Sometimes you have to make sure you catch their eye, ensuring that they have actually registered that you are there. Otherwise, some drivers will regard the light telling them to stop as an arbitrary thing, something they can ignore if they feel there is time for them to get across the stripes of the crossing before pedestrians get to that point. Just before the bottom of Gran Vía, in the centre of the city, there is a set of traffic lights and a pedestrian crossing. On the other side of the crossroads there is another pedestrian crossing, controlled really by the same set of lights. 

Whenever stand waiting at that crossing we feel compelled to stand well back as cars hurtle down the final few yards of Gran Vía, across Urzáiz, swerving into Lepanto Street opposite Gran Vía. One miscalculation, one failure to steer properly and a car is going to mount the pavement and scatter the folk waiting to cross the road. And when the lights change and the little green man appears at the crossing on Lepanto, you always have to allow for the half dozen drivers who have jumped the red light at the end of Gran Vía and, therefore, need to get across the pedestrian crossing so that they are not obstructing Urzáiz. 

Roundabout etiquette or rules or whatever fox drivers too. there was a bit of a bump at one our roundabouts this morning. 

 And people wonder why I don't want to drive in this crazy city! 

Out in the wider world religion keeps up its own craziness. The Pope, visiting South America, has decreed that use of condoms is permissible during the zika crisis. How very enlightened. However, the Vatican has also decreed that for those women who carelessly conceived before he made that pronouncement abortion is still not an option. Meanwhile some 4000 babies have been born with microcephaly!!! 

The Pope has questioned Donald Trump's Christian faith because that politician has said he wants to build a wall between the USA and Mexico! Donald Trump is a bit cross about that! 

And then Phil found out about a women's chess tournament in Iran. Well, that's good. Women are being accepted as thinking beings. However, all women taking part must wear the headscarf! I don't suppose they would be allowed to play against men! 

The world still has some way to go!