The Road from Santiago

  I love Spain in October. The sun is old and just a little lazy but it smothers you gently and can be a gentle contrast with the damp and grey of a northern fall. I say all this because driving through this kind of woodland reminds me of autumn in Astorga.  We have no reviews so some more special words.  Vergüenza Ajena .  This is a good one for empaths.  To feel embarrassed for someone even if they don’t feel embarrassed themselves; “second-hand embarrassment.”  Empalagar.   When something’s sickening or nauseating because it’s too sweet.   Quincena.  A period of 15 days. Usually used in connection with money e.g. biweekly pay. Aturdir.  When something overwhelms, bewilders, or stuns you to the point that you can’t focus and think straight.   Enmadrarse.  When a child is very emotionally attached to their mother. That’s it for today.

  We are leaving Villanueva de Alcoron so let us have the two other local games according to wiki. Chueca . A popular game based on a chueca (a short stick sharpened at both ends) and an estornija (a long stick used to hit the chueca). Cloths or aprons are also used to try to catch the chueca in flight. The game consists of two participating teams: one trying to throw the chueca as far as possible from the base, and the other trying to prevent this by eliminating each of the throwers to become throwers themselves and start scoring points. Points are estimated by eye based on the distance the chueca is from the base. To make the throw, the chueca is initially on the ground, requiring two strikes: the first to lift it from the ground and the second to hook it in mid-air and launch it as far as possible. If the throw is intercepted by one of the opposing team's nets, the thrower is eliminated. Other fouls include "rastón" (hitting the ground with the estornija), "vain...

  We are heading for Villanueva de Alcorcon and will find a few places to pop into at the end. In the run up, let's have a little background. The nearby Historic moment is a CeltIberian hill fort, which was abandoned in the 5th century BC.  Others came and went and a small Roman villa lies within the municipality.  Various lords lorded it up. In 1185 the place was given to the Order of Santiago with the general hope they would organise the repopulate the place. Our old chum the GSH Dictionary has something to say.  VILLANUEVA DE ALCORON: village with town hall in the province of Guadalajara (14 leagues).  Situated on one of the peaks of the Sierra de Cuenca, with good ventilation and a cold climate : it has 125 houses ; the town hall with a jail; a primary school, in charge of a teacher paid 1,100 reales; a spring of good water; a parish church (San Miguel Arcángel) served by a priest and a sacristan: The land , which is part clay and part sandstone, is of m...

  It is a day of wide open spaces. Well, it is a day of a road hemmed in by an openish road so we will go for a wander through Spain today as we consider the view. Franco was against things generally, and love was one of those he particularly was not fond of. The law banning gay relations that the Dictator brought in was reversed in 1979 and a 1995 law specified an equal age of consent for all people. Equal Marriage was recognised in 1994 but it was up to the autonomous communities to set up Registries. Catalonia led the way in 1998, followed by most others by 2003. Galicia waited till 2008, La Rioja 2010 and Murcia 2018. The ban of Equal Adoption was lifted in 2005, however Navarre [2000] and the Basque Country [2003] had got there first. Laws banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation apply across Spain, however all but Madrid, Castilla Y Leon and Asturias have not made their own laws. Spain’s autonomous communities make their own laws on Gender...