You better watch out

 It has been a bit of a confusing day.  We are heading along in July 2025, then we are in 2011 - I tried to retrace steps to do a photo to show what 14 years of Andalucian sun does to a road which isn’t high on the list for repairs and maintenance and at that point the world went weird and first we lost 2011 and then 2025.  We will get to a few pictures which show Spring and Summer this year but it all felt spooky and as spooky goes it can be fitted in to these tales of terror - that is, not many.  https://peopleandculture.online/the-dark-secrets-of-andalusia-haunting-myths-and-legends





One of the dark and terrible stories does fit into the cut and paste ghost theme.  The legend of La Encantada has been fitted to the Moorish fortress of  Alcazaba,which looms above the city of Almería. During the Castilian invasion, a Moorish princess threw herself from the fortress walls rather than surrender.  Ever since, her ghost appears on moonlit nights - presumably having a thing about clouds, wafting through the corridors in search of peace. 





It is going to be another day with an old road and a new road and I will forget to cross the new road at the designated place so we will have to use one of these neglected underpasses to get back on the straight and narrow.




The Rest Area, Circuelo-picolo is nearby. I will include a photo.  It is what it is; a layby, some stone benches and blue rubbish bins.  It gets 3.5 stars.  This is where the star system needs guidance. Are we measuring it against what it is or against all of human existence?  What can you say? Yesterday Alexandre was in the right place in the right time Five stars, ‘At night, a magical starry sky with no light around.’  Three months ago Enrico gave an unworded two stars.  It is what it is, 2-3 stars seems ok in this universe.  Four months ago Marta gave one and said ‘It is not recommended, it smells awful of pee, the tables are very dirty and it is quite neglected.’ Jose is clearly a nihilist as five stars was matched with ‘It's a bit abandoned and destroyed’



Pratchett readers know that the Tooth Ferry is a franchise. The Spanish have Raton Perez. Apparently Luis Colomo was asked to write a story for the young Alphonso XIII.  He took a character, Ratoncito Perez, who lived in a box of biscuits and took the teeth from the children who have lost them.



Nothing is better than a beast to terrorise children into behaving well. El Coco is your standard bogeyman, who wanders through the night, grabbing the unbehaved and putting them in a black bag.  Just to ensure the kids get to sleep parents sing ‘Sleep child, sleep now or else El Coco will come and eat you.’  Thus children embrace sleep - or lie in tight-eyed mute terror - which is much the same result as far the parent is concerned.



We will end with a bit of superstition.  Tuesday 13th is a bad day.  Don’t start a journey or marry or even leave your house. I am not sure which day we started this and marriage as been a Saturday affair but they have got us bang to rights on journeying.




Anyway, we are on the road and the road goes ever on. See you tomorrow.












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