St John's Eve and the Sisters of.... Gonzalo.

 As I stare at the road ahead I wonder if what we have here is the old road, next to the old N-4, what we are on, next to the new N-4.  Whatever it may be we will head north for a date with two sisters.


Dos Hermanas was founded in 1248 by Ferdinand III of Castile in honour of the two sisters of his commander, Gonzalo Nazareno - Elvira and Estefania.  Today it has 142,000 people living it, making it the 48th most populated city in Spain - and all that while being jolly close to Seville.  Most of this growth his occurred in the last 80 years. It - or should itbe they - bumbled along around 5000 in the mid nineteenth century, got to 11000 in the 1920s, managed 21,000 by 1950 and then continued to zoom up to 128,000 by 2011.  Peak growth was in the 1970s and 80s where -in each decade - the place increased by about 45%.


Temperature wise we are heading towards peak hot - next month to be exact. Currently the average is 24oC, with average maximums being 31oC and a mere 13mm of rain. It won’t be this cool again until October.



So we wander along roads. Spain really does seem to major in these long, straight roads with houses clinging on to the sides of it, giving the impression of depth which they do not always have.



I’m taken by the name Bar La Casineta Desayunos & Comidas so let us call in.  https://cogemesa.com/item/la-casineta-desayunos-meriendas/  It opens 6am till 10pm weekdays and 7am till 10pm at weekends. A salad will set you back 3.50 and Alinos de Pulpo some 3.95.   Two weeks ago Ismael wrote ‘Fantastic food. Excellent service, friendly and helpful. Inexpensive prices.’



Town Halls generally exist to give people a reason to be unhappy.  This Ayuntamiento is no different, only getting 3.9 stars from 755 reviews.  https://www.doshermanas.es/  Waiting times seem to be the gripe.  Yesterday Francisco said ‘Very long waiting times, seeing administrative staff in small groups and empty windows, not attending to the public.’   However three days ago Jose felt My sincerest thanks and congratulations to Ms. Ana Delgado of the Revenue Department. The service I received, both online and in person, was exceptional: kind, professional, and deeply humane. She resolves matters with clarity, patience, and a personal touch. This is how public service is truly dignified. Thank you so much!’


The Town Hall does have a Facebook Page - with 26000 followers.   It has had six posts on it so far today so is doing well.  https://www.facebook.com/aytodoshermanas/ 


Out of town we go and into tomorrow.








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A different rooster would crow

Image
  We are pottering along at 91m but will be a mere two by the day’s end.   We are heading for San Vicente de la Barquera. It is one of those places, on a hostile coast, which provided a safer shelter.  As a consequence it got a castle. The place did the usual having Bronze Age chaps loafing about. The Romans made a small port.  It really got going when Alfonso I sent peoples to populate it in the 8th century. The castle was built, the town followed.  Things really got going in 1210 when Alfonso VIII gave the place a charter.  It got the same privileges as San Sebastian. Castro Urdiales, Santander and Laredo.  Along with Laredo, it has not prospered as much.  Fate was not kind.  From the mid 15th century, fires and plagues did not help.  When Charles I visited the town a bullfight was held in his honour.  He fell it at it and had to spend the night at the Convent of San Luis.  The town has a website.  https://aytosanvicente...
Read more

In which a Roman Bridge and a Funeral Parlour are reviewed.

Image
  We are rising again. We are rising 20 of your earth metres today. We will be 818m above the level sea. We are about at the highest point in the Cheviot Hills. We cross the Rio Porma and into Villarente and Puente Villarente. Both these twin settlements, lurking along the roadside, have generally grown in size since 2000.   https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/art-culture-heritage/great-routes/way-saint-james/puente-villarente First we must cross the Roman Bridge. Coyotuco is back with a five star review: A beautiful BRIDGE with a lot of history but it is not PEDESTRIAN. For pedestrians they have made a PEDESTRIAN WALKWAY right next to it. We are passing by the Artesanias Luyma so let us gaze at their ceramic goodness. Let us wonder  https://www.artesaniasluyma.com/categorias/pereruela/ While we are here and we are passing the Tanatorio Camino de Santiago let us visit this 39 reviewed funeral home. It gets an average of 4.9 stars.  https://www.antamontalvo.es/esq...
Read more

Mini Pieces of Supposed tuna

Image
  Pina de Ebro has something for everyone who enjoys the architecture of Spanish pueblos.  It has the tiny lanes, on which houses have been rebuilt for generations without a care for the needs of the modern motorist.  We have the pathways which have been tiled over but once were dirt tracks.  We have the modern suburban developments of low rise houses and 80s hopefully aspiring shacks.  First all, however, we have a park. One thing we noticed, especially with a small boy in tow, was the number of parks with interesting play equipment.  This is because, in Spain, people seem to like children.  This does make them a semi-public property and people feel free to indulge them with sweetmeats and pass comments. ‘I think sucking thumbs makes children look ugly’ said one elderly woman.’ My Spanish for ‘well desiccated prune face, no one asked you’ deserted me.  The play equipment is in the Plaza Pilarin Artigas.  Honestly I’ve looked and was giving u...
Read more