Sunday 29 September 2019

Pamplona to Obanos - a walk through time as well as Spain.

Up the top here as well as the rusty steel pilgrims you're introduced to the 92 victims of nearby towns during funtime Franco's brutal assault on the elected government and their people. His regime that saw these 92 from nearby towns taken away and buried at the top of the hill during 1937 in shallow graves. There was no dodging the bullet and too many willing to fire them. 

In Madrid, alongside Picasso's Guernica masterpiece in an adjoining room is a wonderful cartoon on the defense of Madrid, with a cardinal leading the assault on it.

Church and the population sit as comfortably as they do in Ireland and I wish I could keep my mouth shut on the subject as the locals can be easily offended when I preach a different Camino. We all have our own Camino and for me the churches have huge scientific and historical interest but ultimately they represent a men only private club and while a few things have changed God's still a man. Jebus is still the son of man and Eve played a bit part with a rib.

As a 4% Neanderthal I would like to declare we were more enlightened.

Obviously it's the winners who write history but have a think about Sheba, Cleopatra and our friend the Amazonian, never mind the Scots last real leader.

Women have put up with men since time began but only relatively recently have they pushed the envelope. 

Cave dwellers wrote loads of stuff to suggest for 10,000 years men were shit at fishing or spearing the wild boar. It was women who had to catch them in nets so the men could spear them and bring home the bacon. Meantime a three course meal had already been put on the table because the leftovers from the better budgeting Brigit were ample. If you know your partner is most unlikely to bring home food without you and you can't be arsed blowing smoke up his arse, of course you're gonna have a plan B.

Great town Obanos full of inspiration.

Tomorrow  I leave Obanos for Estella.

Sunday 8 September 2019

changing channels to fatal-bananas.blogspot.com

Yes its that time of year when all the thoughts turn to Pamplona, Logrono, Azofra, Villambistia, Burgos, Leon, Ponferrade, Melide, Eirexe, Palas del Rei and Santiago de Compostela if I haven't gone off piste by then.

Tapas heaven and a healthy wee stroll with some other nomadic randoms off in search of a good bevvie and a tale to tell!

I've done it through Scottish independence votes, US elections and Brexit nonsense. Its always a broad minded bunch of religious fanatics that I encounter and I'm sure it'll be the same this year.

As long as quaffing Vino Tinto is their religion, they'll do for me!

Adios