Monday, November 05, 2007

County Fair, Everybody In Town’ll Be There

All rosy on the economic front, it would seem, growth in the Balearics set to be 3.1% this year and similar next year. A good tourism year is one of the reasons for this growth. Though the effects of the credit crisis have had no real impact this year, might they next, especially among the key British and German markets? That, for the moment, is something of an unknown.


The season may be over, but not everything grinds to a complete standstill. The autumn fair season gives the island an impetus, and this weekend it is the turn of Pollensa. Fairly normal fare for a fair here - exhibitions, handicrafts, things for kids, music, animals. All good stuff. Sunday is the really hectic day. Events are listed on the WHAT’S ON BLOG.


How many people know that there are parts of Africa that are forever Spanish? Or maybe they won’t be forever. And because of today’s visit by King Juan-Carlos, more people will be aware of Ceuta and Melilla.

These are two towns in Morocco. Between them there are some 150,000 people. They lie quite some distance apart along the coast of Morocco, Ceuta opposite Gibraltar. There are plenty of people who would rather they were no longer Spanish - Moroccans mainly.

Think about it. Hastings and Torquay on England’s southern coast, parts of France not the United Kingdom. Put in those terms, the continued Spanish control seems absurd, an anachronism of empire. But then there is a part of Spain that is British - Gibraltar - and perhaps it doesn’t sound so absurd.


QUIZ
Yesterday - “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”, The Pogues (orig. Eric Bogle). Today’s title - who? (Clue: American, very American.)

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)

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