La Vida Alcalaína

Mayor of Alcala - but for how much longer? Last Sunday, 22 May, municipal and regional elections were held across much of Spain.  The right-wing Partido Popular (People's Party or PP)  made sweeping gains across the country, as many people blame the country's economic woes on the Socialist Party (PSOE).  The PSOE are still in power in the national government, but are unlikely to win next year's general election unless some miracle happens in the meantime - the PP have a 10% lead.  Meanwhile, many left-wingers disillusioned with the austerity measures introduced by the PSOE voted instead for the Izquierda Unida (United Left or IU), adding to the PSOE's problems. Locally, the PSOE (who have held power in Alcala since democracy returned to Spain in the 1980s) have come under increasingly intense criticism for enchufismo (string-pulling) and clannishness, awarding jobs and contracts to their friends and supporters.  A few months ago this came to a head wi...

April did bring us some spectacular skyscapes to compensate for all the rain.  Thanks to Nicola Chapman for these stunning photographs - we think the clouds are called Altostratus Undulatus.

Local TV coverage of the San Jorge shenanigans in Alcalá.  

 St George, that much-travelled military martyr and dragon-slayer, is the patron saint of Alcalá de los Gazules.  So while those people for whom it is important to demonstrate their Englishness are waving red-and-white flags at football matches and campaigning for a national holiday on 23 April, the alcalainos are celebrating a three-day festival in honour of their patrón .  As well as Alcalá and England, George has patronages in Greece, Portugal, Malta, Georgia, Ethiopia, Moscow and many other places.  The business with the dragon comes from a legend brought back by the Crusaders.  Once upon a time (probably around the 3rd century AD in a place called Silene in Libya) a malevolent dragon was demanding food from the locals.  When they ran out of sheep the dragon ordered children instead, chosen by lottery.  One day the lot fell to the King´s daughter.  George just happened to be riding by and heard her sobs.  He charged the approaching ...