Every country’s culture has its own idiosyncrasies. Small peculiarities that set them apart. Curious ways of living lives differently. Most conjure and nurture a fondness. But not all, as we found out on today’s site in Orio.
We’ve been aware of the huge amount of wild birdsong on our Spanish sites. Beautiful none stop chatter from morn till night. So this morning’s extra helping of twittering seemed a sweet bonus. That is until we walked out past our neighbour’s pitch. Four tiny songbirds imprisoned in four tiny barred boxes. Each one unable to see the other. Each one hopping and skipping from front to back; then from back to front. A non stop repetition. Like uncontrollable ‘Drefus’ twitches, minus the comedy. This was no laughing matter. ‘Silvestrismo’ is what they call it. Capturing and caging wild songbirds. For the sole purpose of entertainment. In any language it’s called cruelty.
We’re basking in Basque Country. Summer has finally arrived. Our site is two hundred metres from this glorious beach. Set and secluded between rolling cliffs it attracts visitors and locals by the shoal. We save it for later.
We take the one in five cliff side path. It’s deserted. It’s good to be out alone and in nature. Thirty minutes later and we are no longer in isolation. A steady stream of year five and six schoolchildren chatter past us. Their teachers as pleased as they to be having lessons down at the beach today. Who can blame them?
We edge up another kilometre. A loop out of the question. Do an about turn at an obvious place.
We spot this small allotment on our way down. Perched several hundred feet up on this Atlantic cliff top. Sailor’s side salads?
We finish the day off getting beach baked. Like a couple of oven chips. Turning occasionally until golden, but not too crispy.