Escape Over The Bridge

Escape Over The Bridge

I?m warning you now: if you think that December is an ordinary working month with a bit of extra shopping and a few days off for Christmas, think again. Here, December is about as productive as August, when the whole of Spain grinds to a halt. You simply cannot expect to buy a house, get a new kitchen put in, renew your driving licence, make an insurance claim, see a doctor, give birth or do anything much in August, and December is going the same way.

And now it?s even having a knock-on effect on November. For this we have the Puente de la Constituci?n/de la Inmaculada Concepci?n to thank. Nearly two weeks ago (ie mid November) I went to order new roll-up curtains and their mechanisms for the whole flat, and a new window and blind for the back bedroom. Would they be fitted in time for Christmas? Pained looks, shaking heads, indrawn breath: we?ve got that damn week coming up at the beginning of December... and the suppliers... and the manufacturers... and everything goes to pot... and before you look round it?s Christmas and.. then there?s New Year and Kings... Hands spread in a helpless gesture. Se?ora: we?re looking at mid January. Puente in Castilian, pont in Catalan: bridge. An untouchable institution that continues to fuel the widespread idea that the Spanish are averse to work: if a dia festivo (public holiday) falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, the Monday or Friday is thrown in for good measure: the resulting long weekend is un puente. The puentes are the life blood of travel agencies, which offer special deals for, among others, the Puente del Pilar (Oct 12), the Puente de Mayo (May 1), and best of all, the Puente de Diciembre aka Puente de la Constituci?n/de la Inmaculada. (December 6 is Constitution Day and December 8 the Feast of the Immaculate Conception). Catalunya is famously the most work-ethic-driven part of Spain, and the Catalans moan and groan about this major disruption in their work schedules, but what can they do: these puentes are nationwide. And when December 6 falls on a Tuesday and December 8 on a Thursday... go figure.This was precisely the case in 2005, so you can imagine how hysterical I went when my water heater blew up just before midnight on the Sunday, the eve of the puente (with a flat full of guests). Some firms were taking the Monday off, others the Friday, and everyone else just threw up their hands in despair and disappeared for the whole week. Thank God I have an emergency household repairs policy with Agbar: they sent a plumber pretty fast on the Monday morning. But that day the spare parts guys were de puente, of course. Go here for a travel agency?s list of puente escapes for 2007-2008. http://www.edreams.es/edreams/espanol/seo/puentes.jhtml Click on the name of the holiday for info (in Spanish) about the fiesta ? and which day of the week it falls on for the next ten years. And the Spanish are supposed to be hopeless at forward planning!