The weather system bringing Arctic conditions to Weardale brings some heavy, warm rain ... extended breakfast philosophy with Marc and Luc passes the time and focuses Luc, sometime student of philosophy at the university, who decided instead to work it out for himself after two terms ... anyway, he has the free guide to the Via de la Plata, has donated several heavy books to the Pousada de Juventude, and is planning his route to Santiago ...
Since staying indoors all day is not an option, wet weather gear gets an outing to Continente, where Dao wine is to be found and since the palate is poor, choosing by the name of places visited seems as good a filter as any, especially if the name is Dao ... yesterday's choice was Reguengos, a fruity red from the village near Portalegre visited a while ago ... vegan lunch with Luc before he heads to the train ... and the time shared with a German family escaping the rather restricted charms of the Escargot Club lifestyle ... another campervan couple, Gill and Russ from Bingley, are having coffee at Santa Luzia and kindly share their table for more philosophy on the free life ...
Back at the hostel lounge, the television is showing traditional American cultural crap ... lots of shouting and shooting ... the casual violence certainly contributing to a decadent society where psychotic schoolchildren routinely massacre their fellow students, teachers and anyone else in the firing line ... it stays on, since someone is watching it, Belgian senior citizen Gert and our room mate, hopefully immune to playing out such roles and almost certainly without access to guns ... when he goes off leaving the villain full of bullets, the opportunity is taken to switch off ... soon reversed by the incoming viewer. .. interestingly, t.v. etiquette usually includes asking before switching channels, but rarely whether the machine of mass manipulation is to be on at all ... the joys of communal living in the mainstream world of lowest common denominators ...
Thoughts today are with Ulrika and Gerhardt, setting out on the Algarviana from Alcoutim today or tomorrow, with plenty of rain still in the forecast ... and with friends in Weardale and around, up to their knees in snow, all the drama of such extreme events, the opportunity for the helpful side of human nature to come to the fore ...
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