Language update

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This feels like a good time for an update on our language progress. It's fair to say we're making steady improvement although our grammar and vocabulary perhaps worryingly limited to the more functional actions of the day. Conversational Spanish is still relatively embryonic as the locals high linguistic tempo and varying phrasiology send us quickly to a place where we do not have the grammic fire power to survive. However, careful analysis of the Spaniards bar and cafe chat has unlocked a few useful keys to our future progress. These are the six words that can help bluff you through any exchange as if a fluent speaker (well almost). Here you go: valle = ok; venga = let's go / come on; claro = of course; mira = look; di-me / diga-me = tell me; mas o menos = more or less. So there you have it. Pop those into any conversation in some loose order, occasionally together, and you're sorted they'll be throwing their arm around you and thinking you're one of the gang.

There is one other very important element of Spanish culture and linguistics that has taken us a little time to get acquainted with. It is concerning a little saying that they seem to have invented for foreigners as nobody here ever appears to utter these words. No se (I don't know). It feels like the Spaniards simply can't put those two words together. Even if you've spent a month checking every ironmongery (ferriteria) type shop across the length of Spain for your particular type of camping gas and tell the lady in the Leon tourist information office that it won't be found in a ferriteria she will not say 'No se', don't be silly, but just repeatedly tell you it is in the ferriteria and get increasingly upset with our insolence. The locals have been a lovely, caring and helpful bunch which we can only heap praise. But if you don't know if the campsites in Rioja are generally near the Camino or know how to change travellers cheques just smile and say 'No se'. Broke 40 kilometres to Santiago today will be there on Friday.

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