Travelling, trains and the strangeness of parents
I was listening to Excess Baggage on Radio 4 this morning. Matthew Parris must have the constitution of an ox, or at least not get at all seasick, as he was recommending the Santander ferry crossing as a good way to get to Spain. I've been on that ferry. It was 25 hours of sheer hell with a Force 8 gale blowing across the Bay of Biscay, which is apparently a regular occurrance. I wouldn't wish it on my worse enemy!! They were also dicussing the joys of long-distance travel on sleeper trains. Given my dislike of flying (planes make me claustrophobic) and love of trains, I now have a yearning to tour round Europe on one.
On the subject of Europe, Mum and Dad went to Santiago De Compostela for a week in September and this morning on the phone, Mum was telling me about the local witch obsession. Apparently all the gift shops were full of witches (dolls, ornaments, mobiles etc), alongside the religious icons, which thoroughly mystified my mother. So upon meeting a local university lecturer who spoke good English, she asked about this and was informed that there is a long history of hereditary witches in the local area and people still go to them for spells. "Mostly for good fortune; they're white witches, they don't practice black magic", she insists to me. I was most amused, no mention has been made of my witchy leanings since Christmas 2 or 3 years ago when i had to explain that just because I'm pagan doesn't mean I can't celebrate Christmas with the family (not what I expected to have to explain, since my father isn't even slightly Christian either, but then atheism is something my mother understands whereas paganism is another one of my weird interests she doesn't share). Anyway, it transpires that she bought my sister a religious fridge magnet and me a witchy one. She could have bought me all manner of witchy tat she said, but most of it was apparently very ugly. It would seem that despite the fact that the locals are presumably well aware that a real witch looks just like your nextdoor neighbour, that doesn't help sell tat to tourists ;) Isn't it funny how it's the little things that make you realise that your parents do accept you for who you are, no matter how strange they think that is?
On the subject of Europe, Mum and Dad went to Santiago De Compostela for a week in September and this morning on the phone, Mum was telling me about the local witch obsession. Apparently all the gift shops were full of witches (dolls, ornaments, mobiles etc), alongside the religious icons, which thoroughly mystified my mother. So upon meeting a local university lecturer who spoke good English, she asked about this and was informed that there is a long history of hereditary witches in the local area and people still go to them for spells. "Mostly for good fortune; they're white witches, they don't practice black magic", she insists to me. I was most amused, no mention has been made of my witchy leanings since Christmas 2 or 3 years ago when i had to explain that just because I'm pagan doesn't mean I can't celebrate Christmas with the family (not what I expected to have to explain, since my father isn't even slightly Christian either, but then atheism is something my mother understands whereas paganism is another one of my weird interests she doesn't share). Anyway, it transpires that she bought my sister a religious fridge magnet and me a witchy one. She could have bought me all manner of witchy tat she said, but most of it was apparently very ugly. It would seem that despite the fact that the locals are presumably well aware that a real witch looks just like your nextdoor neighbour, that doesn't help sell tat to tourists ;) Isn't it funny how it's the little things that make you realise that your parents do accept you for who you are, no matter how strange they think that is?