Swedish Archaeology Finds in Extremadura

Writing in the local paper. Local issues with a global take. I never translate literally and the editor trims at will to make it fit. Here’s my version, then theirs.

Bright ideas for bright places

One of the things
that foreign friends visiting Spain for the first time never fail to
comment on is their surprise at how late Spanish kids stay out
playing in the parks during the summer. I
usually keep quiet and wait until the next day and let them discover
for themselves one of the main reasons for these midnight’s
children. 

After exploring the often deserted old town and surrounding
area, we usually venture out into the haphazard new town in search of life. It’s
out here in the neighbourhoods of the city that my visitors stumble
across their first epiphany. There under the fierce midday sun lies the tired, bleached Swedish plastic that kept the children occupied
last night while their parents sat drinking sweaty cañas at tables at a nearby terrace in
search of that rare cooling summer breeze. The only shade to be seen is
thrown by the swings hanging like the stripped bones of a dead camel sticking
out of a cement sand dune. Useless to anyone for long stretches of the day,
unless of course you’re looking to avoid the constant electricity hikes and wanted to fry
some eggs on the glistening slide. 

Though it may not feel like it
now, we all know that winter passes quickly in this part of the world
and when the heat finally comes, it comes to stay. The recently announced upgrade of the Parque de la Concepcion has given me hope that we will no
longer have to venture so far out of the old centre of the city in
search of the sounds of children’s laughter. 

If the town hall’s intention is to draw people towards the centre, I’ve always wondered
why parks like the one in San Juan are solely meant for less than civic dog
owners. La Conce, as it’s called, needed a change and it can provide strolling
families a shady alternative to the sloping sun-baked Plaza Mayor and it’s
attached litter box. Now it remains to be seen if some actual thought
has gone into the planning or if it is going to be just another
archaeological find withering under the summer sun.