I took this photo of an Osborne bull just after crossing from the Basque country to Galicia, in northern Spain:
Spain
The final resting place of three Apostles?
These are the famous Apostles, Saint James, Saint Peter, and Saint Thomas:
Technically, I am referring to Saint James, son of Zebedee, since there is a second apostle also named James. The Spanish people call Saint James by a different name, Santiago, and he is buried in a cathedral I visited in the Galician city of Santiago de Compostela:
Saint Peter is probably the most famous saint, having been killed not just by crucifixion, but by crucixion-upside-down, in this Roman square that I visited, now known as Saint Peter’s Basilica:
But I’m not sure if anyone really knows where Saint Thomas is buried. According to the locals, Saint Thomas travelled to India and eventually reached Chennai, having died and been buried somewhere quite close. There is a famous church I visited there, known Saint Thomas Mount:
Saint Thomas is known as the Patron Saint of India – but unfortunately there is some dispute as to whether these claims are true. I hope they are true, because it would make the people who believe them very happy.
So by coincidence and not by plan, I’ve visited what may be the final resting place of 25% of the twelve Apostles.
Convergent evolution vs. design patterns
In biology there is the concept of convergent evolution:
In software engineering there is the concept of a design pattern:
During recent trips to both Spain and Texas, it made me first realize that both convergent evolution and design patterns are describing something very similar. Have a look at this:
Spain is filled with Spaniards, and as everyone knows Spaniards are very tiny people. So until recently they drove very tiny cars. But recently Spaniards are getting bigger. I took this picture in Spain, which now seems to be representative of how Spaniards park their cars:
Texas is filled with Texans, and as everyone knows Texans are very big people indeed. But in recent times, Texans have been getting even bigger. I took this picture in Texas, which now seems to be representative of how Texans park their “dualies” (as they call pickup trucks with dual rear tires):
Convergent evolution (biology) or design pattern (software engineering) – you be the judge!
Hannibal in Salamanca
This is Hannibal:
And this is Salamanca, in western Spain:
The cathedral somehow looks a bit tilted, so here is a second photo to assure you that it is not tilted. It also shows the Roman Bridge, which (unbelievably!) was built in the first century AD:
I believe this is the first city that I’ve ever visited that was originally conquered by Hannibal. Needless to say, I could not find any elephant footprints anywhere, although if you have sharp enough eyes, you can see some storks:
Hills Like White Elephants
This is the city of Zaragoza, in the region of Spain called Aragon. This is the famous Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar church, visited by Popes and pilgrims worldwide. It was here that many people think Hemingway drew inspiration for his short story, Hills Like White Elephants.
World’s most dangerous market?
Or at least it could be, if you make the mistake of saying Hola instead of Kiaxo as you enter. For this market is nestled deep within the tough, unforgiving village of Zarautz, deep within the tough, unforgiving Gipuzkoa region of the country of Basque.
The tough, unforgiving people here speak Basque. The Basque language has no known connection with any other European language, and many scholars believe it is descended from what the Neanderthal humans spoke long ago. Filled with hard, explosive sounds such “k” and “x”, it is more appropriate to a people with massive jaws used for crushing nuts. Some words (such as love, or kxxittkxakkatxtaxkta) are used so seldomly they are difficult even for the locals to pronounce; other words (such as softness, compassion, generosity) have no local equivalents.
But I not only survived my visit but also thrived: I bought a wonderful, fresh-smoked sausage from the local market, which unfortunately then required hours to extract the fat from between my teeth. My jaw was never designed for crushing nuts.
