CHILDHOOD IN MADRID

I return to my childhood in Madrid forties and I can still remember that:


With five small years of the three brothers went to school outside his home every day of the week except Sunday. 
He clung to the hand of the master, José Luis, to feel protected, older joked that it was so small and timidity urged him not to participate in the games and fights constantly initiated at recess. 

Furthermore, despite being so small he showed more intelligence and ability than other children, soon began to write, to read and less than six years and knew the four arithmetic rules. 
When he learned to divide by two figures close to seven years meet the envy felt by the general era, and more frequently cryo clung to the master's hand whenever they went out to recess.

Of each of the hands of the teacher hung the two smallest class, one they called Angelín was even more tiny and chubby as well, bringing the taunts were even more hurtful. The two boys were cronies and protect each other from other madmen older than them. 

How clever this cryo commented Emilianito parents, so called, seven years old and already knows divide by two figures. When he heard these words was very proud and strutting like a chicken before her older sisters went to a convent school and did not learn anything about arithmetic or grammar. 
The nuns taught them manners only for little girls, prayers, sewing, and especially strict obedience. 

Girls should go to school the nuns, attached to a convent, very clean clothes, combed her hair in braids, and especially face and hands washed and rubbed over and over again. 
No flyaways, bows, or ornaments of any kind are allowed if there had been money for them. Hairpins to hold the hair, a rubber braids and nothing else.

No wonder then that lice and fleas proliferate in the heads and bodies of children. The lack of running water in the houses, old mattresses and proximity to certain pets, donkeys, dogs, stray cats and other species, made certain lack of hygiene would encourage the emergence of all sorts of nasty pests fleas, lice and other insects, it was common to see viciously scratching the smaller and even adults spent enough of hygiene. In other flea and lice abounded bugs in mattresses, cockroaches in the bunkers where chips were stored and coal, spiders, cortapichillas, crickets, mosquitoes, especially flies of all kinds and sizes.



 

At crios of them washed in bowls, when they caught him, and the older people had to spend their money on heating water and buy soap to wash up, and these rare chores when neither so was not even money to buy bread or oil. 

In Spain forty cleaning was not exactly a major issue. The main thing was toeat, keep warm, and go to the cinema to dream of American films always "censored" showing a much better world in which to live. 
With open mouths and wide - eyed children and adults they followed the stories of heroes and heroines Hollywood.

The Westers and swordsmen were preferred by the small fry, adults liked comedies Lubisch or musicals Fred Astaire and Judy Garland as " Top Hat" (Top Hat) where they danced endlessly, laughing it is going well and luxury cruises where lavish parties and leisure enlivened were made. All these films were distracting people from their everyday problems of subsistence, battling the cold and hunger with dreams of a distant paradise where all were happy and well fed. The Indians were always killed by the cavalry, ill paid their sins, the players always end up together in marriage, but no kissing or erotic scenes minimally. 



In fact sex was like there, and everything was sin including dances and carnivals. 

Theaters crowded neighborhood gave warm enough to spend the afternoon and be comfortable with sessions of two or three always bent, mutilated and censured by the regime and the Church who could not tolerate a pronounced cleavage movies, skirts above the knee, or swimsuits daring. 
The characters always honest, faithful, good and evil were lousy always paid dearly for their wickedness. 

Kisses and caresses of the protagonists were nonexistent, they were always cut in its infancy, whistles or pateos in the film were extended before the courts, suppressed dialogues and even scripts that had nothing to do with the original.


 


Famous was "Mogambo" film of the year fifty-three directed by John Ford and starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly, Donald Sinden , where the story was cut, dialogue changed and distorted the script so that the marriage of Grace Kelly and Donald Sinden in its dubbed into Castilian version were brothers who were sleeping in the same tent, and so adultery script that starred Grace Kelly and Clark Gable, intolerable at the time was avoided, without realizing that instead of adultery they gave rise to incest and jealousy of the brother to his sister, but incompressible matter if the movie was great and African animals hunted with impunity in the safaris were seen.

Based on cuts some films were incomprehensible, without much significance because it was already known that censorship was working nonstop, so to see swordsmen, Indians, cowboys, dancing, luxury homes and cruises all was well received and commented. 


The boys were collecting their small savings collections of trading cards all hit movies, Mogambo, King Solomon's Mines, The Three Musketeers, Franquenstein, Mystery Of The Wax Museum, Ivanhoe, and many more that used to take months, or even years, on billboards cinemas La Gran Via, which entoces called Avenida de Jose Antonio, as many of the streets and avenues of Madrid had renamed.

An absolute example is the Paseo de la Castellana had changed its name toAv. Generalissimo, as in almost all the Spanish cities so that the names of the winners fought in the Civil War to rename its main streets and avenues. 

Each and every one of the heroes, or saviors of the country assumptions, want their names on streets, squares and monuments effigies of all kinds.Nothing changes in the sun and human vanity has no limits. Street, my street, for the kids was total bliss, paradise games and fun.




 
Toys needed to participate were a marbles to play "gua", some pins with colored heads they called "Bonis" a nice piece of paper to make a pincushion and stick pins in, some plates to play "plates" or races, a top wood and string. 

Also a tabas the lamb for the "Tabas" a file or skewer to play "robaterrenos" a rope to the "rope", a ball for the "quiet feet" or play a game, and sometimes some trading cards to exchange or letting them play the cards fall from a height in Parez and if mounted one above the other you stayed with everyone. 

"Even or odd" 
Who had an old deck was the sumun of pleasure as there were dozens of different card games in which trading cards, comics, pins, or plates are betting marbles. 
Gambled money is not he who had practically no money ?, or if the parents had found out anger or smacks, for sure. 

For all other games do not need anything at all, inventiveness, imagination, desire to run and sometimes very cold to warm hands or feet.

 Living under a harsh dictatorship watching and absolutely controlled everything, secret police plainclothes guarding transport and that at any time could request documents to anyone, street delicuencia was almost nonexistent, the boys roamed freely at their discretion without the parents worry that puediera happen some mishap, there was nothing to steal and so could hardly have heists. 

So much vigilance considered sexual offenses, including exhibitionism, homo sexuality in men or women, street prostitution, or any form of abuse or molestation of any kind was exercised. 

On all these issues very strict supervision exercised 
by parents and neighbors. 

In summer the boys and girls playing in the street until the wee hours of the morning, half past one or two, there was no school and houses were authentic ovens. 


Neighbors, mostly in single - storey houses, out in the middle of the street with chairs and formed cliques to chat, play cards or whatever. There were rivalries and gossip of all kinds, some groups did not speak with each other and were not uncommon quarrels and discussions voices reaching hands once very rare for fear of ending up in the police station. 

Summer was the favorite season to play and go out, everyone, no television and people only had the chat group for fun and hang out.

The land is watered beforehand to give fresh and babbling or play a dominoes or cards until the wee hours of the morning. 
When the cool of the morning, every "mochuelo his olive tree" and try to get some sleep until time to get up and go to the job came. Chiquillería was happy in those evenings, nights, early mornings, when time stopped and there was no rush for anything. Just being with friends and invent a game to hang. Happy times of scarcity and hard bread, summer games and winter. Evenings radio by the brazier if it rained or was icy winter, comics to share, or a board game that reunited the family without something else to pass the time.

Very hot summers, botijo, nap and early mornings on the street without knowing that soon cesarian these customs rennet, television once made an appearance in every one of the cities and towns of postwar Spain. 

Nothing better to play the kids in the neighborhood of Tetuan street in the forties, each had its panda and of course the boys did not play a street or formed alliances with other different. 

The fights were rare, much supervision and surveillance by the authorities of the regime Francoist so that not even the boys fought among themselves, as a 'drea "with small pebbles that could escalbrarte if you beat full, never was a serious injury, a small gap, a little blood and expect to be cured.

Collection of small stones that were previously agreed was done, they got into their pockets and flexible reeds catapults hurled as if they were the boys and girls on the opposite side. 
It noticed a play time and unless a rival surrendered no winners or losers. 

The "Drea" or slingshot, always played in the clearings that had trees or boulders to hide, and it was common to find it near the area there was a place for ornament polished blocks of houses or graves. 
Winter or fall taking advantage of the cold and lack of people by wastelands was a good time to take a "dreas or a" throwing stones ", although the latter tended to be more dangerous because the stones were larger. 
Not all boys or girls participated in them because they had no real fear of being escalabrados and then at home received a good thrashing her mother.Of the three hemanos, medium and small were involved in the "dreas" not in "throwing stones" because they had some fear of the consequences if proved descalabrados. "Lift the Maya" was another very favorable for the winter games in the evenings cold, like "El Rescate" the "Hideout" or "Cops and Robbers". In every part of Spain they were called differently but essentially were very similar. The rules of the "rescue" or "Hide and Seek" were:

The rescue

Which he is bound missed lots and had to count to one hundred so that others give them time to hide. As was finding his hidden companions he had to say caught / ay take them to a place. Which bound, as was looking for other hidden would have to do it carefully because someone could come out of hiding and run the place were his companions and shout: saved! In this way, he saved his companions that they would have to hide.

And for "Hike the Maya"

" A game of boys in the province of Alava: is to hide all but one left in the care of an object, usually a stone, which the Maya name is given. The launch is to reach the Maya before the charge to care when he leaves her to discover the hidden ". When Maya or object is played without being seen and named by seeking the hidden s the guy or girl were saved and among those remaining if one was discovered he would play guard the Maya.


When he was looking forward to a hidden vigilante seeker had to get to the stone or object before the descibierto, touching the Maya or object and shout Boosts Maya by Pepe, or Carmen, and that would be to take care of Maya and seek to hidden in the next turn.

Nothing better or more fun for these kids who have a gang in the street and go play all mixed, boys and girls, very different games that lack of other entertainment practiced in the street.

And if I go back to my four years it is curious that the memory

long night of the times:

There is a small school in front of the house where the three brothers live, is similar to that of a people because you only have a classroom full of small banks, a blackboard and a single water that alquien is responsible for cleaning from time to time. 

There is a young teacher who is in charge of controlling a crowd of forty or fifty guys who are among the four or five to eight or nine years. All together without girls, no haphazardly because some can not read and others already know the four arithmetic rules. 
Difficult task of D. Jose Luis teach something to these kids who only think about playing and scream the better.

Recess is out all the street watched by the teacher and down to a field where they can run and play fooball with a rag ball most of the time. 

They have decided in the house, the smallest of the three brothers go to school despite being very young, four years old, just cross a narrow dirt road, no cars driving by, and so the mother will a moment of peace and having the kids at school. 

Her sisters have begun to go to a convent school, just for girls, and so the mother of three little devils feel more relaxed to do their daily chores stretching as much as possible the money to make ends meet with enough at least to eat.

The cryo only four years and since the first day the teacher has stuck like a limpet, is afraid between boys twice his age, brutes who fight and stick kicking a kind of balloon formed by tight rags. When they go out to recess at it grabs the hand of Don Jose Luis and not loose at all times. 
It is a quiet cryo, suffered and quiet that immediately endeared gives the teacher. Learns very quickly and with less than five years begins to read and write. 

All around there are other children who are more advanced, have an encyclopedia book in learning a little of everything, geography, history, religion, arithmetic and little else. Too much work for one teacher who attends dozens of boys in different stages of learning.
When the teacher is tired sums simply copy a few subtractions and some multiplication on the blackboard, sentences, and tells them to solve the various accounts and fill a sheet of notebook repeating phrases with good handwriting blackboard. 

The morning passed without feeling herding a slap to rule the most rebellious.  
It is a good teacher, understanding and patient with the kids even though some are gross and reaccios solve the work that puts them. They never learn enough and very few years when they leave school iran pinches, apprentices or laborers to any work or shop around. 

The economy of their parents do not give more, and require them to contribute some money as soon as possible, no laws regulating the work of the boys and sometimes little more than support the guys working in the cities of the Spain of postwar little more than eleven or twelve. 

In the villages the boy and girls begin to work in the field before nine or ten years. Too many mouths to feed many arms need to earn a daily wage of misery. Better than nothing, no options, studying the rich or the privileged who have parents who work from dawn to dusk and even at night just to bring sustenance and their offspring procurle studies.


Emiliano, the father of this cryo, also Emiliano, and his two older than Hemanas, Paquita and Esther, was born in a small village of Burgos. 
Only a few years he studied at the village school although it was enough to know how crucial it is to have knowledge or study all the better to develop a well - paid profession. 
Because only they will study the rich? he wonders, my children will have theopportunity to study and train to get a good job where you earn enough. 
All his eagerness to work long hours is to give the best to his family and especially to provide their children the opportunity to study the more thebetter, for it has inherited some books in her grandfather 's uncle priest. 

The kids devoured those books again and again as they can read them and will be sooner rather than later. There are a total of forty books on different topics. Some novel "The Last Days of Pompeii", "Oliver Twist" "The two little orphans" and some of Jules Verne. Also a "Christian Year" tooled leather - wrapped that is the jewel of the collection. There are twelve books, one for each month, and come the lives of all the saints that the Catholic Church celebrates every day. 
Also a small encyclopedia-dictionary in three volumes, where the kids are busy all the words refer to "prohibited" that are occurring, and of course their definitions. 
They learn what is "carnally" "cohabit" "strumpet"

Sexual subject is taboo in Spain forties and nobody talks about it, just the next puberty or boys talk offspring secret of these issues. 
When they discover a new word or definition transmit each other causing the overlapping laughter and dissembling if any more is interested in their conversations. 


Ours was a box on a tiny street of Tetuan, three little brothers face the momentous decision to eat an ounce of chocolate with your piece of bread, hard, or spend the pennies in a comic strip. 

To buy the new tebeo need seventy-five cents and are unhappy with buy one and shared possession of it. 
No, that's not an option, each must weigh the alternative of being left without breakfast, breadstick and ounce of chocolate a peseta, or invest the money he has given his mother for breakfast in a wonderful tebeo of "Antifaz Warrior" cartoon lasts forever cavil, and breadstick with chocolate we eat in an instant. 
At the end they buy two and the breadstick and two ounces of chocolate spread among the three. 

Everything is clear secret, her mother can not find out who skip breakfast and go to school happy with his comics and almost empty belly. The life of these crios in Spain misery feeds on dreams, heroes, and neighborhood theaters. 
Child sitting in a cinema "pipero" cost a peseta fifty cents and was a constant aspiration for them that her mother pay them a weekly entry. 

Dreaming and living the adventures of the characters graphics transcurria life without too much upheaval in an environment of happiness apparent, unreal, it was for them the best of all worlds. 

Wooden swords, stones, files to play "robaterrenos" in moist soil, to truque girls, and "camber" mixed boys and girls. Around him was manifest poverty, small houses and hovels without light or ventilation where whole families sometimes lived without running water or a toilet sharing between neighbors.


These crios wondered the reason that his mother and many of her neighbors often seemed angry. Conducive to slap, or more, to their children when they got a shot. 
At the slightest, bam, slap and shut up. 

The next second forgotten the slap returned to her world of illusion, fantasy games and rereading dozens of times the same cartoons, exchanging their idols with cronies, or trying to catch a "fat bitch" (ten cents of peseta) to change the tebeo less appreciated in the kiosk on the corner. Sometimes instead of changing his precious treasure other than the kids in the neighborhood miracle could hire another graphic to another senior colleague who possessed an assorted collection coveted by all.

The exibian deployed on the ground floor when it was dry, deployed and subjects with small shingle so that all the kids they were made salivating watching the dream stories of their heroes at your eyes. 

Do not dreamed of cakes or chicken, only "Carpanta" imagined in their roasted chickens stories unachievable for him and all the guys in all neighborhoods. 
And they knew ?, cakes cakes? . 

Idea, cakes, candies or pastries were not identified in a hungry and tatty Spain where objects get some loaves of bread was almost impossible mission by price and scarcity.

After the Second World War the shortage became really unbearable, Spain was isolated, locked as punishment for their support of Nazi losers. There was no international institution in which it was admitted, and the Marshall Plan of 1947 did not reach the Spanish lands as a result of their support forthe loser regime. 

++++ 

 The Marshall Plan (officially called European Recovery Program or ERP ) was the most important plan of the United States for the reconstruction of countries Europeans after World War II , which in turn was intended to contain a possible advance communism .  

After six years of war, much ofEurope was devastated and millions of people had died or been crippled. The fighting had occurred virtually everywhere, covering a much larger area than had been affected during the First World War . Because of aerial bombardment, most of the cities were severely damaged, especially the industrial areas that had been the main targets of these bombings. Berlin and Warsaw were mountains of rubble, and Londonand Rotterdam They had been badly affected. The economic situation of the continent had come to nothing and millions of people were destitute.Although the episode of Dutch hunger of 1944 could be resolved, the general devastation of agriculture provoked a wave of hunger throughout Europe, compounded by the harsh winter of 1946 - 1947 in northeastern Europe. They were also destroyed infrastructure such as the railways , thebridges and roads , which had been the main target of aerial bombardment, and many ships load had been sunk. The smallest municipalities had not suffered both the ravages of war, but the lack of transport networks had left practically isolated both physically and economically. 

++++++ 

to the devastation of post - Civil War in Spain the European famine which hit exports in the years of war in Europe joined. 
Once the Second World War these small exports came to an end, lacking own resources hunger, loneliness, international isolation against Dictatorial Fascist regime in Spain was absolute and total. 
Nobody wanted to do it traded nor a pariah country that had supported the regime of Nazi Germany, and poor survivors of a Spanish Civil War itself, trying to overcome the situation of the most unimaginable ways. 

It preyed all, not throwing anything, the dustbins were slow to fill up days, and when the "garbage truck" pulled by a mule passed through the dilapidated streets without pavement boys or flocked women lend the street with bucket in hand for it to be emptied into the truck. 

Summer plague was bearable because few products had any chance of rot.Any susceptible organic food being eaten in the family had disappeared stomachs and actually had very few things that can be thrown away.  
A small cart pulled by one or two mules was sufficient to cover residual needs of countless streets of the neighborhood. 
The cars were provided by the "rag pickers" called that charge to tour the neighborhoods, with permission from the authority and waste pile up in so-called "dumps" mushrooming by the dozen on the outskirts of the capital 'sneighborhoods.

For boys and girls in the neighborhood there was nothing more fun than Amalia down the street and get into the "dustbin" of the small area. There bonfires were organized and urinated on them, is rummaging in trash and always appeared a curious and useless object, as rag pickers had previously stockpiled rags, paper, or junk that could report some pesetas.

The gatufo

COMICS IN THE FORTIES SPAIN

In a tiny street of Tetuan, three little brothers face the momentous decision to eat an ounce of chocolate with your piece of bread, hard, or spend the pennies in a comic strip. 
To buy the new tebeo need seventy-five cents and are unhappy with buy one and shared possession of it. 
No, that's not an option, each must weigh the alternative of being left without breakfast, breadstick and ounce of chocolate a peseta, or invest the money he has given his mother for breakfast in a wonderful tebeo of "Antifaz Warrior" cartoon lasts forever cavil, and breadstick with chocolate we eat in an instant.
At the end they buy two and the breadstick and two ounces of chocolate spread among the three. 
Everything is clear secret, her mother can not find out who skip breakfast and go to school happy with his comics and almost empty belly. The life of these crios in Spain misery feeds on dreams, heroes, and neighborhood theaters. 
Child sitting in a cinema "pipero" cost a peseta fifty cents and was a constant aspiration for them that her mother pay them a weekly entry. 

Dreaming and living the adventures of the characters graphics transcurria life without too much upheaval in an environment of happiness apparent, unreal, it was for them the best of all worlds.

Wooden swords, stones, files to play "robaterrenos" in moist soil, to truque girls, and "camber" mixed boys and girls. Around him was manifest poverty, small houses and hovels without light or ventilation where whole families sometimes lived without running water or a toilet sharing between neighbors. These crios wondered the reason that his mother and many of her neighbors often seemed angry. Conducive to slap, or more, to their children when they got a shot. 

At the slightest, bam, slap and shut up. 

The next second forgotten the slap returned to her world of illusion, fantasy games and rereading dozens of times the same cartoons, exchanging their idols with cronies, or trying to catch a "fat bitch" (ten cents of peseta) to change the tebeo less appreciated in the kiosk on the corner. Sometimes instead of changing his precious treasure other than the kids in the neighborhood miracle could hire another graphic to another senior colleague who possessed an assorted collection coveted by all. The exibian deployed on the ground floor when it was dry, deployed and subjects with small shingle so that all the kids they were made salivating watching the dream stories of their heroes at your eyes.

Do not dreamed of cakes or chicken, only "Carpanta" imagined in their roasted chickens stories unachievable for him and all the guys in all neighborhoods. 
And they knew ?, cakes cakes? . 

Idea, cakes, candies or pastries were not identified in a hungry and tatty Spain where objects get some loaves of bread was almost impossible mission by price and scarcity. 

After the Second World War the shortage became really unbearable, Spain was isolated, locked as punishment for their support of Nazi losers. There was no international institution in which it was admitted, and the Marshall Plan of 1947 did not reach the Spanish lands as a result of their support forthe loser regime. 

++++

 The Marshall Plan (officially called European Recovery Program or ERP ) was the most important plan of the United States for the reconstruction of countries Europeans after World War II , which in turn was intended to contain a possible advance of communism .  

After six years of war, much of Europe was devastated and millions of people had died or been crippled. The fighting had occurred virtually everywhere, covering a much larger area than had been affected during theFirst World War. Because of aerial bombardment, most of the cities were severely damaged, especially the industrial areas that had been the main targets of these bombings. Berlin and Warsaw were mountains of rubble, and London and Rotterdam had been very harmed. The economic situation of the continent had come to nothing and millions of people were destitute.Although the episode of Dutch hunger of 1944 could be resolved, the general devastation of agriculture provoked a wave of hunger throughout Europe, compounded by the harsh winter of 1946 - 1947in northeastern Europe. They were also destroyed infrastructure such as the railways , thebridges and roads , which had been the main target of aerial bombardment, and many ships load had been sunk. The smallest municipalities had not suffered both the ravages of war, but the lack of transport networks had left practically isolated both physically and economically. 


++++++ 

to the devastation of post - Civil War in Spain the European famine which hit exports in the years of war in Europe joined.
Once the Second World War these small exports came to an end, lacking own resources hunger, loneliness, international isolation against Dictatorial Fascist regime in Spain was absolute and total. 
Nobody wanted to do it traded nor a pariah country that had supported the regime of Nazi Germany, and poor survivors of a Spanish Civil War itself, trying to overcome the situation of the most unimaginable ways. It preyed all, not throwing anything, the dustbins were slow to fill up days, and when the "garbage truck" pulled by a mule passed through the dilapidated streets without pavement boys or flocked women lend the street with bucket in hand for it to be emptied into the truck.  

Summer plague was bearable because few products had any chance of rot.Any susceptible organic food being eaten in the family had disappeared stomachs and actually had very few things that can be thrown away.  
A small cart pulled by one or two mules was sufficient to cover residual needs of countless streets of the neighborhood. 
The cars were provided by the "rag pickers" called that charge to tour the neighborhoods, with permission from the authority and waste pile up in so-called "dumps" mushrooming by the dozen on the outskirts of the capital 'sneighborhoods.

For boys and girls in the neighborhood there was nothing more fun than Amalia down the street and get into the "dustbin" of the small area.Horganizaban there bonfires and urinated on them, he is rummaging in trash and always appeared a curious and useless object, as rag pickers had previously stockpiled rags, paper, or junk that could report some pesetas.

the gatufo

IN MADRID 1943

three children

Many years ago in a place called Spain, they lived three very young children who were brothers. 
Two girls and a boy who was the child's mother, and it was then much esteemed Having a male in families. 
Although there were not too mimes, he spent downright bad, hunger, deprivation, cold and lack of humor or patience with such misery, little was who received more love and cuddles, as they said their older sisters. This three children were not told anything, lived the life that Vien small always conducive to play and mischief that exasperated his mother who craned their money to make ends meet and not used to be in a good mood.


The father of these children were born in 1914, World War I , and his young son was also born in 1943, during World War II but in their environment, Spain, world war not too noticeable. 

After her, much worse after as the country was isolated with an international blockade have tacitly supported the losers, German forces and its bloody dictator who had previously helped the Spanish dictator hungry He spent anyway, with war and defeating the freely elected government of the second Republic. 


Spain was a poor country, hungry, repressive, where individual or collective liberties had been mown or arracandas rennet after a long civil war that pitted brother against brother, neighbors, family, friends and ended up with more than one million dead in battle and beyond, killed, massacred, buried anonymously by both sides in contention. 

After this there was a great repression by the victors, dictatorship, which claimed tens of thousands of lives and nobody dared to speak, assemble, or create conflicts of any order. 
There was no right to strike, assembly, association, and of course the political parties.
The "secret" secret as it was called, polícia requested documentation anywhere else when traveling by train or bus it was exaustivo control and strict. 

The shortage was extreme, it hata the point that ration cards were issued for chords commodities with the number of members of one family. 

He was going to the store when news came that a commodity had come, oil, potatoes, sugar, flour, salt, or other vital supplies to survive. 
There was also no coal or wood to light the fire and to cook. 
Meat was a luxury product, sparse, and the fish did not come to be regarded as the fishing fleet had disappeared. 


For these crios life seemed pleasant, were children at the end of the day and knew something else, at home there was hardly anything, no telephone, no washing machine, no refrigerator, or other appliance that will help in household chores . 
Second - hand radio, a few books inherited from his grandfather and nothing else. 

They went very cold in winter and suffocating in summer, as everyone then, and if they wanted to cool off in summer slept outdoors, drank a jug of mud and took naps at noon. 
With this it was enough, but not his parents who had seen better stages. 


These three brothers lived on the outskirts of Madrid, in the district of Tetuan, were privileged because his father worked all day in office two jobs. 
It was not manual worker, he got up at six thirty and returned at ten o'clock at night. 
When she got home her children were already in bed and was too tired to try to wake them up. 

Life in villages or small towns then was much worse because hardly anywork for the laborers when the fields had been washed away and there was no land grain harvest to plant. 


The black market and hoarding food was the common trend in all places, so that the prevailing dictatorship established a customs or barriers on the outskirts of the towns that impeded free movement of traffic or any food between different territories.
These organizations were called "office supplies" and were responsible to monitor, inspect and report abuses in the composition or distribution of commodities. 

Milk, wine is a watered - , oils, sugar mixed, there was coffee, chicory was ground as a coffee substitute and families used to be rationed bread, sugar, margarine, meat or any food that remediera widespread hunger. 

For these three children seemed to pass life full of adventure, did not know of life and hardship were part of the routine no hankering life changing forthe better because they simply did not know was that.
A better life than carrying nonsense ?, which were almost all day playing in the street after leaving school, and had a good time imagining they were heroes comics then, "The Warrior Mask" or " Roberto Alcazar and Pedrin "among many others. 
The myriad of comics that were published entoces those they liked were those of "Feats Bélicas" but were very expensive, they used to look at them with envy when they saw them at any kiosk of the neighborhood in thehands of others older than them kids. 

They collected trading cards of the films that premiered then and for them it was like film, arriving home was when they returned to the reality of scarcity and bad fumes.

The local cinema was his refuge and sought to go at least one day a week sessions for children, where the kids thronged the grounds of foot, seat, and they cared that to them just to watch a West or be with my mouth open watching the homes of Americans in a comedy of then.

 the gatufo

BELLEZA

Nada mas bello que una puesta de Sol en el mar, y cuando estas a miles de kilometros de casa visitando un país que nunca habías soñado conocer la puesta del Sol cobra todavía mas belleza.

Navegando en el Mar Báltico habiendo visto la capital de Suecia, Estocolmo, y camino de Tallín es una experiencia que nunca podré olvidar.

Tallín, ciudad de cuento de hadas más viéndola en un espléndido Agosto con una temperatura ideal tras haber presenciado esta puesta de Sol desde el barco enorme que hace el recorrido uniendo Estocolmo con Tallin.

Si alguna vez teneis oportunidad de hacer ese viaje no os lo perdaís.

el gatufo

CHARLAS EN GENERAL

Geriátrico, Centro de Mayores, o Residencia de Ancianos, cualquiera de los tres referencias es válida para los lugares que no hace demasiados años se llamaban "asilos" igual que donde iban a parar los pequeños sin padres, o de madres solteras que la sociedad puritana de no hace muchos años rechazaba, viendose algunas de estas madres sin recursos obligadas a llevar a sus  bebes a los "orfanatos".

Ya no usa la sociedad moderna, desalmada no obstante, esos apelativos a los lugares que antes eran considerados de no muy buenas formas.
Se va descubriendo que en los orfanatos y algunos colegios de religiosos se venian cometiendo las mayores iniquidades que imaginarse pueda, lo peor ademas del hecho en si es que eran tapadas por las jerarquias de la Iglesia u otros estamentos sociales
que pasaban por ser honestos además de honrados.

Pero no es este el tema que deseo contaros, afortunadamente los asilos son residencias estupendamente atendidas y gestionadas, muy caras eso si, pero las ancianas y ancianos son muy bien atendidos con una paciencia infinita por el personal que trabaja en estos lugares, generalmente son emigrantes de sudamerica, o latinos, y a mi personalmente me encanta ver como son tratados los vejetes que a veces descargan sobre ellos sus frustaciones o desengaños cuando no son visitados por sus parientes y se ven muy solos.

Ayer que fuí a ver a mi esposa Cuca, pude charlar con una residente que lleva ocho o nueve años en la residencia. Está supercontenta, e ingresó voluntariamente cuando falleció su marido.
Con 81 años su cabeza y su cuerpo funcionan la mar de bien, está lo que se denomina "valida total"....no me gusta las palabras válido o no válido pero es como los clasifican en estos lugares.
Teresa nos estuvo contando sobre su vida, su trabajo antes de hacerse mayor, y que voluntariamente se fué a esta residencia pues había trabajado en ella y sabía bién el terreno que pisaba.

Tiene el suficiente patrimonio para pagar un dineral por su estancia en una habitación individual, no obstante sin hijos para que quiere su dinero, además que sus familiares le animan a que se lo gaste y esté lo mas cómoda posible.

Cuca estaba muy bien, charlamos mucho ella y yo como siempre, y me vine a casa la mar de contento.

el gatufo

A SPANISH LEGEND "MOUNT OF SOULS"

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2018

A LEGEND "Mount de las Animas"

Dates are appropriate to post a letter written by the great Gustavo Adolfo Becquer legend, hopefully not have copyright, writer and Spanish poet of romanticism.


Mount of the Bores, of Gustavo Adolfo Becquer The night of the dead woke me to not know what time the bells twice; its monotonous and eternal clang brought me to mind this tradition that I heard recently in Soria. I tried to sleep again; impossible! Once stung, imagination is a horse that runs wild and that does not serve throw the reins. By hang I decided to write it, as indeed it did. I heard it in the same place where it happened, and I wrote back sometimes head in fear when I felt gnashing my balcony crystals, shaken by the cold night air. Be that what you want, there is, as the horse drinks. I -Atad dogs; Do signal with the tubes for hunters gather, and demos around the city. Night is coming, It is a day of All Saints and we are in Monte de las Animas. -As soon! -A be another day, do not let me conclude with this flock of wolves Moncayo snows have driven from their burrows; but today it is impossible. Shortly prayer will sound the Templars, and the souls of the dead will begin to ring his bell in the chapel of the mountain. -¡En the ruined chapel! Bah! You want to scare me? No, beautiful cousin; you ignore what is happening in this country because not yet a year ago that has come to him from afar. Restrain your mare, I will make mine the pass, and throughout the way you tell the story. The pages gathered in joyous and boisterous groups; the counts of Borges and Alcudiel mounted their magnificent horses, and together they followed their children Beatrice and Alonso, They are preceding the procession from a distance. For the duration of the way, Alonso told in these terms the promised story: That mountain is now called the Animas, belonged to the Templars, whose convent see there, at the river bank. Templar were warriors and religious at once. Soria conquered the Arabs, the king had come from distant lands to defend the city by the side of the bridge, making it noticeable injury to his nobles of Castile; so they had to defend themselves known as the conquered alone. Among the knights of the new and powerful Order and the nobles of the city fermented for a few years and finally exploded, a deep hatred. The former had bounded the mountain where abundant reserved to meet their needs and contribute to their pleasures hunting; the latter determined to organize a raid on the preserve, despite strict prohibitions of the clergy with spurs, as they called their enemies. The voice of challenge ensued, and nothing was party to stop one in his hobby of hunting and others in their efforts to hinder it. The proposed expedition was carried out. remembered not her beasts; before the present would have dragged many mothers mourning for their respective children. That was not a hunt, it was a gruesome battle: the mountain was littered with corpses, wolves who wanted to exterminate had a bloody feast. Finally, the king's authority intervened: Mount, damn occasion of so many misfortunes, was declared abandoned, and the chapel of religious, located in the same mountain and in whose court together friends and enemies were buried, He began to ruin. Since then say that when night comes departed alone hear bend the chapel bell, and that the souls of the dead, wrapped in shreds of their shrouds, run like a fantastic hunt among the bushes and brambles. Braman frightened deer, wolves howl, snakes give hideous whistles, and the next day have been printed in the snow traces of the fleshless feet of the skeletons. Soria why we call the Monte de las Animas, and so I Dear Alonso's relationship ended just when the two young men reached the end of the bridge that leads to the city on that side. There they waited the rest of the party, which, after the two riders incorporárseles, missed by the narrow and dark streets of Soria. II servers had just lifting the cloth; fireplace high Gothic palace of the Counts of Alcudiel live off a glow illuminating some groups of ladies and gentlemen around the fire talking familiarly, and the wind whipped the leaded glass warheads lounge. Solas two people appeared outside the general conversation: Beatriz Alonso: Beatriz kept her eyes, lost in a vague thought, the whims of the flame. Alonso looked at the reflection of the fire sparkling in the blue eyes of Beatrice. Both save a deep silence not so many time ago. The owners concerned, regarding the night of the dead, dark stories that appeared spectra and represent the title role; and the bells of the churches of Soria bent far away with a monotonous and sad tolling. -Beautiful raw Alonso said finally breaking the long silence in which they got together,; soon we will separate ourselves perhaps forever; the arid plains of Castile, his rough and warlike customs, their simple habits and patriarchal know you do not like; I heard you sigh several times, perhaps for some distant heartthrob your lordship. Beatriz waved cold indifference; a whole woman character was revealed in that disdainful contraction of her thin lips. Perhaps by the pomp of the French court; where you've lived here he hastened to add the young man. In one way or another, I feel that I shall soon lose ... When we separated, I want llevases one of my memory ... Do you remember when we went to the temple to give thanks to God for having restored health you came for this land? The jewel that held the pen my cap captivated your attention. How beautiful it would be holding a veil over your dark hair! It has already lit the of a bride; My father gave it to who gave me being, and she took him to the altar ... You want it? I do not know yours in the beautiful- she said, but in my country received a pledge commits a will. Only one day a present of hands ceremony of a mourner must be accepted ... that can still go to Rome without returning empty-handed. Icy tone in which Beatriz spoke these words troubled a moment the young man calm after said sadly, I know premium; but today celebrated All Saints, and yours at all; Today is a day of ceremonies and present. Will you accept mine? Beatriz slightly bit her lips and reached out to take the jewel, without a word. The two young men fell silent again, and returned to hear the voice of old who spoke of witches and goblins and the hum of air rustled glasses warheads waterfall, and the monotonous sad tolling of bells. After a few minutes, the interrupted dialogue knotted around this: And before the end of the day of All Saints, that yours and mine is held, and can, without tying up your will, leave me a I remember, you will not? He said digging a look at her cousin, who shone like lightning, illuminated by a diabolical thought. -Why not? She said it was touching his right shoulder to find something among the folds of her wide sleeve velvet gold embroidery ... Then, with a childlike expression of feeling, added: 'Remember the blue band that took hunting today, and not know what color emblem told me it was the currency of your soul? -Yes. Well ... it is lost! He has been lost, and thought dejártela as a souvenir. -¡Se has lost !, and where? Alonso said getting up from his seat and with an indescribable expression of fear and hope. I do not know .... in the case mount. -¡En the Monte de las Animas pale and muttered flopping on sitial-; on the Mount of the Bores! Then he continued breathlessly and muffled voice: 'You know, because you've heard a thousand times; in the city, in Castile, They call me the king of the hunters. Not having been able to prove my strength in battle, as my ascendant, I have led this fun image of war, all the vigor of my youth, all the ardor, hereditary in my race. The carpet beneath their feet your feet are spoils of beasts that have died by my hand. I know their lairs and customs; and I fought with them day and night, on foot and on horseback, alone and whipped, and no one will say that he has seen me run away from danger at any time. Another night the band would fly, and fly joyful as a party; and yet, tonight ... tonight. What I ocultártelo ?, I have fear. Do you hear? The bells ring, prayer sounded in San Juan del Duero, the souls of Mount now begin to lift their yellowing skulls from weeds that cover their graves ... the souls !, whose mere sight of horror can freeze the blood of the bravest, turn white hair or steal in the whirlwind of his fantastic career as a leaf carried by the wind without knowing where. While she spoke, an imperceptible smile crossed the lips of Beatrice, that when he had finished said with an indifferent tone, while stoking the hearth where wood jumped and crackled, throwing sparks of many colors Oh! That in any way. What folly! To go to the mountain now for such a trifle! Such a dark night, night of the dead, and setting the path of wolves! Saying that last sentence, he leaned in such a special way that Alonso could not fail to understand all its bitter irony, he moved like a spring to his feet, ran his hand across his forehead, to tear the fear that was in his head and not his heart, and firm voice exclaimed, turning to the beautiful, which was still leaning over the hearth fire lingering in revolver Goodbye Beatriz, farewell ... See you soon . I -¡Alonso! Alonso! it said, turning quickly; but when he wanted or pretended to want to stop him, the young man had disappeared. A few minutes later the sound of a horse galloping away heard. The beautiful, with a radiant expression of satisfied pride that colored her cheeks, lent attentive ear to the rumor that weakened, which was lost, which finally faded. Old, meanwhile, continued their tales appeared souls; The air hummed in the glasses of the balcony and the bells of the city bent in the distance. III had spent one hour, two, three; midnight was about to ring, and Beatriz retired to his oratory. Alonso did not return, not return, when in less than an hour could have done. -¡Habrá been afraid! She cried the young man closing his prayer book and heading to his bed after trying futilely mumbling some prayers that the church consecrated on the day of the dead that no longer exist. After turning the lamp and crossed double silk curtains, she slept; he slept with a restless, light, nervous sleep. Twelve sounded on the clock Postigo. Beatriz dreamily heard the vibrations of the bell, slow, deaf, very sad, and opened her eyes. I thought I had heard a couple of them say his name; but far, far away, and a muffled and mournful voice. The wind moaned in the windowpanes. It will be the said wind; and putting his hand over his heart, he tried to calm down. But his heart was beating with increasing violence. Larch doors of the oratory had crunch on its hinges with a high-pitched whine long and loud. A first and then the other closer, all the doors that gave way to his room were ringing in their order, these grave with a dull noise, those with a long crispador regret. Then silence, a silence full of strange rumors, the silence of midnight, with a monotonous murmur of distant water; distant barking of dogs, confused voices, unintelligible words; echoes of footsteps coming and going, rustling of clothes crawling, sighs drowning, tiring breaths almost feel, involuntary shudders that announce the presence of something unseen and whose approach is noticeable however in the dark. Beatriz, motionless, trembling, head forward out of the curtains and listened for a moment. Thousand different noises heard; the hand through the forehead, tornaba to listen: nothing, silence. He saw with the phosphorescence of the pupil in nervous crises, such as lumps moving in all directions; and when dilating the fixed at one point, nothing, dark, impenetrable shadows. -Bah! he exclaimed, turning to lay his head on the pillow beautiful blue satin of lecho-; I'm as scared as those poor people, whose heart throbs terror under armor, hearing a conseja of ghosts? And closing his eyes tried to sleep ...; but in vain he had made an effort on itself. He soon rejoined paler, more restless, more terrified. It was no longer an illusion: brocade draperies had touched the door to separate, and slow footsteps sounded on the carpet; the sound of those footsteps was deaf, almost imperceptible, but continuous, and his compass creak sounded something like wood or bone. And they approached, approached, and the kneeler was on the edge of his bed moved. Beatriz uttered a piercing scream, and snuggling on clothing that covered her, hid her head and held her breath. The air whipped glasses balcony; water from the distant source fell and fell with an eternal and monotonous sound; barking dogs dilate in gusty air, and the bells of the city of Soria, some near, some distant, bend sadly for the souls of the dead. This happened one hour, two hours, a century, because the night that seemed eternal Beatrice. Finally he blunted the dawn: return of his fear, he opened his eyes for the first rays of light. After a sleepless night and terrors, it's so beautiful the clear white light of day! He parted the curtains of silk bed, and was about to laugh at his past fears, when suddenly a cold sweat covered her body, her eyes became loose and deathly pale faded her cheeks on the kneeler had been bloody and torn the blue band that lost in the woods, the blue band that went looking for Alonso. When his servants came noticiarle terrified to death of the firstborn of Alcudiel that morning had appeared devoured by wolves among the weeds of Monte de las Animas, they found her motionless, contorted, clutching with both hands at one of the columns ebony bed, eyes bulging, mouth ajar; white lips, stiff limbs, dead; Dead horror! IV They say that after this event happened, a stray hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH grasped with both hands to one of the columns ebony bed, eyes bulging, mouth ajar; white lips, stiff limbs, dead; Dead horror! IV They say that after this event happened, a stray hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH grasped with both hands to one of the columns ebony bed, eyes bulging, mouth ajar; white lips, stiff limbs, dead; Dead horror! IV They say that after this event happened, a stray hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH bulging eyes, mouth ajar; white lips, stiff limbs, dead; Dead horror! IV They say that after this event happened, a stray hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH bulging eyes, mouth ajar; white lips, stiff limbs, dead; Dead horror! IV They say that after this incident occurred, a lost hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH Dead horror! IV They say that after this event happened, a stray hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH Dead horror! IV They say that after this event happened, a stray hunter who spent the night of the dead could not get out of Monte de las Animas, and that the day before he died, he could tell what he saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH before he died, he could tell what they saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH before he died, he could tell what they saw, said horrible things. Among others, he said he saw the skeletons of the ancient Templars and the nobles of Soria buried in the atrium of the chapel up to the point of prayer with a horrible crash, and gentlemen on the bones of horses, chasing her like a beast a beautiful, pale and disheveled woman with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH pale and disheveled, with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH pale and disheveled, with bare and bloody feet, and throwing cries of horror, circled around the tomb of Alonso. FINISH

To all of you who like the Spanish-Castilian sure this story or legend will be liked. Gustavo Adolfo Dominguez Bastida Claudio (Sevilla, February 17, 1836 Madrid, December 22, 1870), better known as Gustavo Adolfo Becquer ...

Movements: Romanticism , Symbolism

Cause of death: Tuberculosis

Birth name: Gustavo Adolfo Claudio ...

Nationality: Spanish

Legends of Becquer  · Category: Gustavus Adolphus ...  · Rimas  ·

To me the author Gustavo Adolfo Becque, Rimas y Leyendas, I love it. I hope you pique curiosity and can be an incentive to read this author born in the beautiful Spanish city of Sevilla. 

the gatufo