Jaca

The first three days of the IGU meeting were held in Jaca. I will not bore you with the papers and their discussion, except to say that mine was delivered without mishap on the first morning. Indeed, I gather that I had simultaneous translation into Spanish.

Jaca became a whirl of papers, long (2.5 hours) lunches, early morning walks around the town to take photographs, and late night banquets. The Siesta postpones evening meals until after 9.00 pm, and so I found myself going to bed at 12.00 and getting up at 6.00. This became wearing after a while, but the contrasting high of touring an historic city (known to exist in 1000) and spectacular landscapes was a substantial antidote.

Jaca is on the edge of the Pyrenees and near the Gallego river system draining the high (3,300 metre) moutain range. Despite the heat of the valley (30+ degrees) snow lingered on the peaks. We spent a day in the mountains admiring the scenery, and inspecting the resorts and facilities (apartments, chalets, chair-lifts and other paraphernalia. The cool air was welcome, and no doubt a relief to the cattle and sheep on the high pastures. If my knowledge of the EU's Common Agriculture Policy is correct, the farmers would earn all their income and more from subsidy!!

AS