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El Castillo del Aguila, Gaucin
Above the aptly-named Castillo del Aguila circle the eagles that live on these mountains. The blaze of blue of the sky belies the cold air that bites through my jacket. February in the Serrania de Ronda can be much colder than expected by those of us that enjoy the balmier climes of the edge of the Mediterranean. Yet there are trees in blossom, oranges weighing heavy on the branches of trees lining the streets of Gaucin, this village perched vertiginously on a crag in the Sierra del Hacho. In the distance to the north, the mountains are still tipped with snow, while looking southwards, you can see the Rock of Gibraltar, and, beyond that, the purple edges of the Riff Mountains, looking like the vanguard of an invading army.
Gaucin has seen its fair share of invading armies and battles. Even without going as far back as cave-dwelling people who left traces of their stay in the cave paintings found in the nearby Sierra, nor the Phoenicians, nor the Visigoths, who left a necropolis near what is now the town, we know that the Romans fortified it so they could watch their backs while they marched the riches they had garnered in Africa from the sea, through to Ronda and from there to the rest of their Empire. Eagles in Gaucin in more than one sense.
The invasion of the Moslem armies from Morocco meant that Gaucin changed hands again, and was further fortified. Like the eagles of the crags nearby, the Moors watched the mountains for miles, intercepting invaders and threats to the Kingdom of Granada, of which Gaucin was an outpost. The Catholic monarchs of Spain fought over this place for centuries, and Guzman El Bueno died in battle at the foot of the castle in 1309.
Violence was a regular occurrence in these parts. The Moors that remained frequently rebelled and even after the expulsion of 1492, the mountains were alive with bandidos, many of whom in later years were dispossessed farmers earning a livelihood from crime and the slave trade. The eighteenth century brought to Gaucin tourism of sorts, in the form of the English from Gibraltar, who enjoyed its cooler temperatures in the summer months, as well as its rustic charm, a situation not far different from current times.
However, the twentieth century itself continued to see Gaucin suffer from conflict, with over 50 of its citizens executed during the invasion of the Nationalists in the Civil War, and the mountains hiding refugees and partisan militia opposing Franco. Some of the elderly residents of Gaucin still remember those times. The scars of conflict always run deep.
The town itself is as naturally charming as any of the "white towns" of Andalucia, with cobblestone streets winding up steep hills, and lined with orange trees that cast a perfume over passers by.
Tucked away in a corner near the 16th century church of San Bartolomeo, not far from a little square that overlooks the valley and lined with cafes, is the unusual Fuente the los Seis Canos, which merited a pause and a dip of the finger tips into its icy water.
La Fuente de los Seis Canos, Gaucin
Fortunately, the climb from the town to the Castillo del Aguila is relatively easy. On the way, you encounter the pretty little chapel of the Nino Santo, dedicated to St John of God, a place also touched by the martial history of the area, as despite its sanctity, it was used as an arsenal and a place for soldiers to bed down during some of the many conflicts of the region.
Capilla del Nino Santo, Gaucin
The castle itself, although in ruins, doesn't disappoint. To say the view is breathtaking would be to diminish it through cliche. And inside the huddle of stones that remain of the walls, there is a sense of safety, of knowing that you have time to arrange your defences before the enemy can get you. And the great bell of the tower can warn of invaders to all the peasants for miles around.
Inside el Castillo del Aguila, Gaucin
To stand where eagles fly is a privilege. Gaucin is well worth a visit.
The town of Gaucin, seen from the Castillo del Aguila that defended if for hundreds of years.
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Sunday, 8 April 2012
Where the eagles fly
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Working it in Gibraltar
Does anyone out there know for sure what Gib's position is according to European Directives on employment?
Over the past couple of years, I have discovered that Gib's former administration has been notoriously slow on applying European directives on matters relating to the working classes, especially if that has involved making sure that ordinary people could exercise their rights. Take the example of the citizenship rights for Moroccan workers. This is still a scandal based on the denial of rights, and which may or may not be addressed by the new government.
Just on Friday, I was scandalised yet again, by what I interpret to be utterly archaic working practises - the sort you expect emerging from a leisurely read of a Dickensian novel. Not only does the current Gibraltar law entitle workers to only 15 days paid leave per year (the EU directive 93/104, which is cited on said amended piece of legislation, states four weeks' annual paid leave and to most people that would mean 20 days per year statutory minimum) but it can be interpreted in such a way as to require people to work a full year before being entitled to any time off at all. Like I said, archaic.
How does this work in practise? Well, say you got a job in a Main Street shop and started work on 1st September 2011 and had to wait a year to be eligible for your leave. Your employer could tell you that you cannot have any leave prior to 2012 at all. Some employers could make you wait until 1st September 2012 to start your leave, but let's assume that your employer is reasonable and allows you to take your retrospective entitlement of a third of a year's leave that you have accrued at the start of the new leave year in January 2012. That means that you can have a super summer holiday of a grand total of 5 days.
Of course, the more elucidated of us know full well that staff are more productive and loyal if they also have reasonable rest breaks, and they can balance their personal and professional lives much better with adequate leave - hence the European Directive. But the former Gibraltar government saw fit not to allow Gibraltarians the same rights as the rest of Europe. Somehow, as a tax paying citizen of Gibraltar, although I work for a good employer and have my 20 days annual leave, I feel cheated on behalf of my fellow-citizens. And let's be totally clear, while I'm not particularly partisan towards one or other party, it was the GSD that was in power when the Directive had to be imposed in 2000.
Now, I know - although only on a very basic level - that Gib is not fully in the "EC Club". It has followed the UK in many matters, however, and has its own customs and tax arrangements, hence the painfully irritating border "controls" we have to negotiate whenever we want to take a day trip to the beautiful Andalucian countryside that surrounds us. But as a member of the broader EU, Gib surely has to follow EU Directives on a wide number of issues, such as environmental protection issues, and this should include employment law.
Or so I thought. Perhaps I am mistaken and there are those of you out there who can enlighten me on it? Either way, as someone said quite recently in Gib - "it's time for a change".
Over the past couple of years, I have discovered that Gib's former administration has been notoriously slow on applying European directives on matters relating to the working classes, especially if that has involved making sure that ordinary people could exercise their rights. Take the example of the citizenship rights for Moroccan workers. This is still a scandal based on the denial of rights, and which may or may not be addressed by the new government.
Just on Friday, I was scandalised yet again, by what I interpret to be utterly archaic working practises - the sort you expect emerging from a leisurely read of a Dickensian novel. Not only does the current Gibraltar law entitle workers to only 15 days paid leave per year (the EU directive 93/104, which is cited on said amended piece of legislation, states four weeks' annual paid leave and to most people that would mean 20 days per year statutory minimum) but it can be interpreted in such a way as to require people to work a full year before being entitled to any time off at all. Like I said, archaic.
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| Las costureras |
Of course, the more elucidated of us know full well that staff are more productive and loyal if they also have reasonable rest breaks, and they can balance their personal and professional lives much better with adequate leave - hence the European Directive. But the former Gibraltar government saw fit not to allow Gibraltarians the same rights as the rest of Europe. Somehow, as a tax paying citizen of Gibraltar, although I work for a good employer and have my 20 days annual leave, I feel cheated on behalf of my fellow-citizens. And let's be totally clear, while I'm not particularly partisan towards one or other party, it was the GSD that was in power when the Directive had to be imposed in 2000.
Now, I know - although only on a very basic level - that Gib is not fully in the "EC Club". It has followed the UK in many matters, however, and has its own customs and tax arrangements, hence the painfully irritating border "controls" we have to negotiate whenever we want to take a day trip to the beautiful Andalucian countryside that surrounds us. But as a member of the broader EU, Gib surely has to follow EU Directives on a wide number of issues, such as environmental protection issues, and this should include employment law.
Or so I thought. Perhaps I am mistaken and there are those of you out there who can enlighten me on it? Either way, as someone said quite recently in Gib - "it's time for a change".
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