Big, big bridge ahead next week

(c) Alberto Bullrich 2011

This is the big one. This is a holiday after a holiday in the middle of the holidays. This is when Tuesday is a bank holiday and so is Thursday. This is because some bureaucrat didn't take the trouble to look at the calendar (or was bribed to look elsewhere). This El Puente de la Constitución (Tuesday, 6), or El Puente de la Inmaculada Concepción (Thursday 8). In both cases using the word puente, meaning bridge - clever, that. Now, we have no trouble with any immaculate conceptions except believing in them. But a holiday? Should at least be a miracle shouldn't it? Anyway, chances are that the whole week is shot: Weekend, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Weekend. (Red means its a holiday or a weekend, black is a working day.) So we will try to find out about such mundane details as shop and official offices opening schedules, rubbish collection, and, of course, school schedules. In the Spanish vernacular, this is un puente muy largo. Depending on whether they are a parent or a teacher, they will have a smile or a frown - guess which is which.