Memories of Málaga . . .
It didn’t occur to me until much later (ie. too late) to ask WHY this was even there.
~ more road trip stuff mañana ~
for raincoaster
19 Sunday Oct 2008
19 Sunday Oct 2008
Memories of Málaga . . .
It didn’t occur to me until much later (ie. too late) to ask WHY this was even there.
~ more road trip stuff mañana ~
casa azahar 
They have FLYING octopi in Malaga? I have to move there! Holy FSM!
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Az, I am reading a book I think you would like. It is set in Barcelona and involves a Welsh “expat” involved in a mystery…. Not like a murder mystery, at least not so far.
I am really enjoying it and I think you might, as well. It is called “The Colour of a Dog Running Away” by Richard Gwyn
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OMG!!WTF?!!
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So, um, why is it there. Inquiring minds want to know.
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I came upon these which, if you can do a better translation than Bablefish (which was mostly garbled) might shed some light?
http://www.diariosur.es/20080802/opinion/pulpo-teatro-romano-20080802.html
http://vitoptah.blogspot.com/2008/09/pulpo-gigante-en-calle-alcazabilla.html
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fantastic
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Thanks for the links, Anneke. Apparently it’s a legend that takes place in Roman times when Málaga was a part of the Roman Empire and was a producer and exporter of fish paste. During the night this giant octopus would drag itself across the beach and eat the stored fish paste. They tried to catch it with dogs, which it slapped aside like so many mosquitos, and they also put up barriers around it, but it escaped by jumping into a tree and then over the barriers. It was finally killed by many harpoons … well, that is the story in a nutshell.
I was wondering about it because the papier maché octopus was in the Roman theatre, which is being excavated at the moment, and the entire area is fenced off (had to stick my camera through the fence to get the shots). But as you can see, there is an information area underneath the octopus that I’m guessing tells the story. I just didn’t think of checking it out – duh.
So no, not a flying octopus, Rain, but a tree-climbing one. A long swim away from the Pacific north-west . . .
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Ah-HAH… I was so close! Of course in my version the octopus consumed small children in its giant orifice… but the rest of my story was spot on.
And I bet it was after that special “fish guts and brine” fish paste from Bolonia.
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Similar yet yours was way more gruesome, Pipocas. Boy, that fish paste must have been awfully popular if so many places were making it (and it attracted giant octopi).
That book looks really good, Anneke – I shall put it on my Amazon wish list!
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