No, Madridman, it wasn't me; but here's some Columbus trivia: His landfall was at the mouth of the Ria de Vigo, where the Castle of the Conde de Gondomar is now a Parador Naciónal. The people in that area say that the Conde de Gondomar was a cousin to Colón, that Colón himself might have been claimant to that title, and that, excellent navigator that he was, he must have stopped there on purpose to offload some of the treasures he had brought back from the New World.

Maybe that's why I like Pontevedra so much, besides the seafood and wines, I mean. You stay in an area long enough to get to know the people and they 'open up' to you with 'private' stories like that.

Another is about the German U-Boats that hid under the mejilloneras (mussel-cultivating frames) in the ria during the day and came out at night to attack allied shipping. It's not difficult to see how they could have done that.

[ 08-22-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]