The Off Topic Topic

[celedhring]

No idea, early on I suspect, shortly after getting recruited by the ministry. It was a good series though, with additional interest from seeing the Spanish point of view on various historical events.

Was there any particular point of view that you found interesting? I don't remember for instance many episodes involving the English or British. There are plenty of them involving the French, though. 

In the year of our Lord 1588 NOTHING HAPPENED!

There's an hilarious episode where King Felipe II tries to save the Armada and ensure Spanish Global Domination across all time and space 

EDIT: Larchie'd!

[The Larch]

Yeah, the French are the true enemy of the Spanish people 

I mean, it's quite ingrained in the collective psyche. For starters the uprising against Joseph Bonaparte is considered to have kickstarted the modern Spanish national sentiment. We just have a rather checkered shared history. Whenever my school took us to visit a church or whatever, the guide's description invariably contained the phrase "and then the French sacked it/burnt it down during the war of [Insert one of the million wars between France and Spain or their predecessor states]" 

Well, duh, you're right by the border.  It takes them much longer to get around here, our only contact with them was in the Napoleonic wars.

Now, Viking/Moorish/English naval raids, that's a different deal!

[The Larch]

No idea, early on I suspect, shortly after getting recruited by the ministry. It was a good series though, with additional interest from seeing the Spanish point of view on various historical events.

Was there any particular point of view that you found interesting? I don't remember for instance many episodes involving the English or British. There are plenty of them involving the French, though. 

In the year of our Lord 1588 NOTHING HAPPENED!

There's an hilarious episode where King Felipe II tries to save the Armada and ensure Spanish Global Domination across all time and space 

EDIT: Larchie'd!

Admitedly, a mad Felipe II makes for a convincing evil overlord of time and space. 

[Sheilbh]

Yeah, the French are the true enemy of the Spanish people 

I mean, it's quite ingrained in the collective psyche. For starters the uprising against Joseph Bonaparte is considered to have kickstarted the modern Spanish national sentiment. We just have a rather checkered shared history. Whenever my school took us to visit a church or whatever, the guide's description invariably contained the phrase "and then the French sacked it/burnt it down during the war of [Insert one of the million wars between France and Spain or their predecessor states]" 

The French are everyone's true enemies - I feel like all of their neighbours have had a fair few incidents with the French

My favourite example of this was in Malta when I went a fort on Gozo with an AV on the history of the island. The history basically quickly covered everything up to the Knights and the great siege against the Turks. Then it carries on all fine and happy until the French arrive, destroy the Catholic Church and repress the Maltese. Then it literally went "until the British arrived and restored freedom" then cut to fireworks over Malta. The end.

It was a really unique experience for a British person in a former colony

[Richard Hakluyt]

Heh, I'd forgotten that episode; appalling memory here.

There were also some shenanigans trying to get Alonso's son off the Armada ship he was due to sail on iirc.

[The Larch]

No idea, early on I suspect, shortly after getting recruited by the ministry. It was a good series though, with additional interest from seeing the Spanish point of view on various historical events.

Was there any particular point of view that you found interesting? I don't remember for instance many episodes involving the English or British. There are plenty of them involving the French, though. 

I found the episodes set in the Philippines very interesting; I'd never heard of the siege of Baler for instance. I thought that was a salutary reminder that there no small or unimportant wars from the point of view of the participants.

Ah, yes, the "Últimos de Filipinas" were a quite symbolic episode for Spain, the death throes of our colonial empire and a huge feeling of national decline. I don't think there's any episode about the Spanish - American war in Cuba and that's a pity, it'd be a very interesting setting to explore. Maybe the Maine bombing was an inside job... 

......and was Lope de Vega really that annoying  ?

Heh, he was quite full of himself in the show, wasn't he? 

Incidentally I just spotted earlier that a 4th season was made  this year; no sign of it on the English streamers yet though.

Yeah, it was shown earlier this year, but AFAIK it's been kinda lacklustre. The good ones were the first couple of seasons.

[celedhring]

Lope de Vega did indeed have a reputation for being a blowhard.

[Sheilbh]

Someone online sharing architecture critic Nicholas Pevsner's description of RAF Flyingdales early warning centre:

Three perfect white globes on three perfect black plinths in the grandiose undulating silence of the moor. The geometry of the space age at its most alluring and most frightening.

[Valmy]

The French are everyone's true enemies -

They deliver the tough love their neighbors need. I mean what would have happened to Spain if Napoleon had coddled the Bourbons? Why they might still be reigned over by some inbred sociopathic freeloading...oh wait.

So anyway what I was trying to say is that if it is your friends who make you better than everyone's true frenemy is France...at least those within her increasingly limited strategic range.

[Valmy]

My favourite example of this was in Malta when I went a fort on Gozo with an AV on the history of the island. The history basically quickly covered everything up to the Knights and the great siege against the Turks. Then it carries on all fine and happy until the French arrive, destroy the Catholic Church and repress the Maltese. Then it literally went "until the British arrived and restored freedom" then cut to fireworks over Malta. The end.

Malta loved being a British Colony so much they asked to be made a constituent kingdom of the UK, but the UK told them to go pound sand.

But would that have happened if Napoleon had not come and oppressed the Catholic Church? No sir. Tough love.

[celedhring]

We have to be thankful that the world got Sheilbh the sollicitor instead of Sheilbh the architect.

[Sheilbh]

Malta loved being a British Colony so much they asked to be made a constituent kingdom of the UK, but the UK told them to go pound sand.

A decision I'm still angry about

But would that have happened if Napoleon had not come and oppressed the Catholic Church? No sir. Tough love.

You know me - I love the French

[Valmy]

We have to be thankful that the world got Sheilbh the sollicitor instead of Sheilbh the architect.

England's green and pleasant land would be covered with giant exposed cement balls.

[The Larch]

The French are fine... in France. When they go abroad in large numbers, now that's an issue. 

Besides and in the particular case of Spain, I blame Nappy for condemning Spain to awful reactionary mediocrity for most of the XIXth century.

[celedhring]

The French are fine... in France. When they go abroad in large numbers, now that's an issue. 

Besides and in the particular case of Spain, I blame Nappy for condemning Spain to awful reactionary mediocrity for most of the XIXth century.

Or the 100,000 Sons of a bitch of Saint Louis.