NO SPANISH KISSING, GRACIAS!
Having only been back in Madrid I day, I was delighted to meet a mum from Gabriel’s old school while shopping for basics. As I stepped closer to greet her with the customary Spanish friendly style kiss on both cheeks, she stepped back abruptly, and quite frankly, left me feeling a bit silly and surprised.
"We are not supposed to kiss people, because of the risk of catching Gripe A," she explained. Aparently that is one of the pieces of advice the Spanish health minister has just issued, to try to avoid the ongoing spread of Swine flu. My curiosity got the better of me, and the front headline of today’s national paper did indeed inform, that using a hanky, and washing hands regularly were also part of cautions to take with your friends.
It will be interesting to see if the health advice given over these coming weeks and months, is as confusing and contradictory as the advice in GB seems to be this summer, between the government and the press. Whatever, we may be seeing a lot more air kisses in Spain for a while at least.
P.S. Does it count, your child trying to lick you or your camera?!
