Smarter than the average bear

Sometimes my mind goes on interesting meanders.

Many of these excursions take place during physical activity. It’s probably why I get mental satisfaction from digging up at the allotment. I get a couple of hours of good muscle building exercise, plus my head gets to visit odd destinations or sort out perplexing problems.

So, this takes me to the slopes of the Pena Llesba on the outskirts of the Picos de Europa national park in northern Spain. At the top of the col sits this rather cool bear monument – not that there’s any bears left in the Picos.

As we’re climbing back towards the bear, my mind goes walkies.

Bears. Yogi Bear. Before the holiday I stumbled across the trailer for the new Yogi Bear live action/CGI film. You know the thing. Hollywood at its laziest, dragging out any old idea.

Yogi Bear. Films. Spain. Dubbing. In my limited experience, our continental partners experience of Hollywood is mainly through the prism of dubbing. Whilst you do see the odd subtitled film, I think I’m right in saying that your movie goer in Madrid is unlikely to know what Tom Hanks sounds like.

Ok. So, what about cartoons and CGI flicks like Toy Story or, in this case, Yogi Bear? In English speaking nations, star names are used to sell what are essentially kids’ films to adults. In the case of aforementioned bear, will Spaniards be sold on the basis of Dan Ackroyd – probably dubbed beyond recognition to English speaking ears in Ghostbusters – and Justin Timberlake?

Photo set of the day – Iceland

You want to see my photos of Iceland, don’t you?

Sorry, no active volcanoes, but I think the snowy peak is a dormant volcano and was, Jules Verne fans, supposedly the entrance to the centre of the earth.

That swan is swimming around the lake in the middle of Reykjavik, next to the village hall, sorry, Parliament building.

There’s a funky church and some tin houses in the capital.

Geological action! Geysers and stuff. Not a patch on Yellowstone.

Finally, some very pixellated shots* of Gulfoss, a spectacular waterfall round about where the Mid-Atlantic Ridge cuts through Iceland. I was never as cold as I was that day.

* – I’d only had the camera a few weeks and hadn’t figured out how to use it properly yet.