Something for the weekend

[richardksa]

Here are six questions (+1) I will getting the Attendees at tonight's English Speaking Group in Madrid to answer. See how well you do.
1) Who was the first governor of the Philippines?
2) Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean?
3) Who designed the “Linear City”?
4) Who was the king of Spain until 1931?
5) Who was Don (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_(honorific)) Baldomero Espartero, Count of Luchana, Duke of the Victoria
6) Who painted the “Naked Maja” (o la Maja desnudo)?
The BIG question is ……. What do they all have in common??????????

[Margot]

The BIG question is ……. What do they all have in common??????????

they "all have in common" the sad, "Naked"* truth that (with 1 exception - *guess which) each one stumps me.
Good thing I'm not a member of your group-grope-for-enlightenment.
I'd fall flat on my face. Ouch :mad:

[una maruja]

At a guess, it´s something to do with metro stations -
ciudad lineal was designed by Arturo Soria
La Maja was painted by Goya
The king who abdicated in 1931 was Alfonso X111
and the Pacific Ocean was first sighted by Nuñez de Balboa
I´m still thinking about the other two.

[greytop]

I'm with you Margot!

[Margot]

qué alevio:
misery - I mean, stupidity :D loves company

[DiabloScott]

The king who abdicated in 1931 was Alfonso XIII


And they named a damned fine brandy after him too.

[gary]

They were all Spanish?

[imc]

Si :)

[MrMark]

Superb question there from Richardksa. Questions 1 and 5 have me stumped too. I agree with la maruja who thinks they're all Madrid metro stations.

[una maruja]

After cheating and using Google I think that number 5 is Principe de Vergara. The only one that I can find that might fit number 1 is Legazpi (Miguel Lopez de Legazpi ). Now if only Google could be used to find my car keys when I put them somewhere safe...!!

[richardksa]

Bien hecho, una muruja!
1) Who was the first governor of the Philippines? Legazpi
2) Who was the first European to see the Pacific Ocean? Núñez de Balboa
3) Who designed the “Linear City”? Arturo Soria.
4) Who was the king of Spain until 1931? Alfonzo XIII
5) Who was Don (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_(honorific)) Baldomero Espartero, Count of Luchana, Duke of the Victoria. Principe de Vergara
6) Who painted the “Naked Maja” (o la Maja desnudo)? Goya
And of course, they are all Metro stations.

Hmm! Didn't make it through the weekend. I'll have to come up with something tougher. Incidentally, no one at the ESG got more than 4. And one haughty madilleña told me that Alfonzo XII was the last king.

As you are so clever. Tell me, who is the MichaelAngelo of Spain. Clue, another metro station. (There's a theme here.)

[eldeano]

As you are so clever. Tell me, who is the MichaelAngelo of Spain. Clue, another metro station. (There's a theme here.)

Is it Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez?

[una maruja]

What about Alonso Cano?. He was a painter and sculptor, but I wouldn´t have thought that he was in the same category as Miguel Angelo.
Anyway, many thanks for the quiz. It´s got me looking at names of stations and for the first time thinking about the origins of the name. The most interesting one so far has been Callao. I would never have guessed the meaning of the word.

[richardksa]

Yes, it is indeed Alonso Cano. This has stemmed from my latest geeky project which is to research the history (or just the story) behind those Metro stations we use or pause in. 58 so far, 283 in total, (and they seem to add them faster than I can research them!!) so a long way to go. It is curious to note that through political expediancy a few stations have changed their names. Which station used to be called after the grandmother of Alfonzo XIII? And what is slightly ironic about the positioning of the stations of Manuel Becerra and O'Donnell?

[tad]

And what is slightly ironic about the positioning of the stations of Manuel Becerra and O'Donnell?
No idea, but O'Donnell seems a curious name for a Madrid metro station.:rolleyes:

It's not a queensway/bayswater situation is it?

[MrMark]

What about Alonso Cano?. He was a painter and sculptor, but I wouldn´t have thought that he was in the same category as Miguel Angelo.
Anyway, many thanks for the quiz. It´s got me looking at names of stations and for the first time thinking about the origins of the name. The most interesting one so far has been Callao. I would never have guessed the meaning of the word.

You little tease! Any chance of enlightening us?

[Margot]

It´s got me looking at names of stations and 1- thinking about the origins of the name. The most interesting one so far has been
2- Callao. I would never have guessed the meaning of the word.

You little tease! Any chance of enlightening us?

2-ssssh!;) (-d)
1- speaking of name origins...what about your eponymous street Sir Richard?

[una maruja]

Oh, thank you MrMark. It´s been a very long time since anyone used the adjective ¨little¨when talking about me!
Margot, does that mean that you don´t want me to answer or you want me to whisper it on here so that the others don´t hear?
Richardksa. Your question about the grandmother of Alfonso X111 just goes to show that if you want immortality, you are better off having a water company named after you than a metro station!

[richardksa]

No idea, but O'Donnell seems a curious name for a Madrid metro station.:rolleyes:

It's as strange as Eamon D'Valera was as Prime Minister of Ireland - if you think about it!

2-ssssh!;) (-d)
1- speaking of name origins...what about your eponymous street Sir Richard?
Of course, that would be "Saint" Richard!!;)

[Margot]

Margot, does that mean that you don´t want me to answer or you want me to whisper it on here so that the others don´t hear?


Oh no I was making a (lame) joke :blush: based upon what's probably a false assumption...which was that callao was the madrileño "cool" :cool: way of deleting the 'd' when pronouncing 'callado', meaning 'quiet'.
And to turn my already lame joke into a total cripple: calla'o = shhh = quiet
Oh well, I tried....
Of course I want you to answer! :D:thumbs-up:

[Margot]

Of course, that would be "Saint" Richard!!;)

Yes...What I asked is.....Who is (was) he - your street-worthy namesake?

[gary]

Yes...What I asked is.....Who is (was) he - your street-worthy namesake?

found this

San Ricardo, Obispo de Chichester, fue el gran restaurador del más acendrado sentimiento religioso en Inglaterra, durante el reinado de Enrique III. Sus virtudes características fueron: austeridad, caridad, energía hermanada con la suavidad evangélica. Hijo de sencillos labradores, quedóse huérfano muy joven y hubo de trabajar en menesteres del campo. Estudia en Oxford donde consigue graduarse «Maestro en Artes», y más tarde en Bolonia, Canciller de Universidad y de Obispos, y consejero del arzobispo de Canterbury, es consagrado Obispo, aun contra la decisión y apetencias del propio Rey; y ha de luchar con toda energía hasta ser reconocido y poder entrar en su diócesis de Chichester; caracterizándose luego su apostolado por una continuada defensa del derecho frente al abuso, por una ardiente caridad para con los humildes y una enérgica austeridad para consigo mismo. Murió a los cincuenta y cinco años de edad y fue canonizado nueve años más tarde. — Fiesta: 3 de abril.

more here (http://multimedios.org/docs/d001436/)

[Margot]

Like father, like great-great-great-great-great-great-not-so-great-but-great-enough son!
Our own Ricardska - a son of a pavement

[richardksa]

I cannot be kerbed!!:cool:

[Margot]

o you wild dog.....arf arf

[una maruja]

Margot, I assumed that you meant it as a joke and my answer was supposed to be funny too.( I didn´t get the (-d) bit though so you get an extra point for that)

Anyway, it seems as if Callao means stone or rock. Now. please forgive me as I am not computer literate so the link may not work. If it doesn´t and someone can help me out, I´d be grateful. I found this article on Madrid but I don´t know how much is fact and how much is imagination as he does quote Lopez de Hoyos ( metro stations again!) Anyway, if it doesn´t work and you are interested, Google ¨El Callao Sagrado¨

http://www.celtiberia.net/articulo.asp?id=2356

Richardksa, you haven´t mentioned what the prizes are for correct answers. If it´s a collection of used metro tickets then it depends if I have to pay for delivery or not.
Very interesting questions by the way and I am now hoping that in the future, on a long train journey, someone wants to finish their crossword and stands up in the carriage shouting ¨does anyone know what was the original name of ........ metro station ¨ and I can have my moment of glory!

[richardksa]

Una Maruja, That was fascinating! There is no mention of El Callao Sagrado in the Museo de la Ciudad and that is obviously an oversight.
Unfortunately the naming of the Callao Metro station seems to be much more prosaic in that, like other parts of the city (and indeed other Metro stations) it is named for a geographical location within the Spanish Empire. In this case Callao, the largest port in Peru, which was an important trading port for the Spanish. Likewise Cruzco another Metro station, at the Plaza de Cruzco, and what should indeed have been its neighbouring station of Lima, but the station in the Plaza de Lima is named after the stadium Real Madid, which abuts it, Santigo Bernabeu.
There was also a Battle of Callao on May 2 1866, but the Spanish lost that, so I doubt that is the source of the name. Remembering too that Madrid also has its Trafalgar district, which was also not a distinguished victory for Spain (or France!).
The prize is a free visit to the Metro Museum at the now disused station of Chamberri. (It is usually free and well worth a visit!)

[una maruja]

Well, another good story bites the dust! Do you think they´ll change the name of the station when the Real Madrid stadium moves out of the centre? If so, will it be Ruiz Gallardon seeing that Esperanza already has one?