One of the great legacies of the Brussels culture is its "Manneken pis" (also known as "Julianske"). There is admittedly growing evidence of the importance of human urine as a fertilizer in agriculture (see also this great book in French). However, Brusseleers have also known for a long time the importance of peeing to extinguish early fires and/or to win battles. My alentejano fellows are wise people (well... most of the time) and they are keen on reminding us about this Belgian wisdom. You will find evidence of this in Castelo de Vide. But we also came across further evidence this summer in Rio de Moinhos, in the heart of Serra d'Ossa, admittedly in a less active version. Here is the proof (especially for my friend Wouter), as mathematicians would say.
Manneken pis is of course not the only sign of openness of Alentejanos to foreign cultures. Another example of cultural hybridization (or "zinnekification" as Brussels people would say) from Rio de Moinhos is this authentic London double-decker with its vertical garden at the back...
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire