What a difference a day makes!

(Sorry Veronica!)

What a 24 hours it had been for Spain!

The shock and bewilderment at seeing the national football team (current World and European champions) crash out in the first round of the World Cup finals in Brazil was truly sad to behold. The “Mundial” was over before it really began for “La Roja” and all the flags, all the bunting, all the outdoor big screens in every little village across Spain had apparently been for nothing .

But did all the preparations for anticipated celebrations need to be in vain? The following morning Spain formalised a new king. In a simple and understated ceremony (having first received the sash of office from his father) Don Filipe of Borbón and Greece swore before parliament to honour the Spanish Constitution and serve his country to the best of his ability and he officially became Filipe VI of Spain. Then after a military march past, a trip across Madrid in an open top car, a brief appearance on a balcony and a celebratory lunch for 2000 guests (not including a single monarch from any other country), the new king just went about his business.

Though many thousands lined the streets in Madrid (waving the 100,000 Spanish flags that had apparently been handed out especially for the occasion, but could easily have served double duty to welcome home a hopefully triumphant soccer team in a couple of weeks’ time…) and further millions, like me, watched at least some of the morning’s events on TV, there was no hysteria, no drama, no partying in the streets… Though the general reaction of the populace was mutedly positive, most of Spain just glanced up , nodded and then carried on bemoaning the demise of Spanish football – and this in a country that throws a party to celebrate snails or even breadcrumbs at the drop of a hat!
One or two may have muttered about those who’d pointedly not applauded the new king’s speech in parliament, but they too went back to debating the biggest issue of the day: what could be done to resuscitate national pride and a once dominant “Furia Roja” in time for Euro 2016?

I think there’ll be a few “España” t-shirts going cheap at this Saturday’s market…