I am back in the Valles Occidentales as part of another sabbatical year, and was inspired to write about my experience buying an umbrella in Hecho this morning.
It’s
a rainy morning in Hecho but I’m stir crazy and want to go out for a walk
later. My rain jacket will be insufficient, plus all the locals walk with
umbrellas, so I head off to the tiny 3-aisle supermarket to purchase an
umbrella. The proprietor is outside when I arrive and ask if they carry
umbrellas. Indeed! He leads me to a display with at least 5 different umbrella
styles. There are no other clients in the shop, and the proprietor has nothing
else to do, so he delivers a lengthy and helpful discourse on the qualities of
the different umbrella models. The “paraguas pastor” (shepherd’s umbrella)
sells for a whopping 56 Euros and weighs, I wager, at least 5 kgs. It has a
sturdy wooden handle, metal parts, canvas cloth and a diameter wide enough for
a couple of shepherds, their dogs and maybe even a sheep. The proprietor
comments that it is heavy and strong enough to use as a weapon against a bear.
(Brown bears are endemic here and there have been recent attacks on local
flocks.) He tells me that shepherds usually get one per year as a gift at
Christmas. It’s true that in the Pyrenees, one rarely sees a shepherd, even on
the sunniest day, who is not carrying an umbrella under one arm and a coat
draped over a shoulder. The junior version of the paraguas pastor weighs a bit
less, and has a smaller diameter, but is made of the same cloth. Next in line
is the sport umbrella or “golf” model that has more plastic parts and synthetic
cloth, but still boasts “anti-wind” properties that apparently mean it will
automatically right itself if a wind gust turns it inside out. The sport model
sells for 10.90 Euros. Following are a gentleman’s umbrella (“paraguas
caballero”), somber black and not particularly sturdy, and ladies’ umbrellas, a
bit smaller than the latter and available in an array of patterns and colors.
Finally, there are two racks of collapsible, portable umbrellas in their cute
little colored cases that sell for about 8 Euros, and which are, the proprietor
declares, “completely worthless.” I
select the sport model, which seems best for my purposes, although not very
train friendly (thinking of the next leg of my journey). At the checkout the proprietor opens my umbrella
to make sure it functions properly and then shows me how to open and close it
in a way that will make the plastic parts last longer. He assures me that if
anything goes wrong with my purchase, I can return it with no problem. Needless
to say not all village purchases are accompanied by this level of customer care
and commentary, but I enjoyed this shopping experience more than most.
