guirilandia: Unnatural habitat

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Thursday, February 16, 2006

Unnatural habitat

While scientists search for unknown animals in the mountainous rainforests of New Guinea, two alien species roam the streets of Barcelona: the guiri intrepidus and the guiri clandestinus. You can read about them in my latest column, Beyond the cold front.

… But, some visitors do stand out. A few days ago, with the cold and the rain boring in, I did see one, quite out of season. This must have been the pervasive guiri intrepidus. There was a double-decker tourist bus swerving around the obelisk at Joan Carles I, through the elements, with one lone tourist on the upper level white-knuckling the railing …