HUNGRIA - HUNGARY

En mis genes llevo sangre magiar. Sí uno de mis antepasados, mi tatarabuelo exactamente, era húngaro. Resulta que era un oficial de las tropas napoleónicas que cuando invadieron España, cayó herido nada más atravesar la frontera de Irún. Una familia de caseros vascos, lo acogieron, lo cuidaron y lo sanaron. El, que se apellidaba Gal, se enamoró locamente de la hija de los caseros (mi tatarabuela) y se casaron. Años despues una de mis tias-abuelas que se apellidaba Rodríguez Gal, gran viajera, se fué a Budapest con una de sus nietas para conocer a algun familiar de esa rama de la familia. Una vez instaladas en el hotel, mi tia dijo "voy a ver el listín telefónico y el primer Gal que vea, le llamaré" Se quedó con todo su gozo en un pozo porque había tantos "Gal" como "Rodríguez" en España... Desistió.

In my genes I have Magyar blood. Yes, one of my ancestors--my great-great-grandfather--was Hungarian. As it happens, he was an official of the Napoleonic Army that, when they invaded Spain, fell wounded right after crossing the Spanish/French border of Irún. A family of Basque farmers sheltered, took care, and cured him. He, whose last name was Gal, fell madly in love with their daughter--my great-great-grandmother--and got married. Years later, one of my great-aunts whose last names were Rodríguez Gal and was a great traveller, went to Budapest with one of her grandaughters in order to meet someone from that branch of the family. Once they were settled in the hotel, my aunt said: "I'm going to look in the phone book and the first Gal I see, I'll call" I'm afraid that her hopes went down the drain because there were as many "Gal" as there are "Rodríguez" in Spain... She gave up.