"Long live the king, live the kings!": How the inhabitants of Cordova received Felipe and Letizia in the street

(From Cordoba) In the unique activity of the kings of Spain Felipe VI and Letizia Ortiz in Córdoba, some 200 people They huddled behind the containment barriers to see them up close. At 12:28, the security caravan that escorted them from the Teatro del Libertador, General San Martín, with motorcycles, patrol cars and several black trucks of the Royal Custody, recreated on the front of the Emilio Caraffa Museum A scene could have been part of an action movie.

From the beginning Several Córdoba police officers surrounded the museum. Some went in and out, checked and checked the facilities again and again. "This has never been seen here"he confided in between two laughs Infobae one of the employees of the exhibition grounds. And has the city of Cordoba ever received a member of the kingship.

"I decided to approach him in honor of his father and grandfather who worked a lot in Franco's Spain."he told this medium CristinaCórdoba, of Spanish origin, near the museum and when she learned that kings were going to be close, she did not hesitate to arrive early to make a place in the front row, behind the barrier of quarrels.

Shortly before 24:30 began to arrive first motorcycles therefore the patrol and at the door of the Caraffa people impatient because it meant that the arrival was imminent. Three black trucks They parked at the door. The first to go down were the members of the official guard of the king, that of costume, connected by little white helmet, with dark aviator lenses, They formed a rope in front of people.

From the truck parked in the center they went down Felipe and Letiza. He with his 1.97 Tall stood above the heads of all participants, including his own guard. "Short as a pig kick", one of the circumstantial spectators of the only activity outside the agenda of the Language Congresswhich allowed the citizens of Cordova to have close relations with the kings for a few minutes.

The spontaneous applause and screams came from "Long live the king" and "Long live the kings", framing a sequence timeless, ageográfica and apolitical but that the majority found natural, more anxious to reach good image with the mobile phone Felipe and Letizia, they looked at the people and one by one, first she and then he, they greeted him in the distance.

"I did not expect the truth to come, I take my place as a spectator, I could raise my hand and greet the king," said Cristina, before adding: "He loved, the king greeted us all, she (for Letizia) was more economical, as usual".

María Luján and Ana Paulaboth aged 19, students of the National University of Córdoba, also had it nearby. "We are from San Luis and we are not used to this type of event, so we miss courses today," they said. Infobae Inside the museum, the kings visited the three exhibitions organized by the Cervantes Institute and the Royal Academy of Spain.

At the exit – between screaming and applause as on arrival – some museum staff were encouraged to ask if they could take a picture with the monarchs. But after a quick consultation of one of the organizers in Letizia, while her husband was greeting the members of the Spanish community of Cordoba, the answer was in accordance with the protocol: no.

Patricia and her two companions during the cleaning of the museum were privileged spectators of the visit. The employee confessed to being surprised by the deployment of security and by the number of people who had approached the door of Caraffa. "I saw posters before they arrived, I thought people were going to protest, but nothing happened."he counted.

At this point, it is necessary to specify that they were not all messages of affection. Early in the vicinity of the Teatro del Libertador General San Martin, where the VIII International Language Congress was inaugurated, social movements felt bothered by streamers, songs and flags. Although it happened at least 100 meters from the eyes of kings, they could not see or hear them.

Exactly at 12:45, about 15 minutes after their arrival, the kings left the museum Emilio Caraffa. It was their last activity in a city where they stayed 15 hours and in which from today, some will be able to say in the future that in 2019 they saw two kings in the streets of Córdoba.