Snapshot on Tuesday: Torvizon Fountain

This snapshot always reminds me of those Grimm Brother legends and fairy tales which tell of a hero who has to chose between three doors or three chests: one which holds a treasure, another which is empty and a third which contains a pest or a bloodthirsty monster. A concept which has, incidentally, been applied somewhat imperfectly in American quiz shows. To have a really exciting game, after all, they ought to offer the candidate one door hiding a luxury car, one a single penny, and one hiding an angry Taliban terrorist with an AK-47. But I’m deviating…

This fountain is found in the town of Torvizon, Alpujara mountains, southern Spain. At the top lion head it says ‘potable’, i.e. drinkable. At the left one, it also says ‘potable’. And above the right one it say ‘undrinkable’.

One must really possess a tremendous trust in one’s fellow man to take a sip from any one of these. For how do we know that the fellow who put up the signs was not drunk, and knew his business? As one who once suffered 24 hours of Montezuma’s deadly revenge in a Granada boarding house due to an innocent drink from an Alhambra fountain, I assure you I’d rather die of thirst than run the risk…