Throwing thousands of euros in banknotes out of the window appears to be becoming an Olympic sport in the Province of Granada…
This time it was an Italian tourist in the city of Granada. The said gentleman launched 12,000 euros from the balcony of his hotel room. By chance two Guardia Civil policemen were just below, which must have made their day.
There were notes fluttering down onto the pavement, down through the branches of the trees, falling on pedestrians and cars…
So, why did a 31-year-old Italian decide to ‘water the streets of Granada’ with his 50-euro notes? Well, apparently, he was depressed – admittedly, I would be depressed if all my money flew out the window onto the streets below, although a cascade of coins wouldn’t be quite so impressive.
Anyway, there was the Italian – depressed – launching notes from the balcony and there below was a police car and two officers inside goggling at the downpour of 50-euros notes.
Quite kindly, they set about scooping them up, in fierce competition with a female pedestrian with a shopping trolley. Some of the notes had come to rest on the awning above the cafeteria below and it didn’t take long for somebody to appear with a ladder and broom… before the wind dispersed them.
The policemen, bless their cotton socks, strode into the Hostal Atenas reception, clutching wads of notes to enquire who the hell was throwing away the money? The receptionist replied that there was an Italian gentleman, staying with his family, who might just know something about it.
The Guardia Civil had already left when an ambulance crew turned up but were greeted by a very touchy Italian, so they retreated and called for the Policía Nacional, and with their help got him into an ambulance and off to the central hospital, Ruiz de Alda.
The Guardia Civil lads, Juan Carlos and Javier were keen to face the cameras the next day and recount how they had managed to retrieve 12,000 euros. They had been waiting at a red light, but had spun the car around and pulled up under the falling notes, ordering the people who were collecting the notes to hand them over.
They had then gone up to the 2nd floor where the man and his girlfriend were staying in one room, and his parents in another… which could explain why he was depressed, but let’s not digress!
The parents told them that he was on anti-depressives and not in very good shape at all, but admitted that they hadn’t realised that he was that bad; bad enough to throw 12,000 euros out of the window, that is.
Anyway, the policemen handed over the notes to the parents and then phoned the hospital for an ambulance, which is the one that turned up shortly afterwards.
(News: Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)