Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable. 

– Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’ 

Cosas de España/Galiza 

Walking the camino yesterday, I told my British visitors that – despite having 1,000 years to do it – the adjacent regions of Galicia and Asturias hadn’t managed to agree on how to show the way to Santiago. In Galicia, I said, the yellow arrows went with the ‘feathers’ of the stylised concha, thus:-

Whereas those in Asturias pointed in the opposite way. A couple of kilometres later, we came across proof that municipalities in Galicia can’t even agree amongs themselves:-

My thanks to Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas for these items_

From Sur:: Why do the Spanish all live in flats? Only 34 per cent of people in France live in apartment blocks, while in Spain the figure is almost double. A combination of factors explains the trend, it says. 

From El País:: The migrants bringing small rural communities back to life in Spain. Several projects run by non-profits are helping asylum seekers find jobs and housing in villages at risk of disappearing due to population exodus, such as Brañuelos in León province.

María’s Not So Fast: Days 24-27: Change is real.

The EU/Germany

Couple of British headlines:

Blow to Merkel as the German economy struggles to bounce back. Italy and Spain are driving the eurozone recovery but now risk being flattened by the delta variant. Germany’s economy failed to recover as fast as had been expected in the three months to June, dealing a fresh blow to Chancellor Angela Merkel as she prepares to stand down after September’s elections.

The EU’s vaccine failures will leave a toxic legacy. AstraZeneca has bent over backwards to do the right thing and been punished every step of the way

Finally  . . .  

Note: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here.