Cosas de Spain/Galiza

If you’ve never been to the Sorolla museum/gallery in Madrid, this might entice you there:-

The North East of Spain seems far more affected by severe storms that we are here in Galicia. This week, hailstones of up to 10cm have been experienced there, with one of them taking the life of a toddler.

That said, I’m told that our first ever hurricane is wending its way towards us right now.

This is the trailer for what looks like being a fascinating film on the poor folk expelled from Spain at the end of the 15th century and early 16th century. Available some time this month.

In case of interest, this is the ‘most clicked’ Galician home on Idealista. Available for €3.8m.

Gibraltar: Could it be part of Spain again? Why isn’t it now? En  passant, I guess the Spanish North African ‘enclaves’ off Ceuta and Melilla aren’t on that list of territories subject to decolonization but I can’t  confirm this.

Thanks to a comment from reader Perry, I now know that at least 2 Roman roads went form Braga in Portugal to Astorga in the Spanish province of León:-

Via XVIII: Also known as Via Nova: 210 Roman miles (c.330km)

and 

Via XIX: This passed through Pv city and forms part of the Portuguese camino. This is the full route, with both Roman and modern town names: Bracara Augusta (Braga), Ponte de Lima, Tude (Tuy), Turoqua (Pontevedra), Aquis Celenis (Caldas de Reyes), Iria, Martiae, Lucus Augusti (Lugo) and Asturica Augusta (Astorga).

The UK 

A nice article here on the latest(last?) speech of the outgoing PM. Or ‘oaf’, as Richard North calls him. The bottom line:  This wasn’t so much a farewell speech as a depressing glimmer of what a determined government with a plan might have achieved.  . . . For of all sad words of tongue or pen; The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!”

Interesting comparison . . . In a recent interview, the UK head of Spanish transport multinational Ferrovial was asked to explain why high-speed rail costs an estimated £200m per km in Britain compared to £25-32m in the rest of Europe. 

Italy

Says AEP here: The revenge of the Bundesbank spells serious trouble for Italy. Italy’s core problem is the toxic mix of high public debt intersecting with a trend growth rate near zero. The real danger is that Italy might be asphyxiated slowly by untenable borrowing costs that stay high and that expose the underlying pathologies of the economy over time, until something snaps. When Italy, it seems, would default on its debts to foreigners.

Quote of the Day

Not exactly news . . . Twitter critics have no ‘moral compass’. 

Finally  . . .

For parents and grandparents everywhere:-

For new readers: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city there.

Welcome to yesterday’s single viewer in Russia. Unless you support Putin’s war on Ukraine, of course. And assuming you returned today . . . .