Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight.

And, lo, has caught the sultan’s turret In a noose of light!

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable

                 – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’ 

Cosas de España/Galiza

It’s been quite some time since we were assured that it would ‘soon’ be revealed whether or not the bones of Colón/Columbus really were where they’re said to be – in a coffin in Sevilla, I think. Yesterday, it was reported that work continues on several bodies down there and we’ll ‘soon’ know the truth. I’m not holding my breath.

Not very surprising to read that the orcas attacking yachts along our coast prefer boats that are black or blue underneath. I doubt they’re doing it for fun.

An astonishing headline in the VdG: The new law on animal protection will mean that you’ll face a higher penalty for hitting your dog than your partner. I’ve said before the the Spanish now seem even crazier about pets than the British. As continually evidenced by the coats on even long-haired dogs in this mild climate.

I’ve noted that grafitti is a blight in Pv city. But these bits are new to me:-

A Mandarin-speaking friend says the vertical version means ‘butterfly’ and the horizontal one ‘worm’. Or the other way round maybe . . .

There are complaints that the (expensive) AP9 toll road has doubled its prices over 20 years. But how about this, for something rather more frequently paid for – a cup of coffee in Pv city:

2000: 75 pesetas

2002: Initially 100 pesetas, later €1.00, or 166 pesetas – an increase of 121% over the 2000 price, sneaked in under cover of the intro of the euro

2022: €1.40 or 232 pesetas – an increase of 210% over the 2000 price. Assuming my maths is OK. Please check, Perry

Qatar

Reader Perry has cited the Forbes number of $220billion as the estimated cost of Qatar’s spend over the past 10 years in preparation for the World Cup. I heard this number discussed in a BBC podcast, where it was reduced to, I think, a mere 15bn. But this was still many, many times more that the combined cost of the 2 previous World Cup tournaments. All spent, according to the Qataris, to ensure this was the first-ever ‘carbon neutral’ World Cup. Which probably ranks as both greenwash and hogwash. A neat trick.

Iran

From living there, I know that Iranians still believe that Britain controls the world and, indeed, is the ‘brains’ behind every US action that annoys them. That said, these days the UK is only The Little Satan, as opposed to The Great Satan. Very flattering but, of course, this hasn’t been true for many decade. If it ever was. Time to remind readers that ‘Satan’ comes from the Arabic/Persian Shétarn/Shétoon.

The World Cup

God – in His Allah manifestation – has involved Himself very early on in the tournament. . .“In the name of God, the holy, the merciful, I’m very happy about this result,” said one of the victorious Saudi team. “It was thanks to God that we won.” If this player is right, then the logical thing to do is for the rest of the teams to go home right now.But I guess it’s just possible he’s wrong and that no Arab team will lift the trophy in due course. Unless it’s Spain. Joke.

Spanish

Fastuoso:-

1. Lujoso, magnífico, digno de verse.

2. Amigo del fasto y el lujo.  

Finally . . . 

I’ve been watching Ancient Apocalypse and am intrigued by the evidence said to support the belief that an advanced culture was wiped out by a vast global disaster at the end of the last ice age, c. 11,000 years ago. Archeologists pooh-pooh the theory but don’t seem to have an alternative explanation for the monumental works erected by hunter-gatherers. I recommend a viewing, if you have Netflix. 

For new readers:-

1. 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.

2. Should you want to, the easiest way to to get my post routinely is to sign up for email subscription. As opposed to using a Bookmark or entering the URL. 

Finally, Finally . . .

The IT shop in Pv has taken 10 days – and numerous visits, including 3 last night – to tell me that the problem with my newish Mac laptop is not the battery but something on the motherboard. So, now I’ll have to take it to the Apple shop in Vigo, where I expect it to reside for at least 2 weeks and to cost me a small fortune to get back. Meanwhile, I will struggle on with my old (mind-of-its-own) Mac, simplifying my blogging task via fewer links. Which probably won’t make any difference to most readers, if the stats supplied by WordPress are accurate. With perfect timing, my malware protection company warns me this morning that: Repair firms might be rifling through your personal data . . .