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

Beware: EverFX has a website which is just is one of 470 named by Spanish authorities on a list of allegedly fraudulent sites. It’s claimed that, in Spain, it has defrauded at least 17,000 victims.

I’m guessing not many readers – whether resident or non-resident – will find this article on the new ‘temporary’ wealth taxes relevant.

Here’s a nice article on nearby Vigo.

And here’s another one on the Celta train which runs between Vigo and the Portuguese cities of Oporto and Lisbon – ‘One of Europe’s finest international rail journeys’. As it happens, I was on it with my family the day before it crashed in Porriño a few years ago, killing the guard we’d chatted to.

As they’d threatened, the traffic police have been out in force, testing drivers randomly for excess alcohol. You might think doing this at 6.30pm woudn’t yield much revenue but this, of course, is when folk are going home after lunch.

The Way of the World

In comparison with [football]club salaries, the rewards of international success are paltry. Over the next 3 years, 23-year-old Mbappé will trouser over £700m from his club before even thinking about endorsements.

Quote of the Day

Harry and Meghan embody everything bad about my silly, emotionally-incontinent generation – its culture, language and hypocrisies. They obsess about identity. But blind emoting doesn’t automatically translate into freedom and equality – it can foster a hierarchy that privileges feelings over reason. More here.

English

As our mongrel language always has done. . . English is picking up brilliant new words from around the world – and that’s a gift. Click here.

Spanish

Apapacho: Palmadita cariñosa o abrazo. Honduras y Mexico. If not here in Spain.

Welcome to new subscriber: Evangelist Sam Davis. Whose blog is The Spoken Word 

Which reminds me . . . Last night, I watched a film – The Wonder – set in mid 19th century Ireland. Recommendable, though I was a tad uncertain as to why Anna was, with her parents’ help, starving herself to death. Even after she’d explained why to the nurse employed to, effectively, watch her die. Maybe turn the sound up or switch on the subtitles at this critical point . . .

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 in your browser.