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’

NOTE: It’s 6pm and I’ve just realised I never finished my blog post this morning . . . And the reason is I suddenly realised at 11.30 I had a late morning meeting with friends, so didn’t go to my normal café after Pilates but to the relevant vinoteca. Where, by coincidence, I admitted to said friends that my memory didn’t seem to be as good as it was . . Apologies to anyone who came here earlier expecting this post.

Cosas de España/Galiza

The good news . . . While Spanish universities might not rank very high in global tables, the Business Schools here certainly do. The FT reports on one major achievement here.

The bad news is that the Mediador case seems to be throwing light on widescale corruption in the Guardia Civil.

I mentioned yesterday that George Borrow wrote up his 1830s experiences in Spain – including in Pv city and Vigo – in The Bible in Spain. It’s a rollicking read and it’s said some of it could well be true. You can get it free from Google here or, in various formats, from Gutenberg here. En passant, I fear The George Borrow Society might now be defunct, key members having passed away.

I’m rather confused about the AVE high-speed train from Madrid to Galicia, I thought it would be completed quite soon but an article I’ve read says completion is 6 years off. So, maybe 10. I think this is because it’ll take that long to make it double track all the way. Meaning some new tunnels in our mountains.

Talking of transport . . . As I’ve said before, we do seem to have a high number of kamikaze drivers here in Galicia – people driving the wrong way on autopistas/vías. We’ve already had 25 this year, against a total of 108 last year. The causes are said to be old age, alcohol and drugs. So, I wonder if Galician Boomers combining all 3 are the biggest offenders.

The EU

Dealing with refugees/illegal immigrants is not by any means a purely UK problem. Nor is it confined to European countries. See here. Spain, of course has problems both along its south coast and in Africa itself, where there are massive fences around its (‘not colonies’) enclaves. Not many in the UK seem to be aware of what measures EU members – especially Greece – have taken to stop the flow of those anxious for a better life. Perhaps they’d be less critical of their own government’s measures, if they were. In short, as it says here, it’s a global problem and needs tackling at a global level. Meanwhile, the EU stands accused of ‘equivocation and hypocrisy’.

Social Media

As I’ve asked before . . . How do we solve this growing problem?

Quote of The Day

For Brits in the UK . . . Match of the Day without tedious, overpaid pundits? What a result! In the absence of these mumbling dullards we were for once able to focus solely on the football.

Explanation for non-Brits here. Where my long-standing views are reflected in their entirety.

Spanish

I saw this on the door of a house in Calle Princesa in Pv city last night and wondered which of 2 possible meaning was the correct one. So, I asked the ladies in my Pilates Class this morning. But they declined to tell me . . . That’s the trouble with ladies. , ,

Did you know?

This was how to be a British Gentleman in 1875.

Finally . . .

For when you’re not sure to go to a ball or to the beach . . .

At the Oscars, of course.

A sad death – of my favourite cartoonist. This obit actually cites my all-time favourite cartoon. Which turns out to have been his too. This has made me smile at my own perspicacity . . . I must read his autobiography. I’d forgotten – if I ever knew – that we were born within spitting distance of each other. Though him first.

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. And there’s the Thoughts from Galicia FB group.