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

Vox flexes its muscles. In  Valdemorillo, a town of 13,000 Madrileños near El Escorial, the Vox member of the council has the Culture brief. So, its hardly a coincidence that a performance of Virginia Woolf’s ‘Orlando: a Biography’ – a gender-switching classic – has been scrapped.

Bull-runnings are called encierros in Spain, the most famous being the one in Pamplona this month. In recognition terms, it’s said, it’s only rivalled by Buñol’s mass fruit fight – La Tomatina. Below are some points about it from a Spanish English language periodical.

La Vanguardia has a list here of the10 best cities for free tapas, with 3 of them being here in Galicia. I can vouch for the ranking of Granada, where it’s not unknown for you to be given a long menu of items to choose from. I’m not sure I’d do that for Santiago de Compostela or La Coruña, TBH. But, then, I don’t go for octopus, razor clams or percebes.

I’d certainly go along with this assessment of Cáceres, which has now ceased to be what the article claims it is.

Vinho verde is a light-ish wine from Northern Portugal. It’s not expensive, so I was rather taken aback to be charged €3.85 for a glass of it at the new Portuguese restaurant in Pv city, more than any other wine on offer. I was even more surprised last night to see a Mercadona supermarket selling bottles of this vinho verde at the ludicrous price of €2.30. So, I bought some. And will buy more.

The EU

The facade of the ‘grown-up’ EU has been irrevocably smashed, says this – doubtless Brexiteer – columnist. The veneration of the EU’s heavy hitters is misplaced, she claims. Opinions will differ, of course. Long term readers will know that, admirable as the aspirations of the EU are, I’ve never accepted 2 things said about it:-

• That its formation has been responsible for preventing war in Europe, and
• That a democratic superstate could be formed by yoking together so many heterogenous elements.

Time will tell, of course. Though I might have ascended to Heaven before it gets round to it. So, won’t care much either way.

The USA

Heading for a record year of mass shootings, it’s said. No one’s idea of a model (federal) state. Well, not outside the madder reaches of the Republican party.

Did you know?

Reader Ronald advises that the Dog Star is not Venus, as I said, but Sirius. And that the former is a planet while the latter is only a star. But I think I can claim with conviction that this is a supermoon cresting the distant hills last night, on its way to a surprisingly rapid rise diagonally to the top right.

It struck me, gazing at it, that early ‘scientists’ will have wondered why it was unlike the sun in not increasing the heat on earth as it rose. Possibly leading someone to think it must be a mere reflection of sunlight.

Finally . . .

Behind my house – a little further up the hill – are 17 houses built over the 4, yes 4, years 2004-2008. So, they came onto the market after the end of the phoney construction boom and during the financial crisis which followed that. Meaning that nearly all of the houses remained empty for more than 10 years – just some of the 40 similar properties near me – and were only sold* recently, after they were offered at a massive discount to the current market price. Anyway . . . For some time, I couldn’t answer the question asked of me a few times: “Where is no. 71 in this street?” I thought it might be round the corner, down the hill. But, no. Finally, we have the answer in this plaque, erected a mere 15 years after the houses were built . .

*By a new developer, after the first one went bust.

To amuse . . .

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 – updated a bit in early July 2023.

PAMPLONA’S BULLRUNNING

A controversial event

In recent years, pressure has increased to ban encierros. In 2022 there were 200 fatal gorings around the country. But, despite the controversy around it, the Pamplona event continues because of its deep cultural and historical roots. For local people, it’s part of their identity and heritage.

The fiesta is profitable, attracting national and international visitors, which helps the local economy. It appears in international media coverage, giving the town a publicity boost.

Legally, the event isn’t a problem. Despite Spain recently tightening its animal welfare laws – including banning wild animals from being used in public spectacles – bullfighting and the encierros are exempt under the ‘cultural exception’ clause.

Are its days numbered?

Public sentiment is shifting. With the decision about Pamplona’s encierro lying with the local authorities, the event will surely continue until demand for it wanes.

But what is accepted as ‘culture’ in Spain is changing, poco a poco.