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

Kissgate: Sr Rubiales looks to be in need of a spade. And a period of silence. His latest comment: My kiss of Jenni Hermoso was noble* but I’m truly ashamed of my crotch grab before the Queen of Spain. At least he’s heading in the right direction now.

* A very Spanish word. Used of good fighting bulls, for instance.

Education in Spain: The VdG this morning: Young Spaniards are studying. Almost 9 out of 10 of them are currently putting their elbows to the wheel[noses to the grindstone]. An OECD report finds that between the ages of 15 and 19 they’re mainly studying for the baccalaureate (half), vocational training and university (34%). But between 18 and 24 there are 17% who are “ninis”, neither studying nor working. And there is another conclusion: studying is profitable. A higher education degree means earning 55% more than if they leave after secondary school.

Final bit of travel news . . . .The tortilla place in Betanzos – Casa Miranda – proved hard-to-find, tiny and (inevitably) full at 2.30. So, we tried the dish at the nearby Cafe Versalles, and were not at all disappointed. Thank god.

Oh, yes . . We were very lucky in missing the rain – almost – wherever we were heading for. Most obviously the heavy rains of the storm that his the southern half of the country on Sunday 3 September. Maybe there is a god. And he reads this blog . . .

My list of the 15 criteria for a perfect public toilet is available on demand – assuming I can find it in one of my laptops . . . . Interestingly(?) a Portacabin that I took advantage of in Betanzos was better provisioned than many toilets to be found in cafés, bars and even restaurants. But I don’t know if Spain is any worse than other countries. Perhaps I should add that I recall – almost with affection – a perfect facility in a restaurant we ate in en route to Granada from Cádiz back in 2018.

The UK

Some nice questions – and statements – about NZ* here.

* Not New Zealand but Net Zero

Germany

Seems to be facing some of the same challenges as the UK. But, then, the UK is not and never has been the traditional engine of growth for the EU

Russia

In the West, statues are torn down because the person had some link, however weak, with slavery. In Russia they’ve resurrected and saluted the statue of the ‘Red Terror’ secret police chief, Felix Dzerzhinsky. The original had been toppled shortly before the collapse of the Soviet Union. It’s outside the HQ of one of the country’s spy agencies, of course.

(A)GW/Energy/Net Zero

The German finance minister has “slammed politicians in Brussels” for seeking to enact stricter clean energy rules for buildings, warning that such plans could spark a dangerous voter backlash and fuel the rise of the far right. He argues that Europeans are suffering from overregulation and urges Ursula von der Leyen to “pause” new EU legislation aimed at curtailing greenhouse gas emissions during a time of economic stagnation wrought in part by high energy costs.

Quotes of the Day

• In a scenario that would be too implausible for Hollywood execs, a single line of iffy data brought down the entire air traffic control system.
• When exactly did society become obsessed with the oversharing of our sexual proclivities?

English

Time-blind: The new, kind(indulgent?) way to describe someone who’s habitually late. The need for such a word hasn’t yet reached Spain. It needs to be preceeded by the concept of lateness.

Spanish

This is an example of a major problem with translation by a machine into English. Formal Spanish uses the 3rd person – usted/ustedes – for the 2nd person single and plural in English. So, su is translated here as your, when it really means his/their. I wonder if AI will ever get better at this.

• . . . gente de la calaña de Nixon y Kissinger, cuyos sucesores – también sin ética ni principios – siguen matando sin pestañar a los buenos para proteger su dinero y su poder, que son lo mismo
• . . . people like Nixon and Kissinger, whose successors – also without ethics or principles – continue to kill good people without blinking in order to protect your money and your power, which are the same thing.

Finally . . .

A truly chilling foto . . .

What on earth can they see in each other? Other than a blood-thirsty tyrant.

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.

For those thinking of moving to Spain:- This is an extremely comprehensive and accurate guide to the challenge, written by a Brit who lives in both the North and the South and who’s very involved in helping Camino walkers. Which is possibly why, I’ve just belatedly realised, his nom-de-plume is Johnnie Walker . . . And I’d thought he was a big whisky fan.