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

This being a very conservative region and city, there was a biggish demonstration down in Pv city at 12 today, against the ‘treason’ of the PSOE leader in doing deals with 7 small parties, so as to cling on to power. By his fingernails. Lots of flags of Spain, the EU and Galicia. And lots also of ugly little creatures – many in coats – which some folk claim are of the canine race. There were sporadic chants of Viva España! and then folk just drifted away

I think I’ve mentioned that there’s a Galician belief/myth – ‘validated by the Book of Kells‘ – that it was Galician émigrés who founded Ireland. On the other hand, an Irish friend here tells me that some important Irish folk really did come in the opposite direction in the early 17^th century, making landfall in La Coruña.

In that article on doing the Camino by train, there’s mention of tiny [Galician] vineyards in vertiginous clearings. Following this up, I got this from Bing: Vinos heroicos or heroic wines come from the Ribeira Sacra, a region in Galicia, where the vineyards are planted on steep slopes that require a lot of manual labor and skill to cultivate. These wines are known for their unique character and quality, and have a long history dating back to the Roman times. Some of the most famous varieties are Mencía for red wines and Godello for white wines. If you are interested in learning more about these wines, you can watch this documentary by Netflix called’ ‘Heroic Wine’. Which I thought I might well do, one of these days. Except there was no link to it and when I asked Bing for this, it replied: I’m sorry I can’t find any Netflix documentary with the title Heroic Wine. I persisted with my search for the elusive documentary but Bing again told me it couldn’t find it and, instead, cited several articles. Not a perfect resource, then. But certainly better than Google. Especially as the first 5-10 citations there are essentially adverts for irrelevant products or companies.

My Canadian cousin tells me she’s furious about receiving a speeding fine when leaving Poio to drive down to Oporto. A major factor is that her car-hire company has imposed a charge of €40($60) on top of the of the €100 fine. Very probably mentioned in the small print – la letra pequeña – that no one reads. I’ve resisted the temptation to tell her that – given my experience – she should be glad she got only only one fine in the short trip down to the border with Portugal.

Back to the subject of rain . . . María advises that, in her Galician village, they call very fine drizzle molla parvos. Literally, “wetting idiots”, she explains, because it doesn’t feel like it’s raining, but if you’re dumb enough to wander around without any protection, you get wet.

Astonishingly, there was no water dripping from the balcony at my front door this morning and – even more astonishingly – the sun has been shining this morning. Bloody nuisance, as it got in my eyes as I typed and forced me to move from my armchair to the sofa . . . .Thank god some clouds moved in . . .

Europe/The EU

I believe it’s possible to suspect the EU won’t last for ever but also, in the meantime, to regret Brexit. Certainly in the form negotiated by Boorish Johnson and his mates. I’m not sure what AEP thinks about Brexit but am clear he’s no believer in an assured future for the EU. Or at least not for the ‘ever closer union’ of a superstate/supra-state. Here he is on the subject, in an article entitled: Europe is slowly destroying itself as it heads for another lost decade. And: The Continent is doomed to struggle on with its own deformed creation

The Way of the World

Western civilisation, why it’s worth preserving. In Israel, as elsewhere. Por si acaso . . . Boca Raton. I guess it hosts a lot of Jewish retirees.

Spanish

Zozobra: Anxiety; Sinking; Floundering.

Finally . . .

Reader Malachy has commented to say that the Lear recipe of yesterday reminded him of Clement Freud’s complicated recipe for porpoise stuffed with stone from a long-ago BBC Radio 4 programme. The final instruction was to throw out the porpoise and serve the stone.

When I’m sitting outside the Moroccan restaurant in Pv city, I frequently ask folk who are about to sit down if they know it’s a Moroccan place. A few says Yes; a few say No, thank me and depart; but the majority virtually scream in horror and rush off, without saying anything. Inured as I am to this impoliteness, I’m still thinking of not bothering in future.

The Usual Links . . .

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.