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/Galicia
The Economy: Spain will be one of the fastest-growing members of the EU between now and the year 2025, but will ‘almost certainly’ fail to meet the fiscal requirements established in the bloc in 2024, and is no longer the major economy with the lowest inflation. This is the latest economic diagnosis from the European Commission in Brussels, which forecasts GDP growth of 2.4% by the end of 2023, largely triggered by consumer spending. More here. The rich will get richer.
A useful guide to the best works in the Prado
And an nicely done article on Belchite, visited by me and my old friend last September.
I knew Spanish telecoms prices were among the highest in Europe but was still shocked to hear that both of my UK-based companions pay considerably less than half of what I pay for my ‘cheap’ mobile phone service, from O2.
Portugal
Like the Brits, the Portuguese drop syllables. So Boa tarde becomes Bo tar and Leite crema becomes Leit crem. I might have heard a new one yesterday – ‘brigado for Obrigado.
No, the road down from Coimbra to Tomar isn’t toll-free. Overhead gantries every so often, with cameras that clock your progress. And your rising cost.
If you have a mind capable of being boggled, then I recommend a visit to the Castle of St. George/The Convent of Christ in Tomar – the headquarters of the Templar knights. Simply stunning. Especially the Manueline windows and the Charola. See below on these,
And if you want a nice place to stay in Tomar, then I recommend Hotel Cavaleiros d Cristo, near the river in this lovely town. The receptionist was so pleasant that I was tempted to pay the price offered on the internet when she said ours would be 27% less. And only a third of the high-season price. But I didn’t, of course.
Germany
I confess to not knowing that Germany is ‘The prostitution capital of Europe’, as it’s said to be here. The remedy, say some, is the Swedish model. Not sure who she is.
France
It’s 32 years since I travelled from the UK to France for a holiday. Reading this, I’m not at all sure I would ever chance things again.
The Way of the World
A personal reflection of how education used to be.
Did you know? . . .
Over the years, I’ve had several chats with hotel owners but have given up trying to understand why some places get 4 or 3 stars and some better places only 2. Perhaps the criteria differs from nation to nation, region to region or even city to city. On this trip, I have wondered if the availability of a bidet made the difference between 3 and 2 stars but apparently not. Anyway, I tend to go by price range and only go above this if there’s no decent 2 star hotel available.
Finally . . .
A call from the USA on an 855 number usually means a scam but not always as it’s a toll-free number used by genuine businesses. I got a text message on one last night from a woman who then claimed she’d pressed the wrong button but then followed up suggesting a chat, on a Spanish wotsap number. When I didn’t reply, I got a video call request, which I again didn’t respond to, even though/because her photo is of a young and attractive woman. Then, this morning I’v had a call asking me if I’ve added her wotsap number. But the message comes from another 855 US number., different from last night’s So, not al all suspicious . . .
Tomar’s Templar Castle
The crowning highlight of Tamar is the sculptural ornamentation of the windows on the main facade of the chapter house. The richness and self confidence of Manueline art always suggests the Age of Discovery, but here the connection is crystal clear. A wide range of maritime motifs is jumbled up in two tumultuous window frames, as eternal memorials to the sailors who established the Portuguese empire. Everything is here: anchors, buoys, sails, coral, seaweed and especially ropes, knotted over and over again into an escapologist’s nightmare.
The sacred heart of the whole complex is the Charola – also known as the Rotonda or Templars Apse – the 12th century temple from which the Knights drew their moral convictions. It is a strange place, more suggestive of the occult than of Christianity. At the centre of the 16-sided, almost circular, chapel stands the high altar, surrounded by a 2 storied octagon. Deep alcoves, decorated with 16th century paintings, are cut into the outside walls. The Templars are said to have attended mass on horseback. Like almost every circular church, it is ultimately based on the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, for whose protection the Knights Templar were originally founded
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.
Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain 
Well, a few years ago I got tired of paying close to a hundred euros for phones and a little measley internet. Unfortunately, whatever company I could find a cheaper contract with had to use the Orange infrastructure because that’s the only company that has coverage at our house.
I found Llamaya. The phones cost us 5, 6, and 7 euros a month. The most expensive is my husband’s. He has unlimited minutes and ten Gigas. I then found a company that has an offer of 26 euros a month with 150 Gigas. Technically, that’s a sim card for a phone, but it allows large data use. That’s what I use for our internet. There are others out there that have low prices, but the downside is that they don’t have offices, and must be contacted by phone or internet.
LikeLike
Hola Colin —
The essay by Effie Deans on the failure of education has many debatable characterizations and conclusions. Above all, the last paragraph appears remarkably naive, if not arrogant.
Effie Deans appears to conclude that the education she received did not produce political leaders “incapable of debating or even understanding both sides of the argument, who knows nothing and who believes in logical contradictions ….”, but that this will happen in 20 or 30 years due to the current educational system. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are two examples demonstrating Ms. Deans’ blinders to the fact that the education of her time was not effective at avoiding mentally and morally deficient political leaders. Her complaint sounds much like the criticism over the centuries that each new generation of young people lacks the wonderful abilities and characteristics of past generations.
Alternatively, Ms. Deans may be generally correct in her complaints about education but in error regarding the connection to politics, with the real problem being democracy. H.L. Mencken’s observation is from an American perspective, but could be considered universal:
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
― H.L. Mencken, On Politics: A Carnival of Buncombe
This has certainly come to pass in the U.S.A. and the U.K.
Best regards,
Aleksandras
LikeLike