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

Politics:

• Is Spain facing the end of its young democracy, asks this Spanish columnist. Need I say that he is of the far-right Vox party, where hyperbole is common coinage. It’s noteworthy that Sanchez is always depicted as craving power – in contrast to the Vox leader, of course. Who presumably just thinks it’d be nice to have. No mention is made of the blatant political use made of conservative judges by the PP and Vox parties, known as Lawfare. Nor of the PP’s 5 year block on reform of the judicial oversight body to make it ‘balanced’.
• Another right-wing view of Sánchez, from The Corner. Machine translated, as usual. Sometimes mystifyingly.

Food:

• Why Spain is the food capital of the world.
• Spain’s famous Epiphany concoction – El roscón de los reyes.
• And Spain’s ultimate comfort food for winter – The Pyrenean trinxat.

Oh, no! This charming city in Spain is the most searched location for a holiday in 2024. I might move further North.

The UK

Those naughty Yanks and the other nasty foreigners who sell their toxic stuff to Brit kids in pop-up shops-

Russia v Ukraine

A realistic overview. Sad to read that: India’s closer relationships with Russia increasingly mark it out as a potentially (if not actual) hostile power. Which for the UK is said to raise questions about the wisdom of continued industrial cooperation with India in the defence and technology fields, and of maintaining the current immigration arrangements.

AI

News from the Perplexity AI-based search engine.

Finally . . .

Did anyone get caught by an ‘amusing’ friend yesterday, the Spanish equivalent of April Fools’ Day?

Talking of laughter . . . The estimable and always-amusing Catlin Moran here answers the question Just how daft was this year? In the Anglo slebs-sphere, at least.

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.