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

Everyone knows that Spain has some odd festivals. Here’s something on one of the most bizarre. It takes place in Ibi, near Alicante. A place I had a disastrous holiday in 1971. I must get back to it and relive the memory of it. Likewise Elche. Where a festival night turned into a terrifying nightmare for some young Brits on a Spanish exchange. Including my fiancée. And me.

Pretty horrific claims about smoking and drinking among Spain’s young.

How to stay healthy in Spain. And most other places, I guess.

The company which runs the Galician autopistas has just raised its toll prices significantly. It’s called Audasa, I think. Very close to Audacious.

Belgium

Would John of Gaunt – 1340-1399 – approve of this article?

The EU

The Daily Telegraph is a right-wing newspaper and a Brexit supporter. So, not exactly EUrophilic. Not a surprise, then, to see there a claim that we’re witnessing the beginning of the end of the EU as we know it. Not everyone will be convinced. And, even if it is true, the end will be a long time unfolding.

The USA

The Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has said he ‘would pardon Trump if elected president’. I guess he had to, to have even a slight chance of winning in that polarised society. Hopefully, The Donald will have succumbed to a heart attack before Ron has a chance to carry out that promise. Probably on the 12th of Never

The Way of the World

Here’s someone prepared to stick her neck out about key developments this year, in the UK and elsewhere. Brave woman. But, then, we’ll all have forgotten them by next week.

Why we’ve got ruder. I thought it was just because of widespread ageing, meaning more ornery demographics. But it turns out that social media is creating an angrier, hostile world. Who knew?

Quote of the Day

From that article: I imagined the grandfather of emotional intelligence would be a man satisfied with an international legacy of faux-sincere emoting and the unstoppable rise of the touchy-feelies. But no.

I blame him for a lot. Including Happiness Engineers and From your friends at company X. Or X, even.

Did you know? . . .

My SatNav(GPS) has an English female voice. She provides many a laugh in Spain with her phonetic pronunciation but I was surprised to hear her say today that I was on the way to what it said on the my screen – L’pool. Or Elpool.

Finally . . .

Ways to keep your blood pressure down, though one or two are hardly applicable at this time of year.

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.