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

Spain is to review museums and enable them to ‘move past colonial framing’. And: Spain’s socialist-led government vows to fight against arts censorship

The VdG today: Measles leaps out of the textbooks: In Spain, doctors only know about measles from medical treatises. But in many European countries, the relaxation in vaccination of children has caused the disease to reappear, amidst great concern among health authorities. The WHO has raised the alarm: of the 53 European countries monitored by it, 40 have reported cases, more than 30,000 in total, with some deaths. They assure us that behind it is not only a drop in vaccinations due to Covid, but also to the delusions of some “influencers.” Who possibly should be hung up by razor wire.

Good to see that, as of now, Pv city doesn’t rank in the top 10 Spanish cities for tourist visits/ accolades. But Santiago de Compostela is in the list, because it: stands out for its cultural jewels, including the iconic Cathedral and picturesque landscapes, making it a preferred destination for day excursions. Maybe one day Ryanair will again fly there from Liverpool and/or EasyJet from Manchester.

The UK

An additional 6kg has been added to men’s waistlines over the past decade, and 5kg to women’s. In the mid-70s, only 7% of adults were obese. This figure has near-quadrupled to more than 25%, with a further 38% considered overweight.

The EU

Oh, dear . . . ‘Anti-European’ populists are on track for big gains in the EU elections: France, Poland and Austria among 9 countries where radical right-wing parties are predicted to finish first.

The Way of the World

Just in case you’d started to relax . . . There are dangers lurking in our messy and unpredictable world. Fragilities in the global economic system are real and must be confronted. It says here.

Quote of the Day

Appropriately enough . . . What’s the point of dry January when there might be an apocalypse?

English

A merkin: A pubic wig. These were worn by prostitutes after shaving their mons pubis, and are now used as decorative items or erotic devices by both men and women. It’s claimed. Beats me.

Spanish

El sarampión: Measles

Did you know? . . .

I wonder what percentage of the population finds this cruelly-wrinkled dog breed attractive.

The foto, by the way, appeared at the top an article on Botox, I can’t say why for definite, as I never read it.

Finally . . .

Reading the obit of the Everton player John Hurst took me to this video of a 1970 match, against Chelsea – in the days when I knew the names of the all the players of that great Everton team. All of whom were English or Irish, I believe. The video should be viewed if only to see the pitches of that era, for a Manchester derby match, as it happens.

I bought a couple books on Amazon today. Eventually. Having typed the check-numbers at least 7 times, correctly as far was I was aware. Do they really want us to keep buying from them, I wonder. Worse that the bloody Captcha nuisance.

Two new email subscribers to welcome today, after quite a lull – Eugenio and yolkdaybed0o. As I say they might actually be readers.

The Usual Links . . .

You can get my posts by email as soon as they’re published. With the added bonus that they’ll contain the typos I’ll discover later. I believe there’s a box for this at the bottom of each post. I guess it’s logical that this doesn’t appear on the version given to me . . .

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.