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

Before July 2023, staying outside Spain – as a temporary TIE holder – for more than 6 months would cost you your residency rights. According to this article, this is no longer the case. But I wonder if every immigration official knows this. Holders of a permanent TIE – Residencia de larga duración – weren’t subject to this restriction. This bicho appears to be a TIE valid for 10 years, as opposed to a temporary TIE of only 5 years. This is a comprehensive article. on the subject but it’s undated and might have been published before last July’s development.

A new spat with Las Ranas. To the amusement, I suspect, of the Moroccans. Who possibly aren’t subject to EU regulations.

There’s a 16th century palace down in La Mancha run by sailors, under a unique agreement between the aristocrat owner and the Navy. Details here.

The UK

‘Postcode lottery’ is a killer description in the UK, especially when applied to healthcare services; everyone in a country of 60m people expects to get exactly the same free – but increasingly poor – service under the NHS. I get the impression the phrase would be meaningless in (pragmatic) Spain – where regional differences are taken for granted. Here it’s being applied in the UK to the price of petrol(gas). I wonder what, say, Germany is like in this respect and await a comment from my old friend in Hamburg on this . .

France

Things are getting very serious indeed . . . It’s reported that farmers claim that the spiralling crisis over cheap imports and red tape under EU regulations born of NZ goals threaten their livelihoods and France’s ability to feed itself. And they warn that the home of haute cuisine is at risk of losing its agricultural heartlands and history. It seems that French bureaucrats ‘gold plate’ EU regulations, just as their UK oppos used to do before 2016. And possibly still do.

The USA

It’s the [North]American left that’s subverting democracy and, boy, will they regret it. Rationale here.

Iran

In this podcast, it’s said that ‘Not everyone is fortunate to visit Esfahan’. Well I did, a few times, as a young man. And everything said in the podcast is true. Indeed, the spectacular Lotfollah mosque is undoubtedly my favourite building from a lifetime of looking. I was lucky enough to take a foto of the dome and was able to enlarge it for framing in my house in Galicia. The dome changes colour with the light.

BTW . . . Before the Shah was exiled, there was a magnificent hotel in the city but this was razed to the ground after the mad Mullah philistines took over.

Quote of the Day

[The ex Scottish First Minister] Nicola Sturgeon was undoubtedly an excellent communicator. How ironic, therefore, that it was miscommunication that brought down the final curtain on her brilliant career –a reference to her illegal deletion of records and her poor performance during the UK Covid inquiry last week.

Finally . . .

Never remotely a fan of Bob Dylan, I loved reading this comment, from 1983, about the Filipino singer known as the local Bob Dylan: This is unfair. Since he’s good-looking, plays the guitar well, can carry a tune, and writes songs that make sense. Enough said.

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.