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

Here’s the Guardian on odd carnival/carnaval rites around Europe. Some of the costumes are very similar to those worn in Galician Entroidos.

A controversy that might change its colour but won’t go away.

Back in Pv city, the (beautiful) owner of the Dukela Moroccan restaurant tells me she’s about to open a new place specialising in bocadillos marruecos. It’s called Marroquillos and will serve ‘Moroccan street food’. Sadly, I won’t be able to make the opening.

The UK

It’s pretty commonplace in the UK supermarkets to see market sections – whole aisles, even – devoted to Asian foods but much less usual to see these for East European food, like the one in the Sainsbury supermarket near my daughter’s house. Does a high number of East European immigrants in the area also explain the foreign languages overheard among parents picking up their kids at my grandkids’ (Catholic) primary school? Possibly a parent of the Polish boy in my grandson’s class.

The EU

In the European Union’s grand design to become a superstate, the creation of a dedicated defence and security force that can project its influence on the world stage has long been regarded as a vital component. Not going well, it seems.

The USA

A harsh but entertaining look at the US political scene: US politicians line up to run themselves over . . . Biden’s bumbles, Trump’s immunity move and Haley’s loss to ‘none of the above’ sum up the dysfunction in Congress

Russia

A massive surprise . . . Putin’s main opponent has been banned from standing in the imminent presidential elections. In respect of which it’s almost certainly impossible to make money from a successful bet on the outcome. I don’t suppose Tucker Carlson will be interviewing the banned candidate on his reaction and on this views of Putin and the war with Ukraine.

Iran

Another Iranian recollection . . . The city of Rasht is famous for the cuckolding by wives there of their (stupid) husbands. So, another classic Iranian joke, with apologies to longtime readers who might recall hearing it here before . .

• A Tehrani to a Rashti who is in Tehran: I think you should go home and talk to your wife. I saw a line of men outside your house last week.
• The Rashti: OK, I’ll do that.

A few days later, when the Rashti is seen again in Tehran.

• Tehrani: Didn’t you go and see what’s happening in Rasht?
• Rashti: yes, and you were right.
• Tehrani: So, are you going to divorce your wife?
• Rashti: What, and go to the back of the line!?

The Way of the World

Reader Aleksandras kindly put me on to a fascinating BBC documentary entitled The Century of the Self. Over 4 parts back in 2002, this explains how Freud’s theories were used – first by government and then by business – to ‘control the masses in a democracy’. The entire series is here on YouTube. I guess one result was the so-called Me Generation and the later Snowflakes. Who conformly refuse to conform.

Spanish

Bocadillo: A sandwich; Snack. Said by the RAE to come from bocado – Una porción de comida que cabe de una vez en la boca/una porción pequeña de comida. Literally ‘ a small mouthful’.

Finally . . .

There was a record number of Views to my blog yesterday, though not of Visitors. I wonder if it’s related to searches for the Spanish Eurovision entrant, Zorra (Vixen/Bitch/Slut/Whore). Or maybe a lot of students of Farsi . . .

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.