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 Galicia/España

The Spanish Versailles, up north in Asturias.

The best and worst regions for public health.

Galicia’s high-speed saga began in 1991 . . . The VdG yesterday: El AVE que siempre retrasa: La alta velocidad ferroviaria española se basaba hasta ahora en la reducción del tiempo de viaje y en un compromiso de puntualidad de los más estrictos de Europa. A partir del I de julio, todo cambiará. Renfe recortará las indemnicaiones por retrasos: se pasará de la devolución total del billete si el tren llegaba más de media hora tarde, a los 90 minutos de demora. En otras regiones la competencia obliga a ajustar y cumplir los tiempos. Pero a Galicia solo llegan los trenes de la operadora española. Roll on choice.

France

More gloomy thinking . . . France is heading for a financial crisis that could bring down the eurozone

A left-wing view on France’s slide to the ‘extreme right’.

The USA

How California became a warning to the world.

And . . . California’s unscrupulous vanlords.

Iran

Is using the European mafia to assassinate opposition politicians, it’s claimed here.

I’m still waiting for the protests on London’s streets . . .

Did you know?

Tomorrow is Fathers’ day here in the UK. And today is First Child Day, just initiated by me. I suspect my 3 siblings would claim that every bloody day was First Child Day when we were growing up together . .

Finally . .

The wrong side of history? Why the internet’s favourite moral argument doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

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.
• 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. And this is something on the so-called Beckham Rule, which is beneficial – tax-wise – for folk who want to work here. Finally, some advice on getting a mortgage.