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/Galicia

The party might well be over for holiday lets in Spain, it says here, but a backlash against Airbnb culture and mass tourism isn’t putting off 2nd-home owners.

This is a fascinating place I first visited in 2001 and then again 5 years ago. When there were a lot more people doing the same thing. Bloody tourists!

Another place I’ve been to a couple of times. I think I recently wrote that I’d spent quite some time in the police station, reporting a wallet theft that hadn’t actually taken place . . .

More here on cycling in Spain this summer. I’ve never done that, though I do cycle in and out of Pv city’s old quarter. Occasionally, losing my balance when the going is too slow to keep me upright.

Well, it had to happen. Pv city now has the sort of tourist group which plagues Santiago de Compostela . . . As I sat outside the Moroccan restaurant today, enjoying my Sunday lamb chops and people-watching, a guide came by holding aloft a pole with a number 10 on top of it. In his wake came possibly 40 geriatric tourists, walking gingerly in single file between the tables on both sides of the narrow ‘Tapas Street’. From their clothes, I’d say most were from the USA, with the rest being Japanese. My guess is they’d come from a cruise ship docked in nearby Vigo. Time for me to start an anti-tourist movement, I guess. Or open a restaurant.

Talking about summer nuisances . . . Walking down the same street midday yesterday – i.e. 2.30 in Spain – I saw a huge seagull fly down and seize part of a meal being shared by a couple and their kids. This morning, the same creature came for the 2 overcooked churros I’d decided to leave on the plate. The waiter thought I was joking when I asked if they had a rifle I could borrow. Time for me to also start an anti-seagull movement.

The UK

In case you are dying to know . . . How does the UK economy compare against its G7 rivals, From debt to unemployment, inflation and investment, Britain has a mixed record against other major nations.

Relatedly, here’s the link on the UK as a great place for start-ups that I meant to provide yesterday.

France

Big day, today. My breath is bated. Almost.

The USA

Here’s the estimable Camilla Long on the Biden v Trump debate she actually attended . . .. It felt like the gaslighting Olympics. The debate was the natural culmination of nearly a decade-long orgy of briefing, lying, spinning and misdirection. And that’s her in positive mode . . .

And here’s someone on the options facing the panicking Democrats.

I read yesterday somewhere a headline saying Trump was now in deep trouble. Presumably because the Democrats will get their act together. But who’s bet on that? It demands sanity.

Another comment . . .

The Way of the World

A salutary article on where the West now finds itself. Worrying. The writer’s final words: Our only hope is to escape our delusion and embrace realism. For perhaps the killer point is this: as the audacity and brilliance of western civilisation degenerates before our eyes, it is the world’s autocrats who are rubbing their hands with glee. Time to ‘change the people’?

Covid

Amnesia? In the UK at least but possibly elsewhere too.

English

The letter V is the only one which never appears in silent form.

Did you know?

An average of 18 people a year drown in Amsterdam’s canals. Not all of them pushed, I guess

Finally . .

If readers comment anonymously, WordPress doesn’t tell me who they are. So, I don’’t know who it is who says they saw me in town yesterday. A name would be useful in such cases. I mean, it could be one of several thousand people . . .

Finally, Finally . . .

I used to do my utmost to get my posts out by late morning latest. But this was impossible during my 6 months in the UK, attending to family problems. So, perforce, I switched to late afternoon/evening. But I still do most of my reading and drafting of an (early) morning. The big risk with this is that I forget to revise and then post the draft in the evening. I haven’t actually done this yet but it’s been a close-run thing a few times. So, if there’s no post on any day, it won’t necessarily mean I’m dead. Worry ye not . . .

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.