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

Driving back home from Santander 2 weeks aga, I began to wonder if I should have bought a magnetic light for the roof of my car, under a new-ish law. Here’s a useful general article and this and this is an article specific to the issue of warning triangles and the V-16 lamp. Finally, some useful info on the latter: La linterna de emergencia V-16 en España se conoce oficialmente como “baliza luminosa V-16” o “luz de emergencia V-16”. Algunos otros nombres comunes incluyen:

• Luz de avería V-16
• Baliza V-16
• Señal V-16
• Dispositivo luminoso V-16

I got mine this morning, c. 9 euros. You can probably guess where it was made.

The statistic that jumps out of the data on foreigners visiting Pv city this year is the hugely increased number of folk from the USA. It got me to thinking about how things have changed here in the last 20 years. When I came here in 2000, no waiter or waitress spoke English and now they all do. And you never heard English on the streets, whereas now you can hardly get away from it. And there were certainly no guides conducting tours in English until this blessed year.

BTW . . . Colloquially, Spaniards call folk from the USA ‘yanquis’. Not to be confused with ‘yonquis’. Who are drug addicts . . .

The UK

A nice overview of British politics in general and electioneering in particular. . . The circus spirit is strong in British politics. It makes a rowdy theatre of Parliament and clown-car parade of election campaigns. Every show is different, to the extent that no 2 candidates are the same, but convention and a fixed repertoire of plots make for a familiar experience. There must be farce (hot microphone broadcasts a private conversation); slapstick (a candidate hides from TV crew); audience participation (unscripted encounter with irate voter). Personality trumps policy. It is lively but parochial. The antagonism is real but also camp and cartoonish in the Punch-and-Judy tradition. Many rising political stars have promised to do things differently. All end of joining in, because it’s the only show in town. . . . The main party leaders are Complicit in the puerile performance that debases every British election campaign. It is a mode of politics hopelessly inadequate for the challenges that we face – and the victor should break with it. Full article here

England

I wonder if there’s more than one person in the world who understands the formation and tactics of the English football team. Astonishingly, this is still in the Euros competition despite 4 dire performances against lowly-ranked teams. In the words of the VdG columnist: If England gave birth to football, the team manage has set about burying it. What an awful trainer Southgate is. It’s impossible to have so much talent on the pitch and use it so badly. And it’s impossible to believe England are going to win this competition. For which, by the way, they were equal favourites with France

France

The results are in and are very much as expected – M Macron’s (arrogant?) gamble backfired. Roll on the 2nd round. And M Macron’s response to it.

Was Macron right to warn of a ‘civil war’ in France?, asks this columnist. It is early days yet, but if the level of violence already being experienced is any guide, France is in for a torrid time, where a new and devastating bout of domestic instability could be on the cards.

Per Richard North: At the heart of the disorder and of the broad schism in French politics is a more extreme form of the malaise affecting the UK – the emergence of alien communities with French society, bolstered by mass immigration from 3rd world countries, flooding the country with poorly educated and often violent males.

The USA

Talking of revolution . . .Senior military figures and serving intelligence officers are acutely and painfully aware that Trump is exceptionally stupid, unstable, erratic and squalid. If he can no longer be contained by other branches and agencies of the state, a serious breakdown in public order seems to be very likely, and the anti-Trump forces will include the overwhelming majority of the country’s bright people — including those in the military and security/intelligence services. A serious interruption to American democracy is beyond doubt if Trump were to win.

Russia

Insofar as anything amusing is coming out of that benighted country . . Russian politicians are duped by fake a pro-war poet using Nazi verse. The prize-winning writer Gennady Rakitin was created by Putin’s critics as a hoax to expose the hypocrisy of the ruling class. More here.

The Way of the World

More on the issue of where we are these days . . . Derangement and disaffection are sweeping away the old democratic era. This is no longer politics as we knew it. Instead of an informed choice, we’re offered evasion and rabble-rousing. The earth is moving under our feet. Full article here.

Covid

Still around. My sister caught it somewhere between Vigo and Manchester, on her way home last Thursday.

English

An inverted winger: I didn’t know, So did an AI search. The result is below . . Spain has 2 of these, who can be devastating. England’s best exemplar – Luke Shaw – has been out, injured.

Spanish

Levantar el lienzo. ‘Levantar’is ‘To lift/raise’ and ‘lienzo’ is ‘canvas’. But the figurative meaning seems to mean something like ‘To raise the veil’. To reveal something for what it really is. As Spain apparently did against Georgia last night.

Did you know?

In 2023, the world’s most visited city was Istanbul. And the Turkish city of Antalya was 4th.

Finally . .

As I was walking out of town last night, the front half of the sole of one shoe came away from the upper. Which made for an odd gait on my part back to my car. Given past experience with this problem, I wondered if the other shoe would soon reciprocate, being of exactly the same age and usage. Sure enough, after I’d repaired the left shoe last night, the the sole of the right shoe came away this morning after only a few steps. So, it’s possible that anyone who witnessed me doing funny things with one foot last night saw me doing the same thing with the other today. Both going into and coming out of town.

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.
  
  

An inverted winger

The inverted winger role has become dominant in the past decade due to its effectiveness in creating goal-scoring opportunities and adding tactical flexibility to teams’ attacking play. This is a tactical position in modern football that differs from the traditional winger role. It has become increasingly popular in modern football, especially with the rise of formations like 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1

The key characteristics of an inverted winger:=

1. Positioning: Unlike traditional wingers who stay wide, inverted wingers frequently adopt an inside position, moving more centrally and making diagonal runs into the box
2. Foot preference: Inverted wingers typically play on the opposite side of their stronger foot. For example, a right-footed player would play on the left wing, and vice versa. [Really??]
3. Playing style: Instead of hugging the touchline and delivering crosses, inverted wingers cut inside, looking to shoot, create chances, or combine with teammates in central area
4. Complementary role: They often work in tandem with attacking full-backs or wing-backs, who provide width while the inverted winger moves infield.
5. Versatility: Inverted wingers are usually technically gifted players who can dribble, pass, and finish, making them more involved in the team’s overall play compared to traditional wingers.
6. Goal threat: Due to their positioning and movement, inverted wingers often become additional goal-scoring threats, effectively acting as supporting strikers. .

Notable examples of successful inverted wingers are Arjen Robben, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah.