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

Good to read that Spain is considered – alongside the UK – as one of the best place for business investment. Even though both now have left-of-centre governments, as it happens.

HT to Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas for this article from Fascinating Spain on ‘Gorgeous Spanish museums that are forgotten in most tourism guides’. I’ll certainly be checking out the Madrid ones before the end of the year.

And another HT to Lenox for this article on ‘Eight Spanish destinations ruined by tourists in recent years’. These include the Camino de Santiago and Cathedrals Beach up on our northern coast. I recall visiting this when you could wander freely along the beach, among the rock formations. Totally impossible now. As is finding somewhere to park before you use you pre-booked ticket to do this in limited numbers. As in the Grand Mosque in Córdoba and the Alhambra in Granada. Rather grander sights.

Pv city has joined the list of municipalities trying to reduce the number of tourist-flats. They’ll be confined to the ground or first floor [US first and second floor] and to whole buildings like the new one I recently cited. Meanwhile, it’s reported that only 29 the total of 460 such flats in the city – or 6% – are licensed. Folk are clearly not terribly worried about punitive action from the regional government and/or the tax authorities. Another example of a ‘low ethics society’’?

What I’d like to see is the Pv council placing a limit on the member of guided-tour groups. It’s now common to see these number 30 or 40, if not even more. Including the inevitable laggards who like to chat among themselves at the rear.

The Camino de Santiago . . . Below, there’s some advice for pilgrims leaving Pv city across O Burgo bridge. I still haven’t seen anyone taking this advice. But then I’m not usually crossing the bridge until hours after the hordes have gone across it early in the morning.

The EU

A public service announcement . . .Key information for non-EU-citizen travellers to the EU:-

• 1. The new EES scheme, under which all passengers without EU passports will be required to have their fingerprints registered and their pictures taken on arrival in the bloc, has again been postponed. It was due to start on October 6 but has been pushed back to November 10 after lobbying from French officials, who feared chaos over the school holidays. It’s forecast to add 2 to 3 minutes processing time per passenger, up from the present 45 seconds. But if you are number 100 in the queue, this will certainly add up. There are serious concerns about passenger backlogs at airport arrival halls. There are also fears of huge queues for travellers catching ferries from Dover, or Eurostar trains from St Pancras International in London.
• 2. The ETIAS, a different animal: The European Travel Information and Authorisation System is a planned electronic authorisation system for visa-exempt visitors travelling to the Schengen Area or Cyprus. Big Brother. Details:-

• It will be required for entry into the 29 member states of the Schengen Area plus Cyprus. 
• Ireland is the only EU member state that will not require ETIAS.
• It is now scheduled to come into force in ‘mid-2025’, having been delayed from May 2023, November 2023, and ’2024’.
• Its not a visa and doesn’t guarantee entry.
• Nationals of over 60 visa-exempt third countries, such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, will need to obtain an ETIAS before travelling to Europe. ‘[And the UK, of course].
• Those under 18 and over 70 are exempt from paying the €7 fee

Sweden

Not what is normally associated with this model social democrat country.

The USA

Might be of value . . . The Trump shooting explained: lines of sight, witness warnings and the blame game. BTW . . . Crooks vs crook . . .

A Guardian columnist writes here that: To his [increasing?] supporters, Trump is a martyred messiah, resurrected after crucifixion.

If you weren’t worried before . . . JD Vance’s selection by Trump is simultaneously the culmination of his complete takeover of the Republican Party and the planned inauguration by Trump of a new era in American politics. Trump has written what he hopes will be his political legacy — the transformation of the party from a shifting coalition of conservative, pro-business, interventionist foreign policy interests into a fully fledged vehicle for Trumpian populism well beyond a second (and final) presidential term for Trump himself. More here.

The Way of the World/Social Media/Quote of the Day

Frighteningly true . .. That the character captured in that photograph is not the person Trump actually is will not matter when it’s shown over and over again. In modern politics and media, the meme transcends the man.

Net Zero

More warnings that might well be valid, as regards the UK.

English

Treatonomics: An evermore common word that seems not not to have been defined yet. Something like: Spending money on treats – such as a vast sum on a Taylor Swift concert – rather than on, say renting or buying property. Born of the fact that the latter are out of reach. Possibly confined to younger generations. A relevant article just seen. [Note: I’m guessing that ‘cozzie livs’ is current slang for ‘cost of living’.

Spanish

Turigrino: A portmanteau word from turista and peregrino, meaning what I usually call a ‘pilgrim’ – someone far less interested in the spiritual aspects than the real pilgrims of old. Apparently – see the article cited above – considered a nuisance by the locals along the Camino. Perhaps because they’re seen as the main factor behind the massive increase in numbers in the last 10 years.

I suspect María is right when she suggests I heard enterrador (gravedigger) for entrenador (trainer) at the end of my Pilates class yesterday. Duh . .

Finally . .

It’s not all bad news . . . Scientists discover anti-ageing holy grail that can stop cancer – and grey hair – in its tracks. Switching off a protein called interleukin 11 (IL-11) prevented cancer, boosted vision and hearing, and improved metabolism, lung health and muscle function in middle-aged mice. Next stop, death . . .

Finally, Finally . . .

Don’t you just hate it when a site you use regularly use changes things without telling you. WordPress has altered the way new posts are written. And also made it more difficult to find a draft post. Even worse, there’s now something in the top right corner that says ‘Howdy, Colin Davies’. They must employ someone whose only job is to ‘improve’ their site from time to time. Called UX, I think. User experience. Which is now worse in this case.

To amuse . . .

Advice for pilgrims leaving Pv city via O Burgo bridge.

At the moment, the main route up through the barrio of Lérez is closed and you’re advised to turn left and take the first right, just after the petrol/gas station. My advice is not to do this but to keep walking a minute or two until you arrive at a zebra crossing, where you’ll see a path to your right, alongside a tributary of the main river. This is flat and far more shaded. After a few hundred metres, you’ll arrive at a tarmac road, with a small, narrow bridge to your left. Here you can either carry straight on across the road or turn right onto the road and then join the main route after 200m. If you take the first option – my recommendation – you’ll follow a path as it bends to the right and comes out on the main route, further along than with the 2nd option.

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.