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 backcloth . . . . A surge in tourism over the past few years has led to widespread protests across Spain, with locals complaining that they’re being priced out of the rental market. The authorities in hotspots such as Seville are cracking down on illegal listings and are scrambling to find ways to limit the proliferation of short-term lets on rental platforms. The city has more than 9,000 tourist flats, 5,000(56%!) of which are operating illegally. The ‘novel’ plan is to cut off water to these.

To resuscitate empty villages, the Galician Xunta is providing assistance to los colivings. See here. And this is a relevant article on how to get funding for life as a digital nomad. In Extremadura at least.

This article gives the 41 countries which accept a Spanish DNI in lieu of a passport. I assume a TIE is equally useful.

My younger daughter kindly gifted me a DAB radio before I left the UK but . . . While DAB radio is available in select areas of Spain, its coverage is limited. It’s accessible in Madrid and Barcelona, where users can pick up around 20 stations. Other cities may have limited access, and many areas outside these major cities don’t receive DAB signals effectively. Not a lot of use, then. Other than for FM, etc.

A new controversy in Galicia’s capital . . . The VdG today: The month of August is almost over but tourists and pilgrims continue to arrive in droves in Santiago. From time to time, they’re the subject of debate on social networks due to images showing uncivil behaviour. From graffiti on the stones of the monumental area to bathing in the Praterías fountain, vandalism always finds new ways to manifest itself. In June, a camp in the Alameda with views of the Cathedral went viral, but this time its the building itself being used as a rest area. A video [here] shows 3 [Portuguese] pilgrims with sleeping bags in the middle of the Praza de Praterías staircase – a scene that has generated more controversy among Santiago de Compostela’s residents.

Another report is of (alleged) ‘pilgrims’ setting up a collapsible picnic table and 6 chairs on the concourse of SdC’s bus station. Which is surely a bit cheeky. If nothing else.

As predicted, the orca pod has been having fun off our coast, battering a Belgian yacht and forcing it to drift, rudderless in the Atlantic. Off the Coast of Death . . .

It comes no surprise to learn that 90% of tickets issued by Pontevedra’s local police are for parking offences. Essentially, they’re glorified traffic wardens issued with cars and motor bikes.

Reader María tells me the very loud and very late concerts I thought were free actually cost around 30 euros to attend. Quite a lot to pay to have you hearing impaired.

The EU

The EU is poised to put a fierce [Spanish] advocate of emissions-reduction in charge of its climate and environment agenda, just as critics are saying the plans are weakening the bloc’s competitiveness.

Germany

We could all learn from Germany about facing up to our past.

France

In chaos, apparently . . . . And M Macron might be facing impeachment.

The USA

An election forecast based on current polling gives Kamala Harris 58% probability of winning and Donald Trump 42%. As you’d expect. he’s reported not to be taking this terribly well. If things get much worse for him, maybe he’ll pull out – if not assassinated – to avoid being beaten by a woman. Other than by Stormy Daniels, of course.

China/India

Another fine book, mentioned in the podcast I cited yesterday on Indian culture – The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan

The Way of the World/Quote of the Day

The [US} plutocrats of the 21st century are extremely woke. They use wokeness the way the Medici family used the Catholic church – as a way to whitewash their own sins away. They feel morally superior even though they screw over the USA and the entire world, by saying that they care more about oppressed black people than you do. Therefore ‘Anything I do is legitimate and everything you do is illegitimate’. Kamala Harris helps them do this. Daniel McCarthy, Editor-in-Chief, Modern Age: A Conservative Review.

Net Zero

Doom-mongering or the looming reality? . . . New Zealand’s Net Zero green energy disaster is a terrible warning. The Ardern government’s eco obsession leaves NZ facing blackouts sooner rather than later . . . The implications for other countries I suspect that this is the writing on the wall for all countries that have pursued net zero and ignored the importance of keeping the lights on at a reasonable price. For as long as Europe and other countries have net zero as a prime objective, electricity blackouts and high prices are inevitable. As we are planning to make our entire society electrically powered, this is a bleak prospect.

Spanish

• Un tábano: Gadfly; Horsefly: Sand Fly.
• Una mariquita: Ladybird

Spanglish

Los cohousings = Los colivings

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. If you do this but don’t read the posts, I will delete your subscription. So perhaps don’t bother if you have other reasons for subscribing . . .
• 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. And this article ‘debunks claims re wealth and residency taxes’. Probably only relevant if you’re a HNWI. In which case, you’ll surely know what that stands for.