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 decades-awaited results of DNA analysis re the origins of Christopher show that he wasn’t born in either Genoa or Poio/Pontevedra but that he was a Sephardic Jew of ‘Western European’ origin. This is enough for some to conclude he was certainly Spanish. For the Voz de Galicia, it’s even enough to suggest that, while he’s not the previous candidate, he could still have been another Galician. One irony is that he left Spain for India in the same year that the Catholic Monarchs were either expelling his fellow Jews or forcing them to convert to Christianity. Or at least to appear to do so.

Incidentally I had joked with friends a couple of weeks ago that I was sure CC was Jewish and so was desperate to leave Spain for India before he was expelled. Having failed to get the Portuguese to finance his escape.

Good to have it confirmed that modern Spain owes so much to both Arabs and Jews . . .

Mark Stücklin is not a fan of rent controls. Like many others, he sees them as counter-productive. In this case, in Barcelona. [Here’s a related UK article on the rental issue, where left-wing policies could well have a perverse consequence]

This is a nice article on Astorga, in which the camino passing through it is called the Plata. As I said recently, a common mistake.

I asked an AI engine what traffic offences I could be fined for here in Spain. Apart from speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, it came up with this list:-

• Driving without insurance
• Parking violations
• Not wearing a seatbelt
• Driving without a valid Technical Inspection Certificate
• Throwing garbage out of a car window
• Using a mobile phone while driving
• Driving with an arm
• Playing music too loudly
• Unnecessary honking
• Driving with an arm outside the window
• Driving in flip-flops
• Staying in the left or middle lane when the right lane is free

I see this isn’t exhaustive, as it doesn’t include listening to a podcast or to the radio using one or two earphones. Or not having in your car fluorescent jackets, spare glasses, warning triangles or spare fuses. Nor do I see the catch-all phrases conducción negligente/imprudente/temeraria, which give the police an awful lot of discretion.

The EU

In a challenge to Brussels, Poland has suspended the right to asylum. Like other EU members such as Italy – which has established migrant processing-centres in Albania – Poland is desperate to resolve the immigration issue. Ironically, the Polish PM is an ex president of the EU Commission. He’s claimed the move is needed in order to counter Belarus and Russia trying to destabilise the bloc. As ever, circumstances change principles . . .

The USA

A (British) right-of-centre columnist says that Trump is an embarrassment – to himself, and to the Right. And that emulating Trump would be suicide for the latter. More interestingly, perhaps, she says that: The era of managerial and technocratic government that began in the 1980s has come to an end and a new dawn is upon us. Political parties and their leading voices are now talking in the fundamentalist terms of Right-wing and Left-wing which had once been consigned to the outer fringes of political life, often to hinterlands which were outside the bounds of the electoral process. 

The Way of the World

An interesting article on the case against cousin marriage.

Quote of the Day

Every accusation is a confession. Certainly true of Donald Trump, of course. But what about the rest of us? Would I be a very officious traffic cop, for example?

AI

I gave my usual search engine a test and it came up with this (accurate) answer: While both Albariño and Godello produce high-quality [dry] white wines, Albariño tends to be lighter, more aromatic, and seafood-focused, while Godello offers more structure, body, and aging potential, making it a versatile option for a wider range of dishes and preferences.

English

Glabella: The space between you eyebrows.

Spanish

• De tomo y lomo: Through and through: Completely. As in: Colón era un judío de tomo y lomo.
• Pegarse un baño en el mar: To go for a swim in the sea (Lit. To hit or stick yourself to the sea)

Did you know?

In pre-Revolution France, the court in Versailles had more than 400 non-jobs that could be bought to give you a place in ceremonies. These included: 13 chefs and 5 assistants of the Grand Pantry; 20 royal cup bearers (not to be confused with the 4 carriers of the royal wine); 16 “hasteners” of the royal roast; platoons of tasters; battalions of candle snuffers; brigades of salt passers and10 ‘aides spéciaux’ for the ‘fruits de Provence’.

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

Congrats to reader Noémi for finishing the Camino and going beyond Santiago de Compostela to The End of The World. Also for seeing her blog readership soar. I’m still not sure if her posts are from this year or a previous one, re-published.

Finally, Finally . . .

In contrast with Noémi, I seem to have suffered a sudden 25% loss in my readership in the last week. Was it something I said? I was wondering about taking up something more rewarding, like pig-farming. Especially when I recalled that I don’t make any money from my blog and that it actually costs me to have it. But the truth is I really write it for my grandchildren, who one day might enjoy knowing about my life in Spain. Not that I will ever know whether they do or not. Unless I’m wrong about Heaven. And, of course, if that’s where I am. Not in The Other Place* . .

* The term used in the House of Commons to refer to the House of Lords.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading on line or in my FB group Thoughts from Galicia.

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.