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

This article from The Corner explains that, while the national GDP number is growing well – and better than most EU states – the per capita number certainly isn’t. As in the UK, I think, this points to low productivity growth. Which is critical for the economy in the longer term.

The Spanish train maker, Talgo – that the government wants to keep out of the hands of a Hungarian consortium – is in talks over potential acquisition by the Spanish steelmaker, Sidenor. The FT says of it here: As a steelmaker, Sidenor does not produce any trains itself and it is not clear how it would seek to alleviate Talgo’s production bottlenecks.

If you don’t fancy any of the 40+ Camino options, here’s a few alternative walks in Spain to consider. Though one of them is actually part of a real camino.

This is a hamlet in Aragón which was excommunicated in 1511 and remains so to this day, as no Pope has found the time to get round to ending the sentence.

Spain undoubtedly has a housing crisis. So, it’s always puzzled me why so many flats in Pv city are unoccupied. Years ago, I was told by an estate agent that the percentage was 25 to 50%. As I walk out of the city in the dark these days, noticing how few lights are on in the blocks of flats I pass, I confess to wondering if the number even isn’t higher. I have absolutely no idea why this might be. I say all this because the VdG this morning reported that Galicia is the Spanish region with the highest percentage of empty properties, with details as per this map. Which inevitably shows the highest numbers are in the interior:-

Per the VdG: Galicia es la comunidad con más viviendas vacías de España, con casi 33%, frente al 14% de la media española. Hay municipios, como Cuntis, donde el 75 % están desocupadas. Entre las ciudades, destacan Vigo y A Coruña, que ocupan la segunda y y la tercera plaza del ránking español de ciudades de más de 200.000 habitantes con un mayor porcentaje de pisos vacíos. Solo las superaba, tras la pandemia, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Y hay un dato alarmante: el año pasado, seis de cada diez compras de vivienda se pagaron al contado, lo que indica que van a parar a rentas altas, extranjeros o fondos de inversión. The excess above the national average is large enough to raise the question of what the specific Galician factors are. Answers on a postcard please.

The police have broken up a gang bringing luxury cars into Spain from the Middle East and the UK. Those sold in Pv province include a Bentley and a Lamborghini. Who on earth in this poor region could afford to buy and run one of these, I wonder. . .

I’m told that the link to the account of my first trip to Spain – in the post of October 18 – was broken. So here it is again.

Italy

The PM is trying to get round judicial obstacles to her way dealing with illegal immigrants, by rushing through a law to back up the migrant centres in Albania.

The EU

Said to be moving in the same direction as Italy and preparing its own list of safe countries for 2026 which would include those on Italy’s list.

The UK

• Will the left-of-centre Labour government follow the Italian/EU model? I suspect that it won’t and that there will be ructions
• Under this government, a critically important boat will be missed, claims this columnist.

The USA

• Why independent voters are turning to Trump. On the ground in Pennsylvania, the Harris campaign comes across as weak and out of touch.
• Such folk have lost their moral compass, says this (British) columnist, who doesn’t rate Harris but prefers her to Trump on moral grounds that clearly escape the independents reported on. Quote from that article: Trump’s modus operandi is often to accuse opponents of his own crimes, small or large. This is in line with the succinct observation I reported the other day: Every accusation is a confession.

Russia

What it spent and how it spent it to try to influence Moldavian politics. With some success.

Turkey

Hard to believe that that the police have arrested 47 people – including 4 doctors and 18 nurses – who allowed babies to die as part of an insurance fraud which enriched the participants.

The Way of the World/Net Zero

This is a podcast on the importance of economic growth that everyone, regardless of political affiliation, should listen to. That said, I’m not sure many on the Left will change their opinions on the issues addressed. And we wait see what impact this attitude will have on the UK economy over the next 5 years. The speaker is not optimistic.

English

Phosphenes: The sheet of light you see when you close your eyes and press your hands on them

Spanish

Jauría: Pack. Of animals, or humans who act like animals.

Did you know?

A nice explanation of the Degrees of Variance. I normally start with top one and then shift quickly to the bottom one. At least when faced with stubborn/senseless bureaucrats. Which I admit is not very productive.

Finally . . .

The sun shone today. And will shine again tomorrow. Allowing me to tackle the weeds and lawns. Sometimes, I feel quite positive about one day moving into a flat. . . .

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.