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

Changing Spain:-

• Restaurants in Madrid – as in Pv city – are opening much earlier than 8.30 or 9, to cater for hungry foreigners. But this columnist thinks they shouldn’t.
• The clocks went back in Europe last night but this is on the way out, at least in Spain, says this columnist.
• The autovías aren’t what they were 20 years ago. At least not the A52 which runs from Galicia to meet the A6 near Benavente. It was pretty empty yesterday when I drove down to Zamora but the inside lane is in a bad condition and there were 15-20 sets of road repairs in the first 3 hours of the drive, involving numerous changes of permitted speed. Apart from the light traffic, it all reminded me of driving on British motorways, right down to the total absence on workers at the roadwork sites. . .
• Because of noise nuisance, the Galician Xunta is looking at revising the permitted closing times:
• Restaurants: 2.00am to 1.00am
• Wedding places: 3.30am to 1.00am
• Bars/Cafés: 2.00am to 1.00am
• Pubs: 4.00am to 02.30am
• Discotheques: 6.00am to 4.30am
• Bingo halls/casinos: 4.00am to 3.30am.

Guy Hedgecoe reports here on the continuing protests against (over)tourism around Spain, which are ‘spilling into the off-season, as holiday-makers continue to seek winter sun’.

There’s one of these shops on the outskirts of Pv city but his one has just opened right in the centre. Not sure if that’s significant.

The USA

Anecdotally, hordes of Republicans are abandoning Trump after hearing him repeatedly say that the USA is a garbage can country. Well, maybe. And, if so, in the key places?

The Way of the World

Does anyone build flat blocks like these any more? Snapped in Zamora yesterday evening:-

Finally. a bit of baroque/Rococo serving as a Women’s Secret shop.

Query: Do all of the above qualify for the purist’s pejorative adjective of ‘chocolate box architecture’?

Of course, not all flat blocks in that city are as appealing as these. This one is actually on the other side of a square from one of the above:-

Quote of the Day

Being a tourist is like being a drunkard. No one thinks they are one

English

Kidulting: “A cultural trend that sees adults engage in pastimes traditionally considered more appropriate for children”. More info here.

Finally . . .

Next week, my old friend and I will be travelling to the Maestrazgo in the Castellón province of the Valencia region, to visit the Dutch lady who writes this fine blog. She tells me that the locals regard her as odd for planning an all-night party on November 4-5. I haven’t told her but I know several Dutch women and they all seem a tad odd. Which is fine by me.

Finally, Finally . . . You Have to Laugh

After more than 5 hours of driving – watching the speed limits like a hawk and complying with all of them – I fear a flash in my mirror just north of Madrid this morning means my latest fine is already in the mail. The irony is that my cruise speed was set below the limit of 120 but a loose windscreen wiper distracted me for a few seconds and my right foot resting on the accelerator did the rest. The second irony is that, when I stopped shortly afterwards, I found there was nothing wrong with the wiper. It’s a cruel world . . . I’ll be resting my right foot somewhere else in future.

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.