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 appalling disaster in the Valencia region . . .

• The Olive News: The dead and the missing.
• CNN: Before and after. The coastal floods
• The Death toll. A BBC video report

It’s not yet over for the residents of the Castellón province of the Valencia region, where it’s still raining and residents have been told to stay in the upper floors of their houses and to ensure they can raise the alarm. Difficult, I fear, if the phone services are down.

The odd thing is that, in the last 3 days, my old friend and I have moved southwards through the provinces of Cuenca and Albacete in the adjacent region of Castilla La Mancha and have been told that there was no damage at all there. I guess that’s not surprising when the BBC reports that, in Valencia city’s worst-affected barrio of Paiporta, there are streets near to those which were damaged that weren’t. Further away from the flooding river, I guess.

Relevant maps

After the famous Valencian artist, Sorolla . . .

The UK

Another right-of-centre political commentator forecasting a lost decade under the new Labour government. Quote: The state can help facilitate economic growth. But it cannot generate it. That is the fatal flaw in the whole [Labour] project. 

Ukraine v Russia

The almost inevitable bad news . . . Western officials and many Ukrainian commander are increasingly worried about the direction of the war and Ukraine’s ability to hold back Russian advances over the next six months. Apart from the loss of territory – said to have come at enormous cost to Russia – the big problem is the steady erosion in the size and quality of Ukraine’s forces. . . .The expectation is that things, the expectation is that things, on both the military and political fronts, can only get worse. In a word, Putin will have his victory and the question will return: Emboldened, what will he do next​

The Way of the World

Doubtless some will disagree strongly with this controversial Opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal. But views counter to one’s own should always be listened to: Israel Defends Itself – and May Save Western Civilization.

Spanish

• Quedar de pena: To look bad
• Dar caña: To give [someone] a hard time
• Salto mortal: Somersault
• Enarbolar: To brandish

Did you know?

When Spanish text omits the pronoun, Google translate can’t tell whether it should be he or she. This can make for amusing reading when you know the sex of the person mischaracterised.

You Have to Laugh

In the lift of today’s hotel in Amansa. New to me . . .

Finally . . .

Travel news

Yesterday’s castles:-

Uclés (a tiny village)

Belmonte

It has a truly magnificent interior as well.

Yesterday evening. Google maps up threw up 2 hostels called La Parada but I didn’t notice this and went for the first one. Though I did find it odd that a message said it might be closed when we arrived. It turned out to be a non-existent building in the middle of a field of sunflowers on the road between the townships of Moto del Cuervo and Pedro Muñoz, near Albacete. Cue minor panic . . .

Today, Google Maps confused both itself and us as we looked for this arcade in Albacete –

There were few restaurants open in Albacete at lunchtime today. But we struck very lucky. At the one specialising in rice dishes we wanted to eat, we arrived just as it opened at 1.30 and got the only table available. Of course, it was empty until well after 2 but was full to the rafters by 3. The food did not disappoint though Verdejo white wine is inferior to Galicia’s 3 white wines . . .

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.