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’

Spain The biblical floods . . .

• As well as grief and sorrow there is growing rage at a government that seemed unable, or unwilling, to help.
• Looting is an inevitable feature of the aftermath
• The monarchs were accused of being killers when they visited the area today
• Fotos of the devastation here.

The USA

• Heightened hopes for Harris. A poll in Iowa has unexpectedly put her ahead of Trump in what was previously expected to be a safe state for the Republicans, sending ‘shockwaves’ through America’s poll-watchers.
• On the other hand . . . It may seem incomprehensible to many, but it is simply a matter of fact that this absurd man who has dominated American politics and culture for nearly a decade, is more favourably viewed than ever, has survived two impeachments, multiple damning lawsuits, two assassination attempts and is now within spitting distance of the most astonishing comeback in American political history. It is, in part, his demagogic genius. . . . Trump’s core instinct is what the Jesuits call in tune with the times. He has understood the one thing America’s elites have yet to come to terms with, and unlike them, he can speak it in English anyone can understand. The American people are done with running the world as they have since 1945, done with de-facto open borders where the distinction between citizen and non-citizen has become moot, and done with being subjected to elite culture-war projects that border on what most normal people regard as insane.

English

• This is a test of your understanding of Gen Z slang, in the UK at least.
• Says a columnist: “Brat” has been given an entirely new meaning after the release of Charli XCX’s album of the same name. “Brat” used to mean “spoilt and infantile”, but it now means “very spoilt and infantile”.

Spanish

Interesting to see the prefix ‘super’ in the list of Words of the Year. Given to superlatives as they are, Spaniards use it a lot, as in superbueno, for example. The RAE says it can mean:-

• ‘Encima de’. Eg Superestructura.
• ‘Preeminencia’ o ‘excelencia’. Eg Superintendente, superhombre.
• ‘En grado sumo’. Eg Superfino.
• ‘Exceso’. Eg Superproducción.

But I’m thinking of, eg, extrasuperbueno. Or, as here.

Finally . . .

Travel Note

Having seen the prediction of heavy rain and thunderstorms for Alicante and Valencia this morning, we decided not to motor north but to head north-west – first back to Albacete and then tomorrow on to Baeza and Úbeda en route to Toledo.

So, late morning, we checked into the rather glorious Hotel Europa* in Albacete city and then returned to the excellent Restaurante L’Arruzz not far away. As you might have guessed, this specialises in rice dishes. But it also offers a curly, crisp bacon version of the Soria speciality Torreznos, which we very much enjoyed. *Inexplicably voted Terrible by some folk. Perhaps because it’s not remotely modern.

Unusually, we didn’t visit a castle today. Though we did see several at the roadside during the drive from Elche, including the magnificent one in Almansa we visited yesterday. Before the day was ruined by my finding the parking fine on my windscreen . . .

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.