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

Valencia’s unsung heroes warn of a repeat of the havoc.

News of solidarity concerts around Spain.

The growth of Spanish GDP continues to look good against those of Germany et al.

The latest case of alleged political corruption here in Spain

The EU

The questions on everyone’s lips . . .

• Will the return of Trump force greater unity and more rapid progress towards a Europe that can look after itself and wield some power in the world?
• If so, what will be the role of the UK?

Germany

The latest on the government crisis there.

France

M Macron, in congratulating Donald Trump, referred to their respective convictions, allowing for some doube-entendre which might not go down well with the latter.

The USA

The post mortem . . . .

• Trump won despite what he is; the Dems lost because of what they are.
• Why the working class ditched Harris.
• They don’t understand my life. Trump’s emphatic victory marked a repudiation of not just Harris but also her party’s progressive agenda and its failure to understand the concerns of the majority of US voters.
• The 5 key blunders of the Democrats.

Russia

The Ring video at the White House door . . .

China

A fascinating, must-read article.

The Way of the World

Where the belief in aliens is highest and lowest . .

Quote of the Day

We cannot let the voters of Wisconsin decide the security of Europe every four years: Benjamin Haddad, a minister in the French government.

Spanish

Mezquino: Mean, stingy, miser, shoddy, niggard

Did you know?

Another battle that was a turning point, this time in England, not Spain. The Autodidact Professor tells us here about Brunanburh. This took place in 924, most probably in Bromborough on the Wirral Peninsula, very near my birthplace of Birkenhead. As the AP says, it was a defining clash for England’s destiny, ending the Viking threat.

You Have to Laugh

The Duke of Wellington is said to have sent this letter to the British government during his campaign against French forces in the Iberian Peninsula in 1808.

Final Travel News

Advice: Try and avoid Toledo on a Friday, even in November. It seems to be the day when coachful of tourists pour in relentlessly and all the local schools take their kids to the city. It took me 20 minutes to do the 200 metres from the car park below the city to the main road. And that was to leave the place. The traffic coming in, at 3pm, was even worse.

A better experience was taking my old friend to the railway station earlier in the day. It’s in Mudejar style and is truly glorious.

Of course, the cathedral is even more glorious, overwhelmingly so. But the only thing I really wanted to see – the Mudejar Chapel – was closed off and I didn’t feel I could ask an emerging nun for the large key with which she locked the door.

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.