Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.
And, lo, the hunter of the east 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

Next Monday sees the debut of the ‘Big Brother’ law – described here – on info to be obtained from all tourists. Having had their protests ignored, the relevant trade association has vowed to take legal action against the law.

Support for independence for Cataluña has fallen to the lowest level – 40% – since mid 2015.

Talking of driving in Spain . . . Someone Spanish said to me recently that no one in Spain ever signals for a left turn. I suspect he really meant at roundabouts, where you usually have no idea whether the car coming from the opposite direction is going to come straight on, past you, or turn left in front of you. I certainly face that several times a day, as I do roundabouts a minimum of 12 times.

Quite a nice official foto of lovely Queen Letizia. Possibly a tad flattering:-

Cousas de Galicia

Here in Galicia, as in the UK, there’s no penalty for not turning up for GP appointments. So, naturally, quite a lot of folk don’t – 480,000 of them last year, in fact. Given the impact on others wanting an appointment, failure to cancel is, of course, totally inconsiderate. Our provider of public health cares says it will in future go to the lengths of contacting delinquents to ‘warn’ them. But about what, I wonder. Or do they a mean to remind them of an upcoming appointment?

As it happens, I had a GP appointment this morning and no one responded to the first 2 names the doctor called out.

Should you ever feel the need for a sandwich 60cm long, then my barrio of Poio is the place to come. To a bar called Los Ángeles, in fact. This one has a squid filling:-

Portugal

Never far away and here are 12 ‘charming’ small towns to visit there.

The UK

Frightful fact . . . 26% of the population is now obese.

The EU/Germany/France

AEP writes here on the current political and fiscal crisis in France, which he says has serious implications for the EU. Allegedly . . . The country has long enjoyed an “exorbitant privilege” within the EU, able to borrow at rock-bottom German rates because it is deemed to be the twin-anchor of the European project. No longer, it seems, one consequence being the chances of a true fiscal union retreating even further into the distance. Without this, claims AEP, the euro is a chronically unstable construction on borrowed time.

The USA

Not surprisingly . . A bitter Democratic inquest is under way into the defeat. One shocking – but not terribly surprising – claim is that the party always knew Harris was a poor candidate who, in its own (secret) polling was never ahead of Trump in the 7 key states. But it still went ahead and raised more than a billion dollars for her campaign, making quite a few folk quite rich in the process. Surely she won’t stand again. And will now sink into oblivion.

Spanish

• Chorrada: Nonsense
• Al tanto de: Up to date on: Fully in the know.
• Guerra arancelaria: Tariff war
• Ristra: String.

Did you know?

• These are the ways to shorten a cold, and
• It’s now rude to bring wine to a dinner party – here are the trendy items to take instead

BTW . . . As Brits would normally say ’take’ wine to a dinner party, I assume the columnist is Irish or North American.

You Have to Laugh

A final 2 fashion fotos . . .

Finally . . ..

It might be warmer than usual – 20 today – but, given how rare they are here even in summer, I was astonished – and annoyed – to be woken by a mozzie at 5.20 this morning. Bloody global warming! Something needs to be done about it.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts, either after reading them 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.