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

A corruption flashback. Sr Rato committed his offences initially in 2005, 20 years ago and prosecution began almost 10 years ago. He was lucky not to die before going to jail, one could say

Spain’s Xmas horario. En passant, the 3 men from the East were not Kings but Magi, or Wise Men. Spain needs to catch up with the latest thinking and stop calling it Los Reyes or even Los Reyes Magos. Most likely astronomers,

National and local holidays in 2025. Famously plentiful. Dating, I suspect, from the days when Catholic priests needed to liven up their dull, but holy, lives.

This is the annual list of the most profitable speed cameras in Spain. There is one in Pontevedra province, of course, and I have passed it hundreds of times. Astonishingly without ever triggering it.

Cousas de Galicia

The headline above an article on the gash I can see in the hills opposite my salón window: The autovia of exorbitant numbers: 6 kilometres, 9 years of roadworks; and 5 ministers. About to be opened, the A-57 is the great unknown. Only one of the 3 stages is finished and no one wants the other 2 to be done, while the Ministry of Transport stays silent. If ever there was a pointless project, this was it. One wonders why it was ever undertaken. Chances are the 2 planned stages further West will be substituted by one going East, to join the A-52 to Madrid. Maybe. Meanwhile, half a white elephant. Or, rather, a third . . .

Portugal

Not good news . . . Young people are leaving Portugal en masse.

The USA

The country has some strange cults and churches, especially in the South, but this might well be one of the oddest.

The Way of the World

A conversation between my daughter and my 5 year old grandson, visiting London from Madrid yesterday:-

– Do they not have Google in London?
– Yes, love.
– Why did that woman ask you for directions, then?

Quote of the Day

This was the year of elections around the world. Putin is a big fan of democracy; he was involved in all of them.

Spanish

Brazo de gitanos: Swiss roll/jam roly-poly –  commonly filled with cream, jam (such as peach or apricot), powdered cocoa and nuts.

English:  

Shirt-sleeve pudding/dead man’s arm/dead man’s leg: Swiss roll/jam roly-poly.

Galician

Chafalleiro: Someone who does things badly. A bodger.

Did you know?

Interested in knowing how like modern French was the language of Northern France in the 9th and 10th centuries, I asked my preferred AI engine and got this reply: The language was Old French, which emerged from the dialects of Northern Gaul. It evolved from Vulgar Latin and was influenced by various other dialect there. These influences were 1. Vulgar Latin, 2. the widely spoken Frankish (Germanic) language, and 3. the additional Germanic impact from the Viking invasions on the 9th and 10th centuries, particularly in areas like Normandy. In brief, the linguistic landscape of northern France was complex. The Frankish language was still in use in some areas during this period, gradually transitioning to Old Dutch in the northeastern regions by the end of the 9th century.

I then asked how close the language of the Norman invaders in 1066 was to modern French and got this reply: The French spoken by these was significantly different from modern French, being a distinct dialect known as Norman French. This was closer to Old French than to the modern language. Key distinguishing features: 1. Having originated from the dialects of Northern Gaul, it was heavily influenced by (Germanic) Old Norse due to the Viking heritage, 2. Its vocabulary reflected these origins, and 3. Its grammar (like Old English) was more complex, retaining features from its Latin and Germanic roots.

Finally, I asked How ‘French’ were the Norman invaders and got this unsurprising response: Their language would be largely unintelligible to modern French speakers because of more complex grammar, its (Germanic) vocabulary and its significantly different pronunciation.

I’m beginning to think that perhaps we Brits should stop referring to ‘the French invasion’ of 1066. The Normans sound far more Germanic to me . . . How about ‘the Teutonic Invasion’? You heard it here first . .

En passant . . . In 1850, France was a linguistically diverse country with many regional languages and dialects. According to historical estimates: Only about 10-15% of the French population spoke standard French fluently in 1850; Approximately half of the population didn’t speak French at all; The majority of people in rural areas spoke regional languages or patois. The Jules Ferry laws of 1881-1882, which made primary education free, compulsory, and secular, with instruction exclusively in French. These laws forbade pupils from expressing themselves in regional languages effectively spreading the French language throughout the country.

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Finally . . .

A sad note to end on . . . During the Black Death, Florentine chronicler Giovanni Villani wrote: The priest who confessed the sick and those who nursed them all caught the infection, so that the victims were abandoned and deprived of confession sacrament, medicine and nursing . . . and many lands and cities were made desolate. And this plague lasted till ________ . He left the space blank so that he could record the date of the plague’s end, but then he himself succumbed, dying in 1348.

Man proposes, God disposes, they say.. Maybe. Perhaps he just got unlucky.

As the Persian poet wrote:-

The moving finger writes; and, having writ,
moves on: nor all thy piety nor wit
shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of 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 . . .

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.

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.