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

Politics: From, of course, The Guardian . . . Spain’s socialist leader has defied expectations. Are there lessons for Starmer? Sanchez has undoubtedly done well but is surrounded by accusations of corruption and self-serving chicanery. But, then, isn’t every Spanish PM?

Lenox Napier doubles down . . .

Nativity scenes are booming even as Spain loses its religion. Despite the decline of Catholicism in the formerly devout country, intricate ‘belenes’ in homes and shops are embedded in Spanish culture.

A tale that is so, so Spanish . . . With both my daughters being in the UK for Xmas this year, a couple of weeks ago it looked like I might be eating out, alone, for my Xmas meals. However, I was pretty sure there’d be last-minute invitations from (planning-averse) Spanish friends and, sure enough there were. Though not quite as I’d expected. Firstly, the 24th was taken care of by a kind invitation from an Irish-Galician family. And then, yesterday midday, I was invited to dine on the 25th with an ex-neighbour and her family. So far, so good. But later yesterday I bumped into my next-door neighbour and she invited me to join them for their main Xmas lunch/dinner. When I said that I, as a stupid Brit, had felt I couldn’t ask her about this and now couldn’t do so, she looked positively insulted, stressing that of course I was invited as a I was ‘part of the family’. Since this is the biggest compliment one can get from a Spaniard, I now have to figure out how to compensate for my – entirely innocent – gaffe. Meanwhile, I guess I should assume I’m invited next door for New Year. But could well end up alone . . .

Another – more heart-warming – Spanish tale . . .

Cousas de Galicia

The average per capita spend by Galicians on Sunday’s mammoth lottery – El Gordo – is said to have been €80. Given the odds, not very logical*. But, of course, someone in Spain did at least have half of the winning ticket, with its huge pay-out. And places in Galicia did get some small change. Astonishingly, a very high percentage of folk demanded a ticket containing the number 29 – the date of the disaster in Valencia. Talk about (medieval?) superstition. What were they expecting – a cash gift from God to help the Valencians recover​?

* To quote Lenox: The mathematical probability of winning the jackpot is precisely [pretty damn close to​?] zero.

BTW . . .One of the big winners of the lottery was the Tax Office. Half of the divisions of the winning ticket went unsold – no magic numbers therein? – so, no winnings to hand out on them. Maybe the Tax Office will give their gains to the Valencia region. Ha, Ha/Ja, Ja.

A Galician saga . . The VdG today: Eight ministers, three presidents and the AP-9: For 45 years, users of the AP-9 have been paying tolls. And Galicia has been demanding control of this infrastructure for half that time. So, 20 years have passed, involving 3 presidents of the Government and 8 ministers of Transport, and none of them has allowed or promoted the transfer of the Atlantic motorway to this region. Last June, Congress took into consideration the Galician request, but since then the deadline for submitting amendments has been extended 17 times. The latest postponement leaves the issue on hold until 4 February. Some say there are strong vested interests opposing the transfer.

Europe

As is rather obvious, I’ve become a tad obsessed with the part played by a German tribe, the Franks, in the formation of modern France and, indeed, Western Europe. The chap responsible for uniting the Frankish folk and suppressing other Germanic tribes was Clovis I, who ruled as king from 481 to 511, establishing the Merovingian dynasty. Other prominent kings who followed him were Charles Martel – defeater of the Moslems in the 732 Battle of Tours – and Charlemagne (768-814). Both of the latter further expanded the Frankish empire in France, Germany and Italy, though Charlemagne was of the Carolingian dynasty which had usurped power from the Merovingians in 751. Both promoted Christianity and strengthened ties with the papacy, with Charlemagne becoming the Holy Roman Emperor in 802. The Carolingian dynasty ended in 888, when Charles the Fat was deposed by his nephew Arnulf of Carinthia, a vassal state of the Franks in modern Austria. The last king of the Franks was Louis V (986-987). After him, came the Capetian dynasty whose kings initially ruled only in the North East but who expanded their dominion significantly through marriages, conquests, and inheritance over the centuries. The dynasty lasted until 1328. This map shows how France was ruled in 987, when the Capetian dynasty began. And when France was nowhere near unified under one ruler.

En passant, possibly only Dan Brown believes that the Merovingians survived until today, carrying with them the DNA of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Nonsense, of course. But very profitable.

The UK and the EU

Upfront, I confess I don’t know if Brexit has been good or bad for the UK in the short term, or whether things will change in either direction in the medium and long terms. I read views from both extremes. This one, from a Guardian columnist, is typical of the Remainer/Europhile view that Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster: For the UK it becomes more and more obvious that we should be better protected within the European trading tent than outside it. The economic damage wrought by Brexit is now so manifest that recent surveys indicate that a majority of electors would like us to re-join the customs union and the single market. On the other hand, this and this are from Daily Telegraph columnists, who do at least adduce some facts in favour of their opinions. I suspect that in the case of both Leavers and Remainers, there’s a good deal of confirmation bias at play. And I find it amusing that the Guardian columnist, who will undoubtedly have seen the public as idiotic for voting for Brexit, now sees the majority of Brits as brilliant, because they endorse his view. He presumably sees them as now better educated by the experience of Brexit negatives, none of which are actually spelt out – as is usually the case. Time will tell.

The USA

This is a wonderful ad from the (Republican)Lincoln Project, who are not fond of their leader.

Quotes of the Day

• The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.
• Never trust a man who calls himself a ‘feminist ally’ – because it’s never as simple as that.

AI

A sceptical/skeptical view. https://bigthink.com/the-present/ai-skeptic-gary-marcus

Spanish

Bregar: To struggle/fight; To argue/quarrel; To work hard/slog; To work on/deal with.

Did you know?

I was intrigued to read – courtesy again of the Autodidactic Professor – that one of the Germanic tribes which invaded Western Europe in the late 4th century were Persian-speaking. This was the Alans. These had been forced westwards by the Huns, along with other Germanic tribes, forging a movement which the AP says reshaped the continent’s political, cultural, and ethnic compositions. In Gaul, the Alans wisely became Roman foederati but, restless, moved southwards towards Hispania, crossing the Alps, with the Suebi and the Vandals, in 409. The Alans were allotted the provinces of Lusitania (covering much of modern Portugal and parts of western Spain) and Carthaginensis (central Spain). Under pressure from the Visigoths, both the Alans and the Vandals moved even further south, to North Africa, where they took the Roman city of Carthage in 439. Followed by the sacking and looting of Rome in 455. By which time they’d come a long way from their erstwhile homeland between the Don and the Volga. The details of all this can be read here. Or read about in the Visigoth museum in Toledo, once their capital.

You Have to Laugh

A nice line from the BBC comedy series The Going Wrong Show: This week’s play is by Edward Shakespeare, the lesser known brother of Timothy Shakespeare.

Finally . . .

I sometimes wear some very thin gloves first thing in the morning, when – despite the (underfloor) heating being on 24/7 – the temperature in my salón can be only 17 or 18 degrees. This winter, I couldn’t recall why I’d cut the material off the thumb of the right hand glove. But remembered why last night when – using a new glove which hadn’t had the treatment – I tried to turn the page of my Kindle.

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.