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

The Spanish and their (unwitting?) racism . . . Reader David reports seeing 2 instances of ’blackface’ on TV yesterday. I’m pretty sure that, if anyone had told the perpetrators that this had offended some folk, the answer would have been the traditional one of That’s impossible because I didn’t intend to offend anyone!

Cousas de Galicia

God, as we know is a bit of a cosmic joker. I’m not sure that the Reyes cabalgata which took place in Pv city last night was supposed to take place on the holiday today but was brought forward because of fears of rain tonight. But, if it was, they’ll be laughing in Heaven, as it rained last night but hasn’t today.

I didn’t go down to see the cabalgata but not because of the rain. When I went many years ago, I was nearly knocked over by adults fighting to get the sweets thrown from the floats for their kids. And holding up umbrellas upside down for the purpose. I swore I’d never attend another one. Reader David says he once saw a riot ensue after a box containing a voucher for a Playstation 5 console was thrown from a truck. Not for the faint-hearted that event.

I’ve started reading a book for Spanish travellers in Spain. As regards Galicia, it seems totally accurate to me – and amusingly so. Apart from picking up a few new words and phrases (below), I’ve also learned why a town way up in the hills – Carballino – has the reputation of offering the best octopus in all Galicia. . . . El origen de esta extraña circunstancia se debe a que era un alimento fácil de secar y transportar, que pagaban como tributo los habitantes de la costa al monasterio de Oseira. [Which is near Ourense]

And I also learnt something I didn’t know about the difference between peppers from Padrón and peppers fro Bebrón . . . ‘Uns pican e outros non’. Todo el mundo conoce la leyenda que acompaña los pequeños pimientos verdes fritos que se consumen con una alegría y adicción como si fuesen pipas. Lo que es más lioso es el verdadero nombre con el que referirse a ellos. La denominación de origen registrada es la de Herbón, una parroquia que pertenece al ayuntamiento de Padrón. Resulta que la mayoría de los pimientos comercializados como “de Padrón” provienen de Murcia o Almería, porque se considera que padrón es ya una variedad, no una indicación geográfica. Solo los que incluyen el “de Herbón” son los auténticos de Padrón, aunque esta confusión ha derivado en pleitos mutuos por conseguir apropiarse del término y de su fama. También hay polémica en las distintas estrategias con las que reconocer al pimiento que va a picar, aunque estos debates son mucho menos encendidos.

Portugal

Another nice discovery yesterday when planning a February road trip – Chaves up in the NE of the country is a delightful place and well worth a first visit. When I checked out accommodation on the English version of the city’s web page, I kept seeing KEYS at the end of the address line. It finally dawned on me that the machine was translating Chaves into Keys each time. In Spanish, it’s llaves but in Gallego it’s also chaves, of course.

The UK

Musk’s latest foray into British politics has been on the (un)suitability of Nigel Farage as leader of the burgeoning party, because he’s not being nice to a well-known fascist/racist.

But why is Musk so interested in the UK, asks this columnist.

The USA

Elon Musk clearly intends to out-Trump Trump. He’s launched a poll on his X page on whether the US should ‘liberate the British people from the tyranny of the Starmer Labour government. Presumably, when Musk gets to rule the entire world, there won’t be a hint of tyranny. Or maybe he thinks we shouldn’t take him seriously. Even on the time of day. But at least we know one thing for sure about him – the orifice whence come his pronouncements.

I’m reminded of what used to be called The George Brown waltz – You put your first foot forward: You open your mouth; You put your other foot in it.

The Way of the World

Up until the early years of the 19th century, ‘men of letters’ – scientists included – still largely assumed that the universe did not even exist prior to late October, 4004 BC, and that all humans spoke the same language (Hebrew) until the dispersal of humanity, after the fall of the Tower of Babel 16 centuries later. Some of us have moved on. Well, most of us, I guess.

Net Zero

The pull-back continues in the UK – The government scraps its plan to ban the sale of gas boilers by 2035.

Spanish

• Destrezas skill, dexterity etc.
• Trillado: Trite, hackneyed, well-trodden, well-worn, tired, corny, cliché. Beaten, threshed.
• Intríngulis: Secret, intricacies, intrigues
• Verdaderos hachas: Real experts. (Lit. Real axes)
• Fiesta de guardar: Holy Day of Obligation. [Compulsory Mass]
• Nadie da duros a cuatro pesetas: No such thing as a free lunch; You don’t get owt for nowt.
• No es el rey del mambo: He/she isn’t the bees’ knees, dog’s bollocks, etc. Se usa generalmente con connotación despectiva o crítica para referirse a alguien que actúa con arrogancia o prepotencia, y que: 1. No tiene tanto poder o control como piensa, 2. No es tan competente o talentoso como se cree, 3.No merece el protagonismo o la atención que recibe o demanda

Did you know?

Everywhere from the Australian outback to Amazonia, rolling one’s eyes is a way of saying ‘what an idiot!

Finally . . .

North Korea imports a lot but exports little. The gap is financed by state-initiated cyber crime – on a humungous scale. Details in this podcast.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

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.