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 first of a series of events to note the 50th anniversary of the death of Franco took place in Madrid yesterday. The PM and all his PSOE deputies attended, but the event was boycotted by the opposition PP and Vox parties. And also Podemos, one of two of the secessionist coalition parties and the Galician Nationalist Block(the BNG). Which got the last-cited a mention in the national press.

At the event, the Spanish PM had a go at Trump. I wonder if the Orange Clown knows who he is. And will be bothered to hurl an insult in response.

Spain’s pension ticking time-bomb. Payments surge ahead of mass retirement of the baby boomer generation.

Having read that Spain had overtaken Germany as the EU’s largest exporter and that services were a major part of these, I asked an AI engine what these are and where they go. Answers below.

HT to Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas for the news that, by contrasting cities with or without high visitor numbers, it’s been proved that destinations with lots of tourist-apartments have forced up ordinary rentals by 30% . The Director of the Andalusian Institute for Research and Innovation in Tourism says: “We can confirm that there is a significant correlation between the rental price and the concentration of tourist housing in Malaga”. Did anyone doubt this​?

Talking of tourists lets, it’s reported that 75% of these in Alicante don’t have a licence. You’d have thought the Tax Office would be interested in these and could easily discover which owners aren’t declaring their income. If not, why not? Is tourism sacrosanct?

Good news . . . Pharmacies (‘chemists’ n the UK) will soon be able to extend your prescriptions without the need for a GP visit. Though I suspect not for all items.

Cousas de Galicia

Even better news . . . Road deaths in Galicia have massively reduced in the 25 years I’ve been here, not withstanding universal ignorance of how to negotiate roundabouts , , ,

An old bar in Pv city has been ‘reformed’ and is now bigger and more modern-ish. Two or three young (South American?) women work the tables and another is behind the bar. Only the latter has a low-cut top. I resisted the temptation to ask the owner if this was pure coincidence.

Portugal

Details of this year’s national holidays.

Germany

As if it didn’t have enough problems . . Stagflation imminent??

The USA

What on earth drives Musk? One view here.

Social Media/Quotes of the Day

• Social media – a medium made for self-absorbed oversharing. [But not blogs, of course].
• The best influencers are heartfelt: the worst, heartless hard sellers whose main concern is their own revenue stream.  [Who’d have thought it?]

Spanish

• Matonismo: La conducta de quien busca imponer su voluntad mediante amenazas o intimidación
• Matonismo de columna: El uso de un tono agresivo, hiriente o despectivo en columnas de opinión para imponer ideas o desacreditar a otros, contribuyendo a un ambiente tóxico en el debate público.
• Nevada: I had a sudden thought this might mean ‘Big Snow’ but the RAE has it as only ‘snow, snowfall, snowstorm or blizzard’. With nevaza being more appropriate for ‘Big Snow’. BUT . . The RAE also says that nevaza is a synonym for nevada. So, maybe . . .
• Fulana: Slut, slag. [A group of protesting women in Pv city call themselves Fulanas but I’m not clear why yet.]
• Turbonada: Fuerte chubasco de viento y agua, acompañado de truenos, relámpagos y rayos. We apparenty had one of these yesterday. Not sure how it differs from our normal storms.

Did you know?

An amazing find.

Finally . . .You Have to Laugh

Marmite is a ‘beef extract’ spread. People are said to either love it or hate it. I was never given it as a kid and, as an adult, I’ve never been able to bring myself to taste it, as it looks vile. This is a TV ad which plays to its reputation. Allegedly it was banned from British TV but I can’t for the life of me understand why. [Just did an AI check: It wasn’t. But there were almost 300 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority about it being “in poor taste” and “trivialising” animal welfare and child protection. Dear God.]

P. S. There’s also Vegemite, which Australians are said to love. Never tasted that either.

SPAIN’S EXPORT OF SERVICES

Spain exports a wide range of these, with the top categories being:

1. Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services ($25.8B in 2020)*
2. Personal travel ($17.3B in 2020)
3. Transportation ($16.2B in 2020)
4. Financial services ($3.9B in 2020)
5. Royalties and license fees ($2.93B in 2020)

Other significant service exports include:

• IT and telecommunications services
• Construction services
• Insurance and pension services
• Services related to goods maintenance, processing, and repair

The main destinations for Spanish service exports are:

1. The EU: 47% of total non-travel service exports in 2022
2. The USA: Particularly for services related to intellectual property rights and IT/telecommunication
3. South America: Notable for construction services exports

Spain’s service exports have shown strong growth, with non-travel services exports growing by 16% in 2021 and 29% in 2022 in real terms. This growth has contributed significantly to Spain’s economic recovery and has led to an increase in its share of international markets for non-travel services exports

*Miscellaneous business, professional, and technical services. These encompass a wide range of specialized activities provided to other businesses or clients. They are characterized by their high degree of expertise, specialized knowledge, and predominantly intellectual nature and are typically provided by professionals with advanced education and training in their respective fields. Areas include:

1. Consulting
2. Legal
3. Accounting and financial
4. Engineering and architectural
5. IT and computer
6. Marketing and advertising
7. Research and development
8. Human resources
9. Creative: Graphic design, content creation, and copywriting
10. Specialized technical services: Data analytics, QA consulting, and software engineering

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.