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

Here’s the estimable Mac on jamón de bellota.

And here’s the equally estimable Max on the Bierzo region. He majors on Mencía red wine but neglects to mention that O Bierzo is also the centre of the excellent Godello white wine area.

His mention of this region being called by some the Switzerland of Spain reminded me that this book – Galicia, the Switzerland of Spain – was written by an English woman back in 1909. Available on the net for free.

One traveller’s experience of the new rules for visitors to Spain. A ‘minefield of complexity’ he says.

Oh, dear . . . A Spanish ambassador has been sacked for falling asleep during a speech. Albeit not one of his own. The Foreign Minister seems to have what some would call the traditional Spanish style of management, now falling out of fashion.

María writes on ethnic cleansing and on recent US developments here.

Cousas de Galicia

My friends laugh at the fact I carry this car-roof light for when I tread on the zebra crossing at the end of O Burgo bridge

but it saved me from death or at least serious injury last night, when the 2nd car didn’t stop until it saw the light and braked hard.

But this isn’t the only risk I face, it seems . . .

• There are more food-delivery guys on bikes than ever in the narrow streets of Pv city’s old quarter.
• The police arrest 20 drivers day who test positive for cocaine in Pv province, and
• A kamikaze 3 times over the drink limit killed himself and 3 other people driving the wrong way on the AP9 autopista this week.

The first of these risks possibly reflect the fact that Albanian criminals are bringing so much cocaine into Galicia that the price on the street has fallen significantly.

Relatedly . . . Netflix says there’ll be a 2nd series of Clanes. Set in Galicia.

The UK

The US-UK special relationship has ended, it’s claimed here. For some of us it never really existed, as the US has always acted in its own interests. Like every other country, of course. See the ‘old joke’ cited below.

The USA

So much to say . . . Compartmentalising . . .

Its [new] Government

Suprise, surprise . . . Says the WSJ: An administration moving at lightning speed deals with sudden challenges by going on the offense. Oh, and by lying, lying and lying again.

A good example of the [Orwellian] TrumpSpeak cited yesterday: In his second week in office, President Trump has shown resolute leadership in the face of tragedy and robustly pushed through on enacting the agenda that the American people gave him a historic mandate to implement—and Americans can count on President Trump to continue delivering: White House spokesman Kush Desai. Perhaps mass suicide won’t be necessary if we all die from laughing too hard.

Its [disgrace of a] President

Sometimes you really can’t believe what you’re hearing . .

• Trump responded sarcastically [callously, heartlessly] to questions about whether he would be visiting the site of airline disaster, asking reporters: “You want me to go swimming?”
• At the same press conference, Trump arrogantly claimed he has more common sense than a lot of other people. If true, this would mean the world would surely benefit from mass suicide. Or at least one assassination.

A must-read . . . The tragic air collision has revealed Trump’s rancid, irredeemable character once again. Trump’s pretense as king has quickly devolved into his strutting insult routine. He will always exploit tragedy to display his self-regard.

His mad view of the last Golden Age. In fact, an era of ‘greed and political corruption’. For obvious specific reasons, this won’t go down well in Spain.

Its [poor] Allies

The U.S. willingness to ignore its treaty obligations, even with friends, won’t make other countries eager to do deals. Maybe Mr. Trump will claim victory and pull back if he wins some token concessions. But if a North American trade war persists, it will qualify as one of the dumbest in history. His tariff plans reminds us of the old joke that it’s risky to be America’s enemy but it can be fatal to be its friend.

China

A plausible account of Chinese nefarious activities in Spain but, of course, I have no idea if it’s really true.

Spanish

Zurdo: Left handed, lefty, left hander, Southpaw

Did you know?

A new ancient human might well have been found

You Have to Laugh

Private Eye takes on US developments . . .

Finally . . .

Watching a pianist play Chopin the other night and marvelling at the speed of her fingers, I found myself wondering how a caveman – given the limited range of his digital movements – would respond to seeing this. Shortly after I discovered – by accident – that turning off the sound on my phone doesn’t stop the soundtrack of FB videos. Embarrassing.

Finally, . . . Finally

Someone recently criticised the BBC iPlayer platform for being technically poor. Having again had a tough time trying to watch Six Nations rugby today, I’d have to agree. Though, that said, I did manage to get the match on my phone. So, maybe the problem is my O2/Movistar internet provider

As it’s the start of the month. . . . 

Some readers, I hope, will know that the verse I cite at the top of my posts is the opening quatrain of Fitzgerald’s wonderful – but very ‘free’ – translation of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, which you can read about here.

Some verses of The Rubaiyat are well known, of course, eg:-
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 favourite:-
Myself when young did eagerly frequent
doctor and saint, and heard great argument
about it and about: but evermore
came out by the same door as in I went

If this has whetted your appetite, here’s something on Persian poetic traditions. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/23/persian-poetic-tradition-hafez

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.