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.

Trip Wrap-up

Possibly of no interest to anyone, but I spent time this morning checking on our 3 driving challenges . . .

1. Getting to the vineyard Wine & Soul. See this map . . .

I finally figured out what Google did to us. When we arrived at the right hand bend shown at the top of this map, instead of having us continue on the main road, Google took us left, down the (dreadful) track that wound downhill to the valley, with the river on our right – frighteningly close to a severe drop for a large part of it. As I’ve said, I guess the computer decided this was a shorter  route.

2. Getting to ‘Spain’s Stonehenge’.

This is what we were aiming for . . . It’s bottom right in this map . . .

The route to it is on an earth track not far out of the village of Peralda, top left. We gave up somewhere in the forest en route to the dolmen, when it all became very reminiscent of the rock-strewn path down to Wine & Soul. Where I was so relieved to still be alive – and to have a still-functional car – that I spent a small fortune on their wines.

3. Getting to our hotel in Trujillo . . . See this map.

We should have come down to Plaza Mayor from the (wide) road in the middle at the top, past La Abadía to Hotel Palacio de Santa María. But Google took us from the bottom right corner diagonally to the top left. Through twisting streets only fractionally wider than my car. Other guests in the hotel had the same experience.

Cosas de España

Politics: The Spanish PM is Europe’s most outspoken Trump critic, says this columnist. Adding that perhaps he has an ulterior motive – a desperate bid for survival.

There have naturally been very few in winter but the onset of spring has changed things. Pilgrims are suddenly appearing, like the first flies of the year from your curtain folds. Soon there will be many, many more. And perhaps our total will exceed 150,000 this year.

We Brits use ‘fortnight’ for 2 weeks, but Americans don’t. We used to use ‘sennight’ for 1 week but this has fallen out of use. Almost. This columnist uses it in a pitch about a cruise around Iberia in April.

Saturday evening saw a Lenten Entroido procession in Pv city – involving lots of marching bands and dancing girls/women. The creativity and hard work which go into the costumes are truly impressive. And this year the warm weather meant these weren’t covered by jackets. One stand-out dancing troupe were kitted out as Samurai warriors.

No fotos of those, unfortunately, but here are a couple of colourful characters . . .

And here’s the half-done model of a large parrot, which will be immolated on Friday, when I will advise why we have a parrot, whereas all other towns and cities along the coast have a huge sardine . . .

The USA, Ukraine, Russia

Trump cosplaying Trump . . .”People are saying it was the best first month of a president in history”. I wonder why he’s never introduced us to any of the folk who say these things about him. But I think I know why.

Richard North on the (sad) reality as regards the European initiative . . . There is more than a hint of hubris as, despite the aspirations of going it alone and forging a new European alliance, everything still depends on the response of the USA and its willingness to fall in with European plans. Given Trump’s personality and his long-standing dislike – hatred, even – of Zelensky – the latter’s resignation will surely be the minimum price for this. Pettiness is one of the outstanding features of the current US administration. Policies now reflect personal grudges. And Trump’s antipathy towards Zelensky has been brewing for 6 years. Alongside Trump’s grudges are his (fathomless) whims. And where there’s an autocrat with whims, you inevitably get sycophants whose stated views bend with his wind. Regardless of orifice. See the prime examples of Vance, Rubio and the vile – ‘Never been so proud of a president’ – Lindsey Graham. With the first two hoping to be in line for the next Republican president – If it isn’t Trump again – and saying anything that will go down well with his MAGA base. Truly sickening.

A relevant article from the WSJ.

Will the new world order really go well for the USA? I suspect not. There are more of us than there are of them. And we have wallets. As Tesla has discovered. Pepsi and Coca Cola next???

Quotes

• It’s been said that Trump knows nothing of history. And even that he doesn’t know who fought in the Second World War. Or why. A degree of ignorance he gives every indication of revelling in.
• As a real conservative (rather than a cult-of-personality clown) I’m not going to stand for conservative media putting a blatantly biased spin on everything Trump does.
• Courtesy of reader Perry, a bit of Tacitus: As Perry says, for Augustus, read Putin [and Trump?]. For aristocracy, read oligarchs. They have plundered the world, stripping naked the land in their hunger. They are driven by greed, if their enemy be rich; by ambition, if poor. They ravage, they slaughter, they seize by false pretences, and all of this they hail as the construction of Empire. And when, in their wake, nothing remains but a desert they call that peace. . . . Augustus gradually increased his powers, taking over those of the Senate the executives and the laws. The aristocracy received wealth and position in proportion to their willingness to accept slavery. The state had been transformed and the old Roman character gone forever. Equality among citizens was completely abandoned. Now all waited on the Imperial Command. Sound familiar?

Finally . . . You Have to Laugh

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.

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. But you would do well to click here on this. 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.