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

More on the national housing crisis, from the BBC.

And here and here are articles on a menace faced down South from hereonin.

Navarra is a region I only visited for the first time a couple of years ago. The Autodidact Professor relates its history here, making the points that: It was during the 10th and 11th centuries that the kingdom fully emerged as an independent and formidable realm. But . . . By the late 15th century, Navarre had largely become a vassal state of Castile, its independent institutions absorbed into the centralized administration of the emerging Spanish kingdom. I confess to surprise that there’s no mention of the French connection. About which there’s something – well, quite a lot – at the end of this post.

Damn! More and more foreigners are wending their way to these parts. We need to take to the streets to protest against it.

One kind of opportunist invader . . .

Cousas de Galicia

The DdP reports today that retail outlets are in severe decline in Pv city, one reason being that the kids don’t want to take over mom-and-pop shops Then there’s the triumph of hope over the experience of others. Over the years, I’ve mentioned several times that, in a street in the old quarter of little afluencia, I’ve seen numerous shops close. I believe the latest candidate is a new place which seems to offer little apart from mugs. I wonder if it’ll last a year. But maybe 20 if it’s essentially just for money laundering.

Today I went into a bookshop I pass 4 times a day and in which I’ve never seen a customer. It’s on the ground floor of the house with the pentacle on top of its garret. I left it wondering if it really was a bookshop, as the guy in it had no interest in knowing how I could order a book on the Jews of Pontevedra. But he did advise that the building had once been La Casa de los Masones, providing a definitive explanation for said pentacle.

On the surface, this is a positive article on shopping in Pv city. But what it doesn’t say is that there’s been a massive concentration of outlets in one long street – La milla de oro – to the extent that a once-popular street parallel it now has much less allure for shoppers. Much to the chagrin of the owners.

Portugal

This is said to be a complete guide to emigrating to Portugal under its golden visa scheme. Before it comes to an end, I guess.

The EU/France

Lawfare? Almost any MEP in Brussels could be prosecuted. Only Eurosceptics like Le Pen are. . . . Technical misuse of European funding is difficult to completely avoid, and outright corruption scandals are frequent.

The USA

As the stock markets continue to plunge, an insider talking to the Washington Post has advised that: Trump’s at the peak of just not giving a fuck any more.

Asian markets plunged this morning after Donald Trump warned foreign governments they would have to pay “a lot of money” to lift sweeping tariffs.  The US president compared the tariffs to “medicine”, his remarks triggering further carnage across global financial markets. European and US markets later followed suit, as you surely know.

By accident, I came across my schedule of adjectives for Trump that I couldn’t find a month ago. I was surprised to see it doesn’t include Attention Seeker, or Malignant in front of Narcissist. It’s re-posted below. Big lacunae.

The Way of the World

Nothing is certain since US politics became a branch of chaos theory and a vacancy arose for the role of leader of the free world.

RN claims a new world order is needed, to be established by politicians of stature. But he sees no evidence of the existence of these:– The post-war settlement was coming to an end. Trump is just firing the shot that puts it out of its misery. . . What is absent is any sense of the vision and breadth that imbued the progenitors of the post-war settlement, where statesmen of some stature convened global conferences to forge institutions and agreements which would have lasting effect and afford stability and order to the global community. . . Short of credible global leadership, we seem to be heading for a [trade]war that no-one knows how to stop.

Quote of the Day

Johan Cruyff on the limits of logic: What I know for certain is that the conclusions I’d draw from experience are different from the ones based only on figures. Because if Lionel Messi scores 3 times out of every 10 attempts, he might be criticized by someone who sees only the statistics for being just 30% effective. I’d say: Just copy him and see if you can get up to that level. It’s practically impossible.

Net Zero

A straw in the wind? A cloud on the horizon? . . . The British government is planning to reduce the EV mandate, which imposes a levy on car manufacturers who don’t meet their sales targets for EVs.

In the UK . . . Despite Trump’s havoc: Net zero zealotry will continue unabated. The Government plans to decarbonise the electricity grid by 2020, which almost nobody believes is feasible or affordable.

Spanish

• Morada: Dwelling
• Usurpación de morada: Trespass on an empty and unused home.
• Allanamiento de morada: Breaking and entering.

English

Phthisis: A disease characterized by the wasting away or atrophy of the body or a part of the body. Tuberculosis

Did You Know?

A couple of political commentators on a podcast claimed it was probably the Irish who gave Liverpool folk (Scousers) their reputation for being rather anti-authority. Indeed, they said one could see this trait in the city’s most famous sons, The Beatles, two of whom were of Irish descent. Maybe so, but all I can say that – given how many times they strapped me – the Irish Christian Brothers who educated me didn’t take kindly to my brand of anti-authoritarianism. Indeed, one of them strapped me at the start of a lesson, saying it was for all the trouble I was going to cause him during it. My mother would have died.

Today Through the Ages

Courtesy of the Autodidact Professor

Finally . .

I was going to do this anyway – thank Noémi for her Likes – but today is very appropriate as she’s posted a recipe for my favourite cake – Tarta de Santiago.

NAVARRA

Overall, Navarre’s connections with France were deeply rooted in dynastic alliances, geographical proximity, and shared cultural developments. These ties shaped its history as both an independent kingdom and later as part of France.

Navarre had substantial connections with France during the Middle Ages, shaped by political, dynastic, and cultural factors.

Dynastic Ties

1. French Dynasties in Navarre: After 1234, Navarre was ruled by a succession of French dynasties, beginning with Theobald I, Count of Champagne, who inherited the throne. This marked a shift in Navarre’s orientation toward France
2. French-born Monarchs: From the 13th century onward, many rulers of Navarre were French-born and maintained significant possessions in France. They often traveled to Navarre only for coronations
3. Union with the French Crown: In 1589, Henry III of Navarre became King Henry IV of France, uniting Navarre with the French crown. This personal union eventually led to the incorporation of Lower Navarre into France in 1620

Political and Military Influence

1. Strategic Location: Navarre controlled key passes through the Pyrenees Mountains, making it a buffer state between France and Spain and a vital route for trade and pilgrimage (e.g., the Way of Saint James)
2. Military Contributions: During periods of French rule, Navarre supplied mercenaries to French armies, advancing French interests in both the Iberian Peninsula and southern France

Cultural Exchange

1. French Immigrants: French and Gascon immigrants (known as francos) settled in Navarre’s towns, contributing to cultural exchange but sometimes causing tensions with native populations
2. Renaissance Influence: Northern Navarre became a center of learning and culture during the late Middle Ages, facilitating the spread of Renaissance ideas into France

Religious Connections

Navarre also served as a refuge for those fleeing religious persecution in France during the Middle Ages, reflecting its reputation for tolerance. Later, Jeanne III of Navarre adopted Calvinism and played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion

TRUMP

A	Arrogant, Autocratic, Alienating, Anti-intellectual, Angry
B	Bullying, Boastful, Braggart, Belligerent, Bigoted, Blowhard, Bad-tempered
C	Chaos-creating, Clueless, Cheating, Combative, Child-like, Childish
D	Disruptive, Dishonest, Deluded, Divisive, Destructive, Disorganised, Devious, Dissing/Disrespectful.
E	Exaggerator, Egotistical, Egocentric
F	Fox News-Obsessed, Follicly challenged, Fraudulent, Fantasist, Fast-food-Guzzler
G	Garrulous, Global-warming-denying, Gaffe-prone
H	Hyperbolic, Hateful, Heartless, Humourless, Hollow
I	Idiotic, Insulting, Insensitive, Irreligious, Incompetent, Inconsistent, Ignorant, Islamophobic, Inattentive, Insecure, Inimical, Incoherent, Illogical, Irrational, Intemperate, Inept, Impatient, Intimidatory, Insane?
J	Jealous
K	Kinglike, Kinky, Know-all
L	Liar, Lazy, Low esteemed,
M	Misogynistic, Media-obsessed, Menacing, Mad?
N	Nauseating, Narcissist
O	Obsessive, Orange-hued, Obnoxious
P	Paranoid, Putin-admiring, Petty, Pussy-grabbing, Populist, Posturing, Pugnacious, Poseur, Philandering, Phony, Politically inexperienced, Psychologically suspect.
Q	Quixotic, Querulous
R	Russia-dependent, Rabble-rousing, Reckless, Racist, Resentful
S	Short-attention-spanned, Self-centred, Self-obsessed, Stupid, Self-vaunting, Susceptible to flattery, Swaggering, Small-minded, Self-interested
T	Twitter-obsessed, TV-obsessed, Tyrannical, Trade-disrupting, Threatening, Triumphalist, Thin-skinned
U	Unfriendly, Unfaithful, Unintelligible, Unreliable, Unwilling to listen, Unaware, Untrustworthy, Unpredictable, Undisciplined, Un-self-aware,
V	Vocabulary-deficient, Vengeful, Victim, Vain. Vulgar, Vindictive
W	Wearisome, Weird, Whoring, Worrying, Wrathful, Wrong-headed, War-mongering
X	Xenophobic
Y	Yankee . . .
Z	Zig-zagging

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 . . .
• I can also be read on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/colin.davies.752861 or on Substack at https://doncolin.substack.com/
• 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 see here on this. 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.
• Getting a mortgage in Spain: Some advice on this challenge.