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

Spain’s entry in the list of the world’s 10 ‘most welcoming cities’ is Cazorla, in the Jaén province of Andalucia. I confess to never having heard of it but plenty of others must have, as there’s reported to be a surprising number of 3 and 4 star hotels and countless rural guest houses in this small town.

Back in 2005,  I was helping someone buy a house in the hills outside Pv city. There were reports of a high-speed train being operative by 2008 – in practice, it was 2021 – and of there being a spur from the Ourense-Santiago de Compostela line coming diagonally south to Pv city and Vigo, possibly where the house was situated. Everyone I asked about this sort of smiled and said ‘Maybe’. And, in fact, it never happened, and the trains – 20 years later – go direct to SdC and then turn south to Pv city and Vigo – adding an hour or two to the journey. Imagine my surprise to read today that the idea has been resurrected. And my non-surprise that any such new line won’t be operative before 2036. Or, if history is a guide, 2050. But that said, at least Spain is capable of installing such lines, whereas the UK isn’t. For one reason and another. Oh, and you don’t need to take out a mortgage to make a train journey.

Cousas de Galicia

Jennifer Lopez is about to embark on a world tour, labelled (according to the DdP) Upp All Night. I mention this only because – for reasons no one can understand – her first port-of-call will be Pv city. Unless it’s a false AI announcement, of course.

This is the entry to Pv city’s only quiet square:-

What you can see on the left, is some of the growing number of vagabonds and beggars who’ve taken up residence under various soportales in the old quarter, where they’re protected from the rain. And where they can smoke and drink in peace. Before they set out to importune the wealthier camino ‘pilgrims’.

On the other hand, this is a nice recent restoration of a shell of a house near Plaza de Verduras.

And, to be even more positive – albeit by way of a negative . . . this is how Pv city’s main square looked like before traffic was banned from the old quarter in 1999.

Every time I see one of these fotos, I shudder a little. And thank the mayor.

The UK

Britain’s entry in the list of welcoming cities is Chester, a lovely place I associate with what used to be called my early courting . . . [Chester comes from Castro, by the way].

The EU

It’s reported that, weeks ago, Brussels proposed to Trump reciprocal zero tariffs between the USA and the EU. Which is Musk’s stated preference, in fact. Rejected, obviously, as not being punitive enough for the rapacious EU. Sound of nose being hacked off face . . .

The USA

Today’s MAGA message – Money isn’t important. Everyone suffers losses. They could indicate that President Trump is a genius who knows what he’s doing. By the way, there is something to celebrate . .The president won the golf tournament at one of his clubs over the weekend.

As you’d expect . . . Amid market crashes and federal job slashes, Trump is trying to get the military parade he was blocked from having during his first term, reportedly planning to spend millions of taxpayer money to honor himself on his 79th birthday in June.

A comedienne called Lisandra Vasquez does an excellent parody of the execrable Karoline Leavitt.

As for Trump’s billionaire backers, they are said here to be suffering a heavy dose of buyer’s remorse. Those surprised by the president’s tariffs blitz have not been paying attention. But, still, they took the stock market up this afternoon because they believed Trump when he said there will be a deal with China. I suppose he could be telling the truth this time round.

I can’t get the ‘Dunning–Kruger effect’ out of my head. A reminder . . . This cognitive bias occurs when individuals with low ability or knowledge in a particular area fail to recognize their own incompetence and overestimate their skills. Essentially, they lack the meta-cognitive ability to assess their own shortcomings, which leads them to believe they are more capable than they actually are

Not to mention Aesop’s fable about about the frog and scorpion, which ends with the latter justifying his murderous lies: ‘I’m a scorpion; it’s what I do’, [This fable teaches that some individuals or entities cannot resist acting according to their intrinsic nature, even when it is self-destructive or harmful to others.]

So, what’s Musk doing these days? Inveighing against Trump’s policy, it seems. See here.

Quote of the Day

The stupidity of Americans who voted for this idiot is one thing but the stupidity of Americans who are surprised about the results is something else entirely.

Spanish

• Pinzas: Pliers
• Cirio: Taper
• Desavenencia: Disagreement, rift, dispute
• Apuntalar: Shore/prop up, underpin

You Have to Laugh

Is Trump turning into an actual orange? Or is his makeup artist colour blind?

What would you think of a friend who turned up for dinner looking like that? Would you ever invite them again??

Today Through the Ages

Courtesy of the Autodidact Professor.

Finally . . .

The talk among my fellow sufferers in today’s Pilates class was of officious police officers and motoring fines. I formed the view that, if one has never had one of these in modern Spain, it can only be because you’re not driving a car here.

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.