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

This is a comprehensive article on the the challenge of flipping a property in Spain. Despite this sounding not at all simple, the writer stresses that: Flipping is rarely as quick or easy as it might appear. Very amusing. The writer goes on to say: It offers a dynamic way to engage with the property market. I’ll say! Certainly not for the weak of heart.

It takes all sorts . . .

Cousas de Galicia

Trains in general . . . The VdG on the subject: Zamora and Ferrol, the two sides of the rail divide: They are two cities with a similar population, although but, in terms of rail connectivity, they are polar opposites. Starting June 9, the Galician city will lose the only direct train that connected it to Madrid, an Alvia train. Zamora, however, will increase its daily service from 10 to 11, as it is not affected by the elimination of stops decided on by Renfe. High-speed rail arrived in Zamora in 2015 and is now 10 years old. Ferrol lacks high-speed rail, and the rail line is obsolete. The 69km that separate it from A Coruña take almost an hour and a half to travel.

A personal experience today . . . I wrote recently that, by and large, I was a happy user of Renfe’s trains, if not of their web page . . . Not now. This morning’s high-speed train to Madrid in one of the AVE’s new carriages was not a good experience. First of all, my seat was at a table of 4, where there’s no room to stretch your legs. Secondly, the re-designed seats are narrow and extremely uncomfortable. Most lamentable of all, the ride was among the worst I’ve ever experienced – like going through a very long period of turbulence in a plane. At times, the shaking and rattling was so bad that articles fell out of the roof rack or slipped off the tables. And there was constant vibration. Finally, there was no wifi until I disconnected Renfe’s unsecure service that I’d never asked for. All in all a real deterioration in the service. I recalled reading of complaints and got this from an AI search engine: The new AVE Standard has a 2+3 seating layout, which means some middle seats and less personal space. Some passengers and reviewers find the new seats hard and narrow, with comfort described as lacking. The Talgo rolling stock is noted for a tendency to sway, making the ride uncomfortable on some routes. In summary, The new AVE carriages are modern and convenient, but some passengers find the ride less comfortable due to the seating layout and carriage design. Ride quality is generally good, but not as smooth or comfortable as some international high-speed trains, in both First and Standard class. You can say that again. They should be withdrawn.

The Latest Insane Pronouncements of the Jester

A year ago we were as cold as ice. Now we are the hottest country in the world. We were the laughing stock of the world. But we really are hot now.

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

What most of us are thinking . . . Instead of embarrassing Cyril Ramaphosa, Grump’s ‘gotcha’ moment illuminates the fact-free reality show that is Trump’s America. . . . Here we have a man who has the mighty US state department, the wily Central Intelligence Agency and numerous other resources at his beck and call to help him discern the truth, relying on a badly made propaganda video sourced from a racist, right-wing, anonymous South African X account. Instead of embarrassing Ramaphosa, Trump merely illustrated just how low the US has fallen. His poorly produced Oval Office show, taken with the earlier attempt to humiliate Ukraine’s president, demonstrates that the country is now run by a man so steeped in discredited online conspiracy theories, so uncritical in his thinking, so poor in his grasp of global affairs, so careless in his exercise of power, that it is incredible that he is one of the most powerful figures in the world today. Such a figure’s power heralds instability and even danger for the world. The ambush was, therefore not just spectacle. It is illumination. It underlines and emphasizes that Trump’s US is a fact-free, science-free, reality-television production lot whose leader daily defies court orders, alienates supporters of democracy, and tries to dismantle key practices such as the right to due process. It is an ugly place in which facts mean nothing and lies reign supreme.

The global bonds sell-off accelerates after the vote for Trump tax cuts stoked investor fears about the country’s fiscal deficit. Yields on US treasuries reach their highest since 2023 as investors across the world demand a premium to take the risk of holding long-term debt. The Republican-controlled house narrowly passed the sweeping tax and spending bill that will saddle the ­country with about $3.8 trillion more on top of the US’s existing $36 trillion debt pile over the next decade.

Quotes of the Day

• President Trump is hosting his [corruption dinner] on his personal time. It’s absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency: The White House Press Secretary. Who really does do a good job of appearing to believe this crap.

The Way of the World

A Galician teacher has tried to pass off a chin lift as sick leave. She said the excess fat in her neck made her feel anxious and distressed. The insurance company refused to pay her temporary disability benefits because the operation was performed in a private hospital and she had no pre-existing illness.

Spanish

• Un mal bicho nunca muere: Only the good die young??

English

• Reify: To make something (more) realistic.

You Have to Laugh

• There’s no place for hatred in Donald Trump’s America: The White House Press Secretary
• I hate Taylor Swift: Donald Trump.

Finally . . .

Kindle versions of books occasionally have misprints. In The Pillow Book, for example, the computer often turns the letter I into the number 1. But I was surprised to come across Anyming, for Anything in The Waste Land.

Finally, Finally . . .

Some more of The Pillow Book:-

SERVANTS

• Once I wrote down in my notebook a poem that had greatly appealed to me. Unfortunately one of the maids saw it and recited the lines clumsily. It really is awful when someone rattles off a poem without any proper feeling.
• If a servant girl says about someone, “What a delightful gentleman he is!” one immediately looks down on him, whereas if she insulted the person in question it would have the opposite effect.
• Praise from a servant can also damage a woman’s reputation. Besides, people of that class always manage to express them selves badly when they are trying to say something nice.

DISAGREEABLE MEN

• I cannot bear men to eat when they come to visit ladies-in waiting in the Palace.
• I also object to women who offer food to their male guests. Sometimes these women become quite insistent and say they will do nothing until the man has eaten. In such cases he is bound to give in; after all, he cannot very well put his hand in front of his mouth or turn his head the other way with a look of disgust.
• For my part, even if a man arrived very late and very drunk, I should never offer him so much as a bowl of watered rice. If he thinks I am heartless and decides not to repeat his visit – well then, let him stay away!
• Of course, if I am at home and one of the maids brings my visitor something from the kitchen, there is nothing I can do about it. Yet I find this just as disagreeable.

DISAGREEABLE WOMEN

• I cannot stand a woman who wears sleeves of unequal width. If she has several layers of robes, the added weight on one side makes her entire costume lop-sided and most inelegant; if she is dressed in thick wadded clothes, the uneven balance prevents them from closing properly in front, and this too is very unsightly. When a woman wears a robe with sleeves of different width, all her robes must be cut in the same style. The smartest robes, after all, are those with evenly matched sleeves that people have worn since ancient times.
• I don’t mind if both the sleeves are very wide, but such robes are rather awkward for Court ladies in ceremonial dress.
• The fashion of unequal sleeves is just as unattractive for men as for women, since it produces the same lop-sided effect. Yet nowadays everyone seems to have his clothes cut like this, whether he is wearing a fine ceremonial robe or a light summer garment.
• Fashionable, good looking people really dress in a most inconvenient way.

ILLNESSES

• Chest trouble.
• Illnesses caused by evil spirits.
• Beriberi.
• Illnesses that cannot be properly identified yet that make people lose all their appetite
• Once I saw a girl of about eighteen with magnificent hair that hung in thick tresses all the way to her feet; she was nicely plump and had splendid white skin. Apart from her charming features, she was obviously of good breeding. At the moment she was suffering from a very bad toothache.

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The Usual Links . . .

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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.

This post of mine contains several relevant articles from ThinkSpain.

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.