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

I think it’s fair to say that The Corner is sceptical here of the PM’s claimed innocence as regards the corruption of his 3 lieutenants . . .

I rather sympathised with said PM when he insisted that he couldn’t believe that his lieutenant had looked him in the face and lied barefacedly. That’s exactly I felt about the Peruvian who tiler did the same to me 2 weeks ago – twice – before disappearing with the deposit.

As I’ve said, some folk in Spain are suffering far more than I am from the relentless increase in tourism where they live. No comparison, really.

Hmm . . . Goodbye to Old Madrid: The Spanish capital welcomes the global super-rich. And I was already unhappy about Pv city developments.

Cousas de Galicia

With local and visiting friends, I had an excellent lunch in Pv city’s old quarter today. But at 38 euros a head (plus Spanish level tip), we must be getting close to levels even North Americans will find ‘not cheap’. That said, the restaurant is now said to be ‘on the Michelin waiting list’. Meaning that it’s good enough to be in the Guide but not yet good enough to merit a star.

Iran v. Israel

A relevant podcast. What will Israel do next??

The USA

After a heavy lunch, I’m still trying to digest the news that it’s claimed that the November election results were ingeniously fiddled in favour of Trump. See here, in rather bewildering detail. I’ve just run a check on US media and this, to say the least, is not headline news at the moment, though Newsweek had an article on it back in January.

As of today, who will be surprised that Trump is scrambling to claim credit for Israel’s Iran attack that he publicly opposed?

Here’s Jimmy Kimmel on Trump’s military/birthday extravaganza. Or Farty Gras as he calls it.

The Way of the World

María issues a warning here.

Did You Know

Jahiliyya, meaning “Age of Ignorance,” refers to the period in pre-Islamic Arabia before the advent of Islam, characterized by a society lacking religious knowledge and moral values as defined by Islamic teachings. It is often depicted as a time of polytheism, idol worship, tribalism, social injustice, and practices like female infanticide and widespread immorality. Politically, Arabia was fragmented into tribes with no central government, leading to frequent conflicts and lawlessness. The term is used in the Qur’an and Islamic tradition to contrast the ignorance and moral corruption of that era with the guidance brought by Prophet Muhammad. Some modern Islamic thinkers have extended the concept to critique contemporary societies they see as similarly ignorant or un-Islamic. And so are worthy of destruction.

Spanish

Atorrante: Bum, drifter, tramp. [From the name of the company – A Torrant & Co. – who used to make very large drainage pipes, used by the homeless.]

Finally . . .

The history of sangria from the estimable Mac75 . .

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.
• 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.
• A comparison of UK and Spanish living costs.
• And here’s a personal guide to moving to Spain – to work, not to retire.
• Finally, from a tax lawyer: Everything you need to know about taxes and healthcare when retiring to Spain.