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 problems caused by overtourism on Ibiza, where illegal lets abound.

On this theme . . . Malaga council continues to issue tourist flat permits despite the housing backlash. One wonders why.

Would you believe? . . . Airbnb blames hotels for mass tourism, using statistics that might well be ‘damn lies’.

A feature of Spanish life that might be dying out, along with others. Some good, some bad.

Would Spain really be happy with this?

By Jove. A brave soul . . ‘Don’t eat after 7pm’, says this Spanish nutritionist. Possibly not the first but probably the prettiest.

A weekend treat . . . Noemi offers here a quick and easy tapa recipe – for bombas de la barceloneta – which I will never make but you might . . .

Cousas de Galicia

Prices for holiday flats on La Toxa and in Sanxenxo are in the top 5 in Spain. Not guiris this time but fodechincos. Fishfuckers/botherers. From Madrid.

Another reason to dislike Caminers . . . I went down to town at 8 last night, an hour or so later than I normally would. At one of my regular haunts – a 3-star hotel’s terraza – the friendly waiter told me that all the tables were reserved for dinner guests. All of whom, I knew, would be the wealthier Caminers. But, since it was me, he added, I could occupy a table for a while – “20 to 30 minutes or so”. Needless to say, I stayed 45, finished my drink and then moved to continue reading my book under the setting sun in the main square. This, by the way, is the article I cited the other day about just how many older and richer Caminers are flooding into Pv city these days. Curse them!

Here are bits of that article, confirming that the Camino is not remotely what it was only 5 years ago: Much of the growth is due to specialist travel agencies. “Most pilgrims” they say “don’t come alone” but are ‘moved’ by these companies, “who are responsible for making the Camino work.” . . . There’s been “significant growth in ‘premium standard’ clientele. These want convenience and to discover places off the Camino. Or even to see the stars on the islands or beaches. Foreigners are increasingly more likely to pay to receive good service. “Many travel 10,000 to 20,000km to get here and prefer to hire a company to organize their trip. . . The lowest package rate is around €750 euros for the journey on foot but it reaches €1,620 for cycling the 282km between Porto and Santiago.

With our temperature forecast to again hit 38 on Tuesday, this might come in useful for visiting foreigners. God forbid that any one should die on the Camino!

Israel v. Iran

A war of total destruction, says Richard North here.

There are rumours that the Iran’s Supreme Leader has fled to Moscow. Possibly to the same luxury flat block as the ex Syrian president/tyrant. I’m sure both can afford the rampant inflation there.

Trumpworld/LA LA Land

I’m dialling down my citations. I’m sure you all access the same sources as I do and are well aware of the dangerous developments in the USA. Which could well end in serious conflict.

Just this for today . . In California, Trump finds his perfect antagonist. So, is the governor playing into Trump’s hands?

OK, and this: Gathering storm-clouds couldn’t wipe the smile from Trump’s face, as his long-held dream of military parade was realised. In scenes that could have been set in Moscow, families queued to sit in helicopters, while tanks and robot dogs paraded Constitution Avenue.

Quote of the Day

• Putin’s slight, sly smile – sunlight reflected on a coffin lid.
• Donald Trump doesn’t like the fact that nobody in California gives a shit about him.

Spanish

• Los albores: Dawn. Early. The beginning.
• Pudiente: Wealthy.
• Magín: Imagination, fancy.
• Mogollón: Lots/loads of.
• Pisotón: Stomp, stamp, trample.
• Baba: Slime. Drool.

English

I’ve re-discovered P G Woodhouse’s Bertie Wooster and Jeeves and have been amused and amazed at the number of (upper-class slang?) words from the 1920s I’ve had to guess the meaning of. Here’s just a few. I intend to make a compendium, putting them into various categories

• Scaliest: Worst.
• The botts: Some sort of medical condition.
• To slosh: To hit.
• Woofle: A sound made by a dog denied a treat.

Did You Know?

I’m not clear what it is but it seems that the failure of the Club World Club in the USA – Trump: “I brought it here” – could end up a huge embarrassment for FIFA and its unlikeable president. Interest has been next to none in this inflated, 32-team Infantino vanity project that was imposed upon the USA ahead of next year’s World Cup. Empty seats, exhausted players, excess heat – the competition is floundering on a wave of indifference. The opening game came and went with a low-key whimper. There was dynamic pricing for the tickets but predictably there was not enough dynamic football. [The result was the worst possible: 0-0.]

Finally . . .

I’ve done my fair share of ‘gardening’ over the decades, though mainly of the leaf-burning and slash-and-burn variety. But now I’m growing plants and a bit of veg. And, as every true gardener knows, there’s a real pleasure in watching things sprout and grow. I’ll be knitting next.

Cue the annual foto:-

BTW . . . The ladder featured at the top of the steps is the one I fell from, over the hedge onto my neighbour’s patio, 3 metres below. Nearly breaking my neck . . . But nice that my – now huge – palm tree is reflected in the window. Twice, somehow.

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.