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.

The USA

An entertainingly weird country just got even weirder . . . Trump is now now selling an orange T-shirt featuring his proud new nickname, Daddy . . .

A difference of opinion re Pete Hesgeth’s latest theatrical performance masquerading as a press conference:

• Trump: One of the greatest, most professional, and most “confirming News Conferences I have ever seen!
• Others: An intemperate rant. . . . This had only one objective – pleasing his audience of one.

It appears that, for telling the truth, the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has been demoted and sidelined. So, wasn’t allowed to attend yesterday’s security briefing to Senators. Can’t be long in the job now.

Did you know that Melania – whom Trump met as a ‘model’* in a NY night club – was allowed into the USA in 2001 on an EB-1 visa, the so-called Einstein visa – intended for immigrants who have demonstrated “extraordinary ability” and sustained national or international acclaim in their field. Evidence of which there appears to be none. Her presence at the club possibly reflected the wise parental advice: Go where the money is. Especially with her obvious physical assets. But would she do it again?

*Melania, not Trump.

Quotes of the Day

• If there’s one family that hasn’t profited off politics, it’s the Trump family: The chip off the old mendacious block, Eric Trump. Who is reputedly so stupid he might actually believe that.
• Trump is certainly not an isolationist. Given all the abstract nouns that fit Trump well — jingoism, unilateralism, anti-Europeanism — it is a wonder that isolationism ever saw daylight. It is not even clear that he opposed the Iraq war as a private citizen in 2003.
• If the experience of the Third Reich teaches us anything, it is that a love of great music, great art and great literature does not provide people with any kind of moral or political immunization against violence, atrocity, or subservience to dictatorship: From “The Coming of the Third Reich: How the Nazis Destroyed Democracy and Seized Power in Germany”.
• The twentieth century became an age of totalitarianism, culminating in the attempt of Hitler and Stalin to establish a new kind of political order based on total police control, terror, and the ruthless suppression and murder of real or imagined opponents in their millions on the one hand, and continual mass mobilization and enthusiasm whipped up by sophisticated propaganda methods on the other: Ibid. [Sound a tad familiar?]

Cosas de España

The estimable Lenox Napier x 2.. . .

• NATO: Lennox asks if Spain could go with a lower % contribution than other EU states.
• Speaking other languages.

On the former subject, the right-of-centre The Corner says that the PM signs one thing, says another, and drives everyone crazy.

The world’s deepest underwater canyon is in nearby Asturias.

Largely because of its very Left-wing coalition partners, the already socialist Spanish government likes to be in the moral vanguard. So, it’s not very surprising that it’s the first in the world to ban petrol advertising.

Cousas de Galicia

A resident of Pv city, fed up of being limited to 15 minutes of parking in his street, painted the yellow lines white. Not terribly well, it seems:-

Anyway, he was caught and fined, though less than for a traffic offence. But he did also have to pay almost €300 to have the line repainted yellow

This is said to be the tattoo every Caminer is getting these days.

No idea why. Other than fashion/sheep-like behaviour.

Germany

The German slang term for ‘sodomite’ is Florenzer. This is derived from the reputation of 15th century Florence for a high level of this practice.

Russia v. Ukraine

The FT on Trump’s change of tune. Whether this is significant is anyone’s guess.

Spanish

• Inapelable: Unquestionable.
• Batuta: Baton.
• Arrasar: To raze, wipe out, etc. To sweep the field.

Did You Know?

Pope Innocent 8 (1482-1494) didn’t exactly live up to his name. He had 7 children and, in return for a large ‘loan’, made a 13 year old nephew of the lender a cardinal.

You have to Laugh

Spain has some strange proverbs but maybe nothing to match Bulgaria’s.

Finally . . .

A brick expert tells me that the Clayton brick found in my garden was made between 1860 and 1900. It’s now a door-stop. And conversation piece.

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.
• What to do if your visa application is rejected
• Finally, from a tax lawyer: Everything you need to know about taxes and healthcare when retiring to Spain.