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

Mark Stücklin of Spanish Property Insight tells us here where major Spanish cities ranked in a global cost-of-living report.

The most common male and female baby names in Spain last year:-

• Gael
• Martin
• Enzo
• Hugo

• Noa
• Olivia
• Valeria
• Martina

Mateo and Sofia are said to be coming up on the rails.

Possibly a few singers and TV stars represented there.

Cousas de Galicia

There are 4 roads which go north from Pv city to Santiago de Compostela. One is the AP-9 autopista, one is the N550, one is the road from O Burgo bridge up through the barrio of Lérez (which soon joins with the N550) and the final one is the oldest – a narrow lane which, 2,000 years ago, was the Roman Via XIX. This was the only road in the Middle Ages so naturally became what it still is – the Camino Portugués de Santiago. This also starts at the O Burgo bridge and – as Rúa da Santiña – runs a little to the west of both the road up through Lérez and the N550. I mention all this just to endorse my point that road (and other) works in Spain seem to take longer that they do elsewhere, mainly because there are long ‘fallow’ periods. For, there was a letter in today’s Diario de Pv complaining that the works there have closed off the road to all the residents for over a year. But not to the entrance to the underground carpark of the Mercadona supermarket. Why, asked the writer, have shoppers such as me and the owner of Mercadona be more important than the residents of the street. Which is a good question, of course.

BTW . . . Tradition/myth has it that the Apostle St James(Santiago) stopped in the street and miraculously made corn and grapes grow in the garden of a house in which he’d stayed. It’s nonsense, of course. But it is a fact that there used to be a chapel in the street – La Capilla de Santiaguiño – dedicated to pilgrims.

This was demolished in the 80s and replaced by a new church 200 metres away at the side of the Pontevedra FC ground. As you can see, this incorporated parts of the old chapel.

Which reminds me . . . A common sight in Pv city these days . . . More Caminers in one spot than we saw during an entire day 15 years ago . .

Iran

It’s reported that intercepted phone calls in Iran suggest that the US strikes were ‘less devastating than expected’. So, was Trump knowingly lying? Or does he he just not listen to anything he doesn’t want to hear. His own (bizarre) mind being his reality.

Need I add that the White House Press Secretary – who, despite her title, seems to know nothing about how a free press operates – has said: It’s shameful that the Washington Post is helping people commit felonies by publishing out-of-context leaks.

The USA

The BBB might well be in trouble, because of a few courageous Republican rebels. Trump – naturally – went off at the deep end in the middle of the night.

The slippery slope . . . The latest Trump threat: If the Democrat nominee [Zohran Mamdani] becomes NY mayor, I will deny federal funds to that city.

Trump’s alleged cognitive decline is said to be on display here.

Quotes of the Day

• Malignant narcissists always start wars.
• Donald Trump doesn’t make false promises: Attorney General, Pam Bondi. [Who might well make a more evil president than Trump in due course. Certainly seems to be going for this.]

Spanish

• Punta: Striker (in football)
• Pundonor: Honour. Decorum.
• Amilanar: To daunt, unnerve, intimidate.
• Chorrito: Trickle.
• Rebasar: Exceed, pass, go beyond.

Did You Know?

I read the other day that professional football players – or at least the important ones – can choose their own number. Which possibly explains why Maradona, Ronaldinho and Messi all bore a number 10 on their backs. And might explain why this morning I saw a PSG player with 87 on his.

Finally . . .

My younger daughter loves Liverpool’s Catholic cathedral. I, on the other hand, share this view. Incidentally, this was the magnificent cathedral originally planned, designed by Edwin Lutyens. There’s a superb large-scale model of it in the The Museum of Liverpool.

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.