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

Problems with the new holiday rental register.

More on buying property off plan

The car that motorised Spain 68 years ago: The Fiat/Seat 600:-

Cousas de Galicia

Odds and sods . . .

• This is a sign which I’m sure will be – as they say – honoured more in the breach than in the observance:

• This is the latest state of works that have been going on for some months now.

I pass these 4 times a day and I have seen people working on them some days. I assume the residents severely affected by them are very irritated. Or very resigned to the situation.

• Food prices have risen by 36% in Pv city over the last 3 years. With some items rising far more than that.
• Because of the AP9 tolls and petrol costs, getting to Vigo from Pv city is 3 times more expensive by car than by bus or train. Which is why sometimes the latter are full.
• The police last month caught 36 drivers in Pv province without a licence. And insurance and a technical certificate, of course.
• The person who died in the gypsy clans clash of earlier this week was run over by 2 separate cars, presumably deliberately.
• There will be a Feira Non-Stock in a local town this weekend. I have no idea what this is.
• There were 4 bullfights in Pv city back in 2000, during our big August Fiesta fortnight. But this reduced to 2, for one reason or another. But next month there will be 3, to commemorate the 125th anniversary of our bullring.
• Applications to study medicine in Galicia are 10 times the number of places available. Something very wrong there, given the shortage of doctors.
• Judges and public prosecutors are currently on strike in Galicia. This is said to have paralysed the already painfully slow judicial processes.

MAGALand

Trumpisms

From his rambling, mess of a July 4 address to his afeared fawning sycophants:-

• There will be no tax on social security. [Not even mentioned in the BBB.]
• The BBB is the single, most popular bill ever signed in the history of our country.
• Coal is clean and beautiful.
• The mainstream media says the BBB is going to cause everyone to die.
• Everything negative the Democrats say is a con job.
• America is winning, winning, winning like never before.
• We are going to make sure that elections are fair. [Quite the opposite, one suspects]

The Way of the World

As I’ve been known to say – being familiar with the Koran – the history of slavery in the Muslim world tends to get overlooked. Some blame for this is attributed to western parochialism and timidity. Here’s a correction to this.

Spanish

• Cazo: Saucepan, bucket, pot, pan, scoop.
• Cinicismo elevado al cazo: [I have no idea . . .]
• Plata: silver.
• Hablando en plata: Speaking bluntly. Not to put too fine a point on it.

Finally . . . Did You Know?

Hitler’s appalling book – Mein Kampf – was written – in a comfortable jail cell – 100 years ago. Here’s why it still haunts us.

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.
• Buying a property ‘off-plan’.
• 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.