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

Shocking new figures have shone a light on Spain’s cost-of-living crisis with over one-in-three Spaniards admitting they can’t afford to go on holiday. According to data published by the National Statistics Institute, 33% of Spaniards say they don’t make enough to go on a week-long sojourn once a year. This despite the best GDP growth in the EU.

When Location Becomes a Luxury Tax: The pattern across Spain is remarkably consistent: proximity to famous attractions, tourist zones, or international visitors automatically triggers premium pricing that locals simply sidestep through local knowledge. Spanish cities have essentially developed two parallel economies—one for residents who know where to find authentic experiences at fair prices, and another for tourists willing to pay extra for convenience and location. Understanding this dual pricing system isn’t about avoiding Spain’s incredible attractions, but rather knowing when you’re paying a ‘convenience tax’ for being in the right place at the right time with the wrong passport.

The government has proposed the declassification Franco-era files. If approved by parliament, the proposed law could shed light on some of Spain’s darkest chapters, including Franco’s ties to Adolf Hitler, the locations of mass graves where victims of his 1939-75 rule were buried, and details of the 1966 Palomares nuclear accident caused by the mid-air collision of two U.S. Air Force planes over a fishing village in southern Spain.

If you know little about this era, Netflix has a documentary – in German but with English subtitles – called ¨Franco: The Brutal Truth about Spain’s Dictator.¨ But, TBH, nothing new if you’ve read Preston and/or Beevor, who both feature a lot in it.

Cousas de Galiza

Galicia is reported to be the region with the largest growth in average wages in the last year. Increased tourism will be one factor but I really don’t know what the others might be.

On this side of the river, in Lérez, there’s great rejoicing that works in the Camino road I featured recently – Rúa Santiña – might be finished soon, after what seems like an eternity. Getting in and out of the Mercadona supermarket carpark should return to normal soon. And maybe the houses I feature from time to time – at the bottom of the road – will finally have their frontage finished. Though possibly not in July or August. One thing’s for sure – there’ll be far fewer confused Caminers at the Lérez end of O Burgo bridge.

Europe

The EU is preparing a €100bn no-deal plan to match Trump’s threat of 30% tariffs.

THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Trumpisms

• The Obama scandal is the greatest in American history [Taking over from the automatic pen scandal, then.]

How Trump is using MLK and Obama to distract from the Epstein files. The president’s supporters and opponents alike are calling for the full disclosure of information on Jeffrey Epstein, but Trump is trying to shift their agenda.

Quotes of the Day

• Trump has been attempting to inflame issues from the trivial to the bizarre.
• Larry Rosen, professor of psychology at California State University: Trump is a master at capitalising on our limited attentional resources. Three basic facts lie behind his success in using this technique to ride out crises: shorter attention spans, the low boredom threshold of Americans and his ability to talk to Americans at their level. Part of the problem is the rise of technology. Years ago the only way Trump was able to distract was maybe getting interviewed on TV or in a magazine, whereas now he’s got Truth Social, he’s got emails, text messages. I think Americans are still falling for it. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s true or not, so long as it distracts the discussion from what’s important to what’s not important.
• With psychopaths heading the government. it would be misleading to base any hopes on a return to sanity: The British ambassador to Germany in 1933

Spanish

• Espagat: The splits
• Cascote: Rubble, debris
• Baile de salón: Ballroom dncing

Did you know?

This is the irony emoji . . .

You Have to Laugh

Finally . . .

A view from the Right. And possibly even from the Centre . . .

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 or on Substack.

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.

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 or on Substack.

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.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.