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

Some ‘heretical’ nuns are having their day in court. Having been called to the bars . . . [Lawyers’ joke]

Talking of religion . . . María writes here on the plight of women not so long ago, in Franco’s Catholic Spain. Quite hard to believe of Europe in the 20th century.

That bullish plan might not be fulfilled . . . The Spanish certainly love bulls, grazing in boulder-strewn fields in high Castile or killed in sandy arenas in a ritual reported not in the Sports pages but under Culture. But I bet they’ll fail to build their bull in the clouds.

An obstructive flock of birds leads to an an impressive manoeuvre . . .

Cousas de Galiza

This is a chap I see most days:-

He walks from one of the gypsy settlements near me into town and back again, taking the same route as me. He always has a little satchel, which weighs rather less on his return than on his outward journey. One can only guess at what’s in it.

Talking of expensive things . . . the new-to-Galicia carneiro clam that I mentioned the other day is now selling at €100 a kilo. Fashionable, whatever it actually tastes like.

The UK

A storm is gathering: There has been much talk recently of Britain being a ‘tinderbox’. I don’t think that is the case. Not yet, at any rate. But I fear that it will take a single sudden turn of events or flashpoint – perhaps a recession or, God forbid, another terror attack – for it to become one. These are indeed troubling times: Columnist Paul Emberry.

Europe

News on that much-delayed EU digital visa – It’s going to cost an awful lot more. . . . The proposed fee has been almost tripled, from €7 to €20 for travelers from visa-exempt countries such as the USA the UK, Canada, and Japan. This will take effect when ETIAS becomes operational, expected to be in the last quarter of 2026. BUT: Exemptions remain for minors, seniors, and certain close relatives of EU citizens. See below on these.

THE MAGA REALITY TV SHOW

Trumpisms

I broke with Epstein because he stole my spa employees. [Apparently relaxed about the sex with under-age girls, though.]

Can anyone doubt that Trump will do a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell to save his neck? This is possibly the latest on this incredible saga: Maxwell tells Trump: Free me and I’ll tell all to Congress. The Jeffrey Epstein associate and convicted sex trafficker says she will testify if the president releases her from jail.

It’s almost possible to admire Trump for his ability to brazen things out. Though one hopes his confidence in his MAGA base is misplaced.

Quotes of the Day

Extracts from the book Why Tyrants Fall, which seem rather apposite:-

• 69% of tyrants are thrown into jail, forced to live their life abroad or killed. The odds for a tranquil retirement are worse than the flip of a coin.
• When most people think of tyrants, they conjure images of a man (and it is almost always a man) who wields absolute power. That is a myth. No political leader has ever had absolute power. Even the most powerful dictators need others in order to stay in power. To remain on their pedestal, they need to manage those closest to them. If they don’t, they are at immediate risk.
• At first glance, tyrants seem insane. And evidently, these aren’t normal people. They’re often narcissists; sometimes psychopathic; and almost always ruthless. But the surprising truth is that most of them are also rational. They haven’t lost their minds. Instead, given the system in which they operate and the information they have, strategies to torture, kill and let the masses starve while they collect riches in the presidential palace are rational. It’s a way to survive. [And prosper, of course]
• Whether it happens suddenly by means of a coup d’état or gradually through the dismantling of core institutions, some democracies will die. 
• Unlike democracies, tyrannical political systems are designed to revolve around a single individual or a small group of elites. That might work for them, for a time, but such systems such are not resilient. When a shock comes and the system is challenged, the consequences can be devastating, leading to conflict, starvation or war.

The Way of the World

Goodbye to the internet as we’ve known it .. . . We are witnessing the death of the free internet and the birth of a new digital dictatorship. 

Spanish

• Mantel: Tablecloth
• María: One of the nicknames for hashish.
• Especiaría: The Spice Islands, which the Spanish took from the Portuguese but handed back under the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, under which the Spanish conned Portugal into having only Brazil in the American continent.
• Un lleno total: A sellout, full house.

You Have to Laugh

The forenames of the 11 children of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Russell of Vinton, Ohio, 1972:

• Noel Leon
• Novel Levon
• Norwood Doowron
• Nerol Loren
• Leron Norel
• Noble Elbon
• Lledo Odell
• Laur Rual
• Loneva Avenol
• Lebanna Annabel
• Leah Hael

Said one of them. “Mother would take names from the Bible and other books and compare them until they came out that way.”

Finally . . .

A sad horticultural note . . . . I’ve discovered that I’ve been doing exactly the wrong thing in respect of my lawns for 25 years. In a misguided attempt to keep down the prickly vertical seed stems of the gramòn(buffalo) grass, I’ve kept the cutting height at 20mm. It turns out that this not only weakens the grass but encourages the bloody seed stems, as the grass responds to threats. No wonder my lawns have never looked good. I’m now mowing at 50mm but expect it to take a year or three before results show. And a lot more rain than we’ve had in the last – unusual – month.

ETIAS fee exemtions

Spouses, including same-sex spouses.

Registered partners, if the partnership is legally recognized as equivalent to marriage.

Direct descendants (children) who are under 21 years old, or who are dependants; this includes children of the spouse or registered partner.

Dependent direct relatives in the ascending line (parents or grandparents), as well as those of the spouse or registered partner. To qualify for this exemption, the family member:

• Must be a relative of an EU citizen
• Must not need a visa to enter the Schengen Area
• Must not already hold a residence card or permit for the EU country in question
• Must be travelling to or residing in a country different from that of their EU family member’s nationality.

Documentation proving the family relationship will typically be required at the border or upon entry. [Like, what??]

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.