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

This is a an editorial from El País today on tourist flats. It might – or might not – help with the challenge of understanding what’s going on locally and centrally. The last sentence is surely right.

Since July 1, registration of tourist flats in the new single registry of short-term rentals has been mandatory. Spain launched it on January 2, but it was in a trial period for the first 6 months. Both flats rented to tourists, especially through digital platforms, and those rented seasonally for other uses must be registered in the registry. Data for the first 2 months in which registration has been mandatory, under threat of fines, show that the tool is working, particularly when compared to the first half of the year, when registration was voluntary. Between July and August, more than 34,500 vacation flats were rejected out of the nearly 69,000 that attempted it. The number of rejections is double that of the entire first half of the year. Spain has recently experienced clear tension between its largest industry and the high cost of housing. This tension has spilled onto the streets in the form of demonstrations in cities such as Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Malaga, Seville, Palma de Mallorca, and the main towns of the Canary Islands. The overcrowding of tourist flats is becoming unsustainable in certain areas. The latest data, from May, puts the number of tourist flats at almost 382,000. Although the figure has dropped from the peak reached in August 2024, 9 of the most in-demand municipalities broke their record for tourist flats in May. And this summer’s data is pending. The growth of the Airbnb model on a multitude of platforms and the proliferation of illegal listings have exacerbated the imbalance between the growing demand for rental flats and supply that cannot meet this. And it has made the market more expensive, a reality that hundreds of thousands of people, especially young people, suffer from. Strict regulations and even a ban on tourist accommodation in certain circumstances must be part of this debate. The new registry, which the hotel industry clearly supports, could be an effective tool. But faced with the problem that each region and city – in addition to national regulations – acts differently, a comprehensive strategy is necessary – one that must be as asymmetrical as the reality of tourism in different parts of Spain. The growth of the tourism industry* cannot come at the expense of citizens’ quality of life and their right to housing.

*Predicted to reach 16% of GDP, from 13% last year.

Cousas de Galiza

The general view of Pv city’s bar and restaurant owners was that yesterday’s raucous, all-day-and-night Feira Franca was bloody hard work but worth it. Not surprising, if they all got the 3 times normal takings cited by one owner. I wonder if the exhausted waiting staff were paid thrice the usual rate.

That Castelao sketch of yesterday . .

• María: The coffin has a nameplate that says “Lex.” It refers to the heaviness of oppressive laws once imposed upon much of the peasantry. Castelao was a political commentator with plenty of satirical wit.
• Paideleo: O que leva a muller na caixa é a ‘Lei’ e por iso di que pesa muito e que cheira mal.

Being an ex-lawyer who was forced to study Latin, I should probably have realised that. Though, in my defence, I didn’t know that lex is Gallego for ‘law’. cf. lei in Spanish.

THE USA and THEMAGA REALITY TV SHOW.

Some great cartoons here . . .

And South Park’s latest attack on Trump and Fox News. Who deserve each other.

Why the US has Kennedy as Secretary for Health.

Quotes of the Day

• So, everyone is a crook except you?: A Congressman to Kennedy, at his hearing.
• Whatever Trump has, I hope he’s getting treated by Kennedy.

Social Media

I can’t see the guardian being happy about this . . Europe’s most powerful conservative vows to tear up net zero rules. The veteran Brussels politician vows to wrest control of the EU legislative agenda from the Left.

Spanish

• Plantigrado: Plantigrade. ¨(Of a mammal) walking on the soles of the feet, like a human or a bear).¨
• Enconar: Fester. Inflame, anger.
• Temario: Agenda, syllabus curriculum.
• Capucha: Hood. Hoodie

English

Nice to hear an American politician using the expression In for a penny, in for a pound.

Did you know?

It’s reported that only 25% of Brits get 8 hours of sleep a night. That includes me, for whom 7 is a miracle. But maybe I have a solution. . . After a lot of white wine on Saturday night, I slept 7.5 hours, a record. [And – in the unlikely event that either of my daughters is reading this – yes, I did take a taxi home and could recall next morning where I’d left my car]

You Have to Laugh

From time to time, I get FB friend requests from people I don’t know. Unless there’s an obvious reason why not, I accept them. Today was either the acme or the nadir of this experience – a request from a dog. This one I felt I could ignore, unless/until its owner comes out of the long grass.

Finally . . .

The math(s) of Xmas . . .

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.

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.