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/Cousas de Galiza

The rise of Vox — the voice of Spain’s anti-immigration right. A quarter of young people will vote for Vox in the next election. The party’s leader issued a rallying cry to fight ‘woke ideology’ and an ‘Islamist invasion’

Spain’s housing shortfall is said to be worse than thought. Not, 600,000 but 700,000. One of the (several) factors behind supply shortages cited is that of skilled labour. Young folk are not entering the industry to replace the retirees. Very different from the years of the phony boom ‘ 2002-2007 – when many kids were deserting school at 15 to make a fortune in the sector.

The continuing trials of the PM and his family . . .

It seems that clients are not the only folk unhappy with Booking.com these days. In Spain, at least.

THE USA

Unsurprising flash backs . . .

During Trump’s first term . . .

An unsurprising response to the return of Jimmy Farrell . . . You might have to enlarge this.

Is that clear evidence of insanity?

And is there evidence of rank incompetence here?

Quote of the Day

Only Trump would prove he didn’t threaten ABC by threatening ABC

Russia v Ukraine

Lots of clever folk are trying to divine the the meaning of a “stunning turnaround” by Trump. Having famously told Zelensky that he had no choice to cede territory, he’s just told him he can win back all the lost territory. This comes after staking so much of his own reputation to bring Putin to Alaska for talks and putting himself at the heart of negotiations and learning a difficult lesson: ending a war is hard. It sounds as if he may have had enough. The cynical view is that Trump is distancing himself from the war, and washing his hands of the conflict, leaving to others the burden of fighting and ending the war. Which certainly seems to be Moscow’s interpretation: ¨Trump has sent Ukraine and Europe to fight against Russia, with weapons they buy from the USA¨. . . . . Trump’s statement is seen as so optimistic and so wildly optimistic a objective. And so extravagant as to be wholly unrealistic . . . He is suspected of setting up Europe to fail, so that he can distance himself from that failure and dump the blame on the Europeans. Although Europe has the collective power, the question is whether it can summon the will. Trump might well have manoeuvred himself into a win-win position.

A dirty game, politics.

Russia

More carelessness near an open window?

The Way of the World

The origin of the treadmill in your gym.

Spanish

• Hojas de laurel: Bay leaves
• Trata: Human trafficking
• Gueto: Ghetto
• Congestión: Backlog

Did you know?

This is called a mackerel sky in English, but not in Spanish

Perhaps I should have known this . . . Gestapo is short for Secret State Police – Geheime Staatspolizei. Against whom one could take no legal action.

Finally . . .

Pv city. . . . Some more things that have increased, before I get to the decreases . .

• Caminoers (How could I have missed them yesterday?)
• Spanish tourists, fleeing the heat of Madrid and the South
• Second-hand shops (‘Vintage’)
• Antique shops
• South Americans and other immigrants
• English speakers
• English learning schools (‘academies’)
• Drug addicts
• Nail bars
• Cosmetic beauty shops
• Massage places
• Pisos de relax (temporary small brothels in flats)
• Artisan bread bakeries
• Cake shops (Pastelerias)
• Ice cream shops
• Sweet/candy shops
• Private albergues
• Lower star hotels
• Vending machines
• Botox suppliers
• Inditex/Zara outlets
• IT shops
• Supermarkets
• Hypermarkets
• Food delivery companies and their employees on bikes and scooters
• Jewellery shops
• The practice of specified ‘turns’ in restaurants – usually 1.5 hours
• Huge TV screens – ostensibly for traffic advice but usually for (distracting ads)
• The replacement modern museum and art gallery
• Wider pavements/sidewalks
• Pedestrian crossings
• ‘Love’ hotels. Up from nil to 1 . .

The pattern I can discern is increasing wealth in a very bourgeois city full of well paid civil servants, working and retired.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

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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.