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

Although this year’s tourist numbers are a record, growth of the sector has slowed down significantly and it’s reported that tourism is no longer the main driver of the economy. Weaker spending from Europeans and Americans have lead to a lower contribution to this.

Oh, dear . . One in five Spaniards believe the Franco era was either ‘good or very good’. Worse . . . The view is equally shared among young adults aged 18 to 24.The reason? Gaps in education about the era, combined with economic frustration and political polarisation have bred historical amnesia among younger generations. In theory, schools are legally obliged to teach the realities of repression, censorship and executions under Franco but implementation remains uneven across regions. So, for example, kids remain ignorant of the Años del Hambre, when there wasa devastating famine and economic collapse, lasting from 1939 to 1952. During which period, 200,000-600,000 Spaniards died from hunger or related diseases as a result of Franco’s policies of economic autarky, international isolation, and political repression. The government denied the existence of famine, while its propaganda glorified discipline and sacrifice, silencing stories of suffering and suppressing dissent.​ The black market (“estraperlo”) thrived, favouring the wealthy, while the poor resorted to desperate survival tactics such as foraging, theft, or prostitution.​ Things only began to improve for the less-than-rich in the late 1950s, when Franco stopped preventing the growth of the tourism industry. Relevant articles here and here.

As we know. Trump either doesn’t understand how tariffs operate or he does and just lies about their impact on the US and global economies. But he is right that they can be used as a (very blunt) weapon by a powerful US government against countries it doesn’t like. For defence expenditure reasons, Spain is currently one of these. Hence this threat. Needless to say, it’s a lie that all other NATO members have reached 5% of GDP. In fact, none of them have, as it’s a goal. The US figure is currently 3.4%. Lenox Napier writes on this issue here.

Cousas de Galiza

Plans for AVE high-speed train lines include: 1. A real one from Ourense to Santiago de C and La Coruña, 2. A spur from this down to Pontevedra and Vigo, and 3. A line from the latter city down to Oporto. Which will make its facility even more attractive for international flights. Unless Galicia gets its act together and rationalises its 3 facilities down to one in SdC. Which is highly unlikely.

Meanwhile, SdC has lost 30% of its winter flights after Ryanair’s retrenchment.

ALICE IN MAGAWORLD

The madman addresses his billionaire cronies and begs for/demands cash contributions for his Louis XIV Versailles-style ballroom. He also rambles on about other kitsch ‘improvements’ to the White House and boasts of the damage being inflicted on people he doesn’t like, while handing out a staggering 40 billion dollars to Argentina because he likes Milei. And presumably because he’ll make money from it somehow. The latest parallel with Hitler . . . A triumphal arch.

Trump has proved beyond doubt he doesn’t care about Middle East peace . . Time Magazine’s front cover this week ran with the headline ‘His Triumph’, alongside a low-angled photograph of Trump – the reader cast in a worshipper-like position looking up, his face lifted towards the heavens, bathed in blinding light that radiates behind him like a halo. There is quite literally no way anyone could mistake this for anything other than a flattering cover, a PR win. Except, of course, for the President himself.

Quotes of the Day

• Dmitry Medvedev, ex president of Russia: Releasing Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners is a good thing, of course, but it will not solve anything. Until a fully-fledged Palestinian state is established in line with UN resolutions, nothing will change. The war will continue. Everyone understands this.
• A political commentator: The difference between a peace process and a publicity stunt is what comes next, and right now, I can’t see that there’s anything next. The Gaza ceasefire may hold for now, and every day it does is a gift. But the man claiming credit for it has already shown he’s more interested in the headlines than the hard work. Peace built on ego is no peace at all.
• Another political commentator, talking about the appalling speech given by Stephen Miller at the funeral event for Charlie kirk: It probably sounded better in the original German.

Russia

Putin suffers a real setback, though not in Ukraine.

Spanish

• Chistorra: Type of sausage, from Navarra. ‘Similar to chorizo but thinner’.
• Vitalicio: Life-long, for life.
• Ludópata: Gambler. Compulsive gambler.
• Mid season: Guess. Apparently the superb weather this autumn has devastated the plans of local clothes retailers. This season hasn’t happened this year and they’ll have to go straight into winter wear whenever the weather breaks.

English

• Algamp: Algorithm amplification, to ensure clicks and re-posts. You heard it here first here.

Did you know?

Just in case you’re tempted to go to see this movie . . . This is the 1954 version cited.

You Have to Laugh

I heard a short quiz based on an IMDB list of typecast actors. Here’s what a search threw up. See if you can identify the folk described. I couldn’t. Answers below.

• 1. Stubborn, sarcastic, extremely emotional. Goes for guys who are the polar opposite of her.
• 2. Either sickly sweet, innocent, or girl-next-door. Emotional, sings in her films, chooses guys that are older than her or the polar opposite of her character.
• 3. Stubborn, crazy, split persona in all his characters.
• 4. See No 3. But not as good as.
• 5. Either a Brit, an American or an Australian. Plays unique characters. Either charismatic, or a bad ass. Either serious, or light hearted.
• 6. A very typecast actress. Emotional, stubborn, childlike. Has starred in a lot of rom-coms
• 7. Always plays the same damsel by striking a pout.
• 8. Always mumbles; that is her typecast persona.
• 9. Typecast for his whacky facial expressions, his voice-overs and his over-the-top behaviour.
• 10. You could say she is the new Meg Ryan .

1. Meg Ryan 2. Mandy Moore 3. Ben Stiller 4. Adam Sandler 5. Hugh Jackman 6. Sandra Bullock 7. Angelina Jolie 8. Katherine Heigel[?] 9. Jim Carrey 10. Reese Witherspoon

Finally . . .

I wonder if other single men get as many FB friend suggestions involving ‘New to FB’ young Cuban women as I do. And then there are the very attractive young women who ‘follow’ me on X. It’s quite hard to believe that they really do. BTW: I’ve just realised that I don’t get offered Thai or Russian women as FB friends. But perhaps I will now . . .

Finally, finally . . . .

This plant – actually a (pretty, pink-flowered) weed I got from the street – is also clearly confused by the weather. It’s growing like mad. As planned, to keep away other weeds.

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 . . .

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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.