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/Galiza

Spain’s Instituto Cervantes reports that the number of Spanish speakers around the world has now reached 636m. And that people learning Spanish as a foreign language is the fastest-growing group. Should this trend continue, it concludes, one in three people in non-Hispanic countries will soon be Spanish speakers. Countries with high numbers of learners are the USA, Brazil and the UK. But not next-door France. But, then, even learning English has never been a priority there, I suspect.

For native English speakers, Spanish is said to come 5th in the league table of the easiest languages to learn – after Danish, French, Italian, and Swedish. The hardest is Arabic, followed by Asian languages and then Persian.

Here’s Lenox Napier on his experiences of Franco’s regime 50 years ago.

A cultural difference in the Pilates class this morning. Well, 2. One small the other large:-

• As it was the birthday last week of one of the pupils, she had to buy the rest of us some bombones. I believe it’s the other way round in the UK. It certainly is in Venezuela, the teacher’s home country.
• The teacher, a male, is clearly permitted to manhandle us – gently – into the right posture, both males and females. But, this morning, he went much further than this, when the lady who talks incessantly had a minor breakdown and started to weep. Not only did he put his arm round her shoulder to console her but then gave her a huge hug. I can’t imagine this being permitted in any Anglo culture these days. More’s the pity, as they say.

The Voz de Galicia confirmed today that the real total of Camino ‘pilgrims’ this year will be close to a million souls, compared with the 500,000 who chose to get accredited in SdC. This compares with maybe 100 a year in the 1950s, before a priest decided to revive the Camino. Quite a success story, then.

The mad, bad world of MAGA

Another Delusional Trumpism:-

• The problem with the Democrats is that they lie.

Says the FT here: Trump’s $1bn BBC threat isn’t about the law — it’s political theatre . . . The case offers a crucial lesson in reputation management. In today’s media landscape, legal threats are no longer a prelude to a courtroom battle, they are a powerful tool of communication and leverage in their own right. But wasn’t it always thus with the lying, bullying litigious Trump? Which is why he was a joke in New York, before becoming a reality TV star. Which the glitter is rapidly falling off.

It’s reported that the US mint is considering a Trump coin, and that Trump is demanding that the atrocious ballroom be named after him. I rather go along with this response to these reports: A monument should be erected to remind future generations of Trump’s treachery and that of officials who supported him. It would be a simple building constructed of iron and cement, containing the records of his attacks on democracy and the names of everyone who aided him. Over its doorway would be the words “Trump’s Treason”. It would be situated on the White House lawn where the Trump ballroom (since demolished) once stood. It would face toward Pennsylvania Avenue so that visiting families – including those commemorating the 500th anniversary of the US – have easy access, and will long remember this catastrophe.

The Way of the World

The 2 ubiquitous revenue-maximising strategies I mentioned yesterday:-

• Dynamic pricing: A strategic tool using real-time data analytics to optimize prices points, balancing revenue maximization with market competitiveness and customer satisfaction.​Can be irritating.
• Dynamic currency conversion: A service offered by merchants, payment processors, and ATMs that allows international customers to see payment in their home currency. It involves extra fees, ‘justified’ by the immediate clarity on the charge in the cardholder’s currency. Many financial experts recommend declining a service you never knew you wanted and and opting for payment in the local currency.​ In Spain, always take the euros option.

Spanish

First 3 in a series of Spanish idioms:-

• No tener pelos en la lengua – To be a straight talker and always speak your mind.
• Tirar la casa por la ventana – To spare no expense. Money is no object.
• Quedarse de piedra – To be amazed.

English

I read these 3 words/phrases in a book by an Irish novelist, for which I needed AI help:-

• Butty: 1. Dialect – In parts of the UK like Wales and the West Country, this means a friend or a workmate. 2. In a regional dialect, it means a miner who works under contract, getting paid per amount of coal or ore extracted.
• Civil face: This refers to a facial expression or demeanor that is polite, courteous, or well-mannered – especially in social interactions – without necessarily being warm or friendly. 
• Forenest: (More commonly spelled as “fornenst” or “forenent”) is a dialectal term found in regional English and Scots. It means “next to,” “near to,” “opposite,” “against,” or “facing”. Related to foreground?

Did you know?

Reader Alexandras made 2 comments on tipping overnight:-

1. It originated it England. True. It began as a custom in 16th century England, as a “master-serf” practice in which servants received money for excellent service. By the 17th century, this custom expanded to include customers tipping servants in private homes and later commercial establishments such as London coffee houses. The practice then spread to the United States in the 1850s and 1860s, brought by wealthy Americans who had encountered it during travels and wanted to emulate aristocratic behaviors.

2. The word ‘tip’ is an acronym for “To Insure Promptness”. This is a folk etymology and urban legend. “Tip” originated as a slang term around the early 1600s meaning “to give” or “to pass something,” including giving a small sum of money. The exact origin is uncertain but likely derives from older meanings related to tapping or striking lightly, with potential Scandinavian or Low German roots. [Tipping the wink?]

Finally . . .

This is a review of the 1923 Hollywood silent film, The Spanish Dancer. It can be seen on YouTube here. Or, with commentary, here.

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

The Usual Links . . .

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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.