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
The socialist PSOE government lost big in Extremadura in last week’s regional elections, where the big winners were the far-right Vox party and the more troublesome of the government’s far-left coalition parties, Podemos. The right-of-centre PP party stays in power but, as a minority administration, will need the support of Vox even more than previously. See here and here if you want to know more.
Barcelona and Madrid take opposite approaches towards resolving the shared property crisis. There can’t be much doubt which city would garner the support of both The Corner and Mark Stücklin. Nor The Guardian’s.
We’re eating a lot more British octopus these days in Galicia, as warmer seas have led to an explosion of them there. Of course, it won’t always be identified on menus as not Galician, as the latter always costs more.
Which reminds me, as ever at Xmas, the dreadful percebe is selling now at 300 euros a kilo, against maybe 50 during the rest of the year.
Another Xmas tradition . . . More than 2.8 billion euros was dished out in today’s El Gordo lottery draw.
The UK
Spain’s €60 nationwide transport pass spark a debate in the UK over Europe’s costliest rail fares. Britain’s train operators charge fares more than twice the European Union average for routes of comparable length.
Two Xmas Guides from the UK government:-
The USA
Not just the most ignorant, the most stupid and the most corrupt president in US history but also the laziest.
49 minutes of Jon Stewart’s Best Trump Takedowns of 2025
Russia v Ukraine
Putin’s top foreign policy official has rejected the latest amendments to a Trump-backed peace plan – despite admitting that he hasn’t actually read them.
Spanish
Aguanieve: Snowflakes mixed with rain, which my lovely neighbour insists fell this morning. Or floks, as she called them. The real snow level is at 600m, so it will have covered a lot of Galicia by tonight.
You Have to Laugh
Finally . . .
Hey, ho. The days have started to get longer Roll on summer!
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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.
Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain 