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

Did you realise that 28 December was Spain’s April Fools’ Day? I’m not aware of any pranks in the media. That said, a spoof of Trump would be impossible to recognises as such.

Those bloody porcos bravos . . .

Every region in Spain feels a compulsion to be different from every other. This is a video which could well have been produced by the Galician Tourism Board with that objective in mind. It claims that Galicia’s ‘secret’ is the unique genetic mix of its people. Along the way, it makes some exaggerated claims, e.g. about the pre-Roman Galician language being related to the Celtic Brittonic languages of Welsh, Cornish and Breton. For which, says Perplexity, there is no direct evidence. Nor, says Perplexity, is the Galician genetic mix very different from that of other northern Spanish people, with the possible exception of a higher African element. Which the far-right Vox party would certainly want kept a secret . . . .

But there is something Galician that is pretty unique. . . It’s short, sonorous, original, and carries a strong symbolic weight. It has only 5 letters, a very recognizable musicality in Galician, and a history deeply linked to the region. Moreover, it remains practically invisible outside its place of origin. Only 29 children in all of Spain bear this name, all boys, with an average age of just 5.3 years. And there’s an even more striking detail: 100% of them are concentrated in a single province. We’re talking about Ézaro, a Galician name as unique as the landscape from which it comes. A name unknown beyond Galicia and, one might almost say, beyond the province of A Coruña. A statistical rarity that, far from diminishing its appeal, makes it an increasingly interesting option for families looking for a distinctive, short name with real meaning. I confess I was reminded of the work erizo, or hedgehog

I was pleasantly surprised – nay, delighted – that the process of getting an environmental sticker for my car at Correos today was easy and quick. I had, of course, taken with me every conceivably relevant document, just in case. In fact, I’d expected to be sent away with a form and a demand for at least one photocopy of some of them. But, no. Just one of the originals was enough. However, I was asked for my ID number, which made no sense to me. But, then, this is what happens when you have an ID card, at least here in Spain. You’re asked for it by just about everybody behind a desk whom you deal with.

Should you wish, you can travel on a Flixbus to Kyev. And from Santiago de Compostela to Finland. Mind you, it will take quite some time.

The USA

Endless shameless grift. [ I heard today that Trump has made a billion dollars this year and aims to make 4 billion more before he leaves office. Possibly only the Grim Reaper can prevent this. Republicans show no willingness to do so.]

At minute 6.05 here, even a Fox New commentator is incredulous re Trump’s outrageous statements about Putin and sees him as having been, once again, played by the Russian tyrant.

The Way of the World/AI/Social media.

Another platform I’ve learned to be wary of is Occupy Democrats. Their items aren’t AI generated and it’s a genuine human-operated website and social media outlet. However, it’s a left-wing activist page which produces hyperpartisan content, memes, and articles targeting Republicans. I can attest that it specialises in sensational headlines and posts – i. e. clickbait. It is often criticized for misleading or false claims by fact-checkers. So, legitimate but biased.

Spanish

• Dar el visto bueno: To give the green light to.
• Estar al tanto de: To be aware of.
• Esmog: Smog.

English

Sounder: A herd of wild pigs/hogs.

Did you know?

• The first Egyptian pharaoh reigned around 3100 BCE.
• The last mammoth went extinct around 2200 BCE, a thousand years later.

But, there’s no evidence that the first pharaoh ever saw a mammoth. Nor any of his successors, for that matter. Perhaps if there’d been a Mammoth Preservation Society. . .

Finally . . .

Gmail is still telling me my blog posts look dangerous. If you’re missing any, check your Spam box.

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 and on X.

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.