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

Following the recent train crashes, the national rail carrier, Renfe, has sacked its Director of Innovation and stopped the purchase of 30 trains. Perhaps they’re going to invest the money saved in safety measures.

Corruption: This is a report on the money-laundering crimes of a high-ranking police officer and a cousin of the king that I don’t recall reading of when the former was arrested in late 2024 and found to have more €21m in his (modest) house and office.

Blogs from fellow bloggers in Spain;.

• Lenox Napier writes on the Mojacar library.
• Noémi gives us a rainy-day guide for Barcelona.

Today’s VdG on the current terrible weather: The effects of the series of storms battering Galicia are now being felt in sectors like agriculture and shellfish harvesting. Cockle, clam, and other bivalve harvesters, who are the foundation of many family economies, fear that when they can return to the shellfish beds, they will find them all dead. The reason is the large amount of freshwater flowing into the estuaries, which is eliminating salinity and, therefore, the survival of the shellfish. It’s odd that some creatures need salt to survive, given what it does to humans,

Upcoming festivities . . . . Carnival in Galicia – Entroido – wouldn’t be the same without masks, parades, and excess. It’s the time of year when traditional cuisine is unleashed without restraint: hearty stews, lacón (cured ham), chorizo, bicas (a type of sponge cake), rosquillas (doughnuts), and a seemingly endless list of pastries that turn February into a feast for the palate. But among the crispy orejas (fried dough pastries) and the thin crepes, there’s one recipe that often gets overlooked, despite its spectacular appearance and addictive texture. It’s called flores de Carnaval, also known as fried flowers, a pastry treat as eye-catching as it is light, resembling a work of art… but devoured in just two bites.

Portugal

In a sort of joint-venture, the building of very fast narco-launches is divided between Galicia and North Portugal. Some folk involved in the former are now being tried in a Pv city court but are demanding they be tried in Portugal, where such boats aren’t illegal. They claim that they only build the shells in Pontevedra, which doesn’t break Spanish law. I doubt they’ll be successful.

The UK

In contrast with the USA, British politicians know how to get rid of leaders in whom the public has lost confidence. Keir Starmer’s days are looking decidedly numbered. The (governing) Labour party is not as ruthless as the Conservatives when it comes to defenestrating Prime Ministers who’ll lose them the next election but they get there eventually. Just far more bureaucratically, as with all left-wing governments. Justice needs to be seen to be done, in public. Or at least the appearance of it. As sure as eggs is eggs, Mr Starmer won’t be leading Labour into the 2029 general election, latest August 2029.

Europe

Very hard to believe that Italy has a cricket team . . .For the first time in their history the men’s national cricket team have qualified for theT20 World Cup. To get there, Italy passed through two stages of qualifiers, beating teams including Turkey, Luxembourg and Guernsey. Turkey has a cricket team!

The USA

See my earlier Trumplandia post.

Russia v Ukraine

A bleak assessment . . There are increasing signs that the [US] press is starting to prepare the public for a Ukraine defeat.   

Spanish

• Poder con: To handle, deal with
• Tropelia: Misdeed
• Magulladura: Bruise, bruising

You Have to Laugh

A will with a spice of malice in every bequest:-

• To my sister Joan, my 5-acre field, to console her for being married to a man she is obliged to henpeck.
• To my sister Sally, the cottage that stands beyond the said field with its garden, because as no one is likely to marry her it will be large enough to lodge her.
• To my sister Kate, the family Bible, recommending her to learn as much of its spirit as she already knows of its letter, that she may become a better Christian.
• To my sister Mary, my grandmother’s silver snuff-box, that she may not be ashamed to take snuff before company.
• To my sister, Lydia, my silver drinking-cup, for reasons known to herself.
• To my brother Ben, my books, that he may learn to read with them.
• To my brother James, my big silver watch, that he may know the hour at which men ought to rise from their beds.
• To my brother-in-law Jack, a punch-bowl, because he will do credit to it.
• To my brother-in-law Christopher, my best pipe, out of gratitude that he married my sister Mary whom no man of taste would have taken.
• To my friend John Caddell, a silver teapot, that, being afflicted with a slatternly wife, he may therefrom drink tea to his comfort.

Finally . . .

I was surprised, when talking to a 32 year old waitress in a café in Pv city, that she’d never heard of Adolf Hitler. She’s from Santo Domingo and is university-educated, in ecology. Maybe European history doesn’t figure on the school curriculum there. It made me wonder if Spanish teenagers are taught about Franco . . . [Answer: The topic is mandated under the 2007 Law of Historical Memory and reinforced by the 2022 Democratic Memory Law, which emphasizes democracy, human rights, and the dictatorship’s repression to prevent recurrence]

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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 there.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you