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 government’s plan to regularise undocumented immigrants . . .

• The Spanish police claim that the government could accept 1m illegal migrants. As a new scheme might grant legal status to double the number expected, drawing asylum seekers from across Europe and altering migration patterns.
• Allegedly, almost 70% of Spaniards now oppose this measure. Up from almost 60% last November. (73% among Vox voters, against 29% for PSOE voters).

A staggering majority of Spain’s population now lives on just 2% of its territory, leaving rural areas deserted while cities and coasts burst at the seams.

A dreadful bit of graffiti on a Civil War memorial has led to the comment that it reveals how Spain still hasn’t made peace with its past. I think we can safely assume it came for a supporter of the far-right Vox party, which is very much gaining support, for example in recent regional elections in Estremadura. Where – as elsewhere – it will be a member of a right-wing coalition government.

Fellow blogger Noémi up in Barcelona now guides us through the city’s Gothic quarter. I might get to do that later this year.

There’s a new unlikely star of Spanish cuisine coming out of Galicia – and it isn’t a talented new chef.

The bloody weather . . . Well, the ‘train’ of 8 storms might have ended 2 days ago but the rain certainly hasn’t. Yesterday was as miserable as any during the last 6 weeks. But at least we have these words from a Spanish psychologist: Faced with bad weather, the most important thing is to keep yourself active and take advantage of the hours of light. Who’d have thought it? Especially in a very ‘outdoors’ society.

A few fotos from Saturday’s Carnaval/Mardi Gras events, when the rain held off for the first time in more than 6 weeks . . .

Portugal

Guimarães – a lovely place – is the European Green Capital for 2026. Read here about events planned for this year-.

Europe/The EU

• Trump’s new world order has become real and Europe is having to adjust fast.
• Germany’s “Two-Speed Europe” proposal is the EU’s adaptation to great power geopolitics.

The USA

See my earlier Trumplandia post.

A bizarre argument is taking place over whether cowboys originated in Spain or Mexico. My own theory is that they were gauchos who came North from Patagonia.

Why do American audiences cheer and whoop so much? I guess because they are effusive Americans

Spanish

• Puericia:  ‘The period between infancy and adolescence’. Childhood
• Aupar: Help up
• Trueno: Thunder, thunderclap
• Púa: Puck, pick, spike, barb, plectrum, tine, needle, prong, quill, jackstone(?)

You Have to Laugh

The bashful Finns . . . No whooping from an audience of these, I suspect.

Finally . . .

Collins is a surname but I’ve never seen Colin as a surname, as in the actress Margaret Colin

Finally . . . Finally . . .

A robin has finally finally returned to my garden. A (rather plump) female, I think. Not deep red..

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.

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.