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

There are reports that the Cataluña, Pays Vasco and Galicia are pushing for a measure to ‘encourage’ foreign residents to learn the co-official local language. I can’t see this happening. Especially as there are no such measures to make us learn Spanish, however advisable this is.

The last forecast for a high speed train from Vigo down to Oporto and then Lisbon was 2030-2032. But I doubt anyone in Galicia believed it, given the 30 year delay in getting a connection with Madrid. So, it’s no great surprise to see the date pushed out to 2036. Frankly, 2050 would probably be a safe bet.

A bit of advice from anyone coming to live in Spain – Learn learn the language, smile at everyone you deal with, always give a greeting and – above all, perhaps – maintain eye contact, especially when thanking for service and leaving. The last challenge is very tough for (diffident) Brits, as eye contact in the UK is almost akin to aggression. Don’t know about Finland . . .

Passing the O Vao commercial centre construction site this morning, I had a sudden bizarre flashback. The 20 tall pillars of concrete awaiting walls reminded me of the ruins of the Palace of Xerxes in Persepolis in Persia (Iran), burnt down by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE. Allegedly while drunk and cavorting with a courtesan, as I recall.

Oh, yes . . . The other thing to come out with the otherwise-welcome sun was the fist moth of the year.

The UK

More than a million Brits holding dual citizenship are facing confusing – and potentially costly – new immigration rules, which are ‘a minefield’. Here’s what’s actually going on.

The USA

See my earlier Trumplandia post. I’ll be very glad when events don’t compel me to pen these.

I guess you’ve all seen the ludicrous video of Trump playing ice-hockey and beating up Canadian players. Posted by no less a person than the president of the USA.

Russia

How Russia made Trump: Putin hacks the 2026 election.

Spanish

• Fuera de servicio: Out of order. Off-duty
• Disgusto: Disgust, dismay, displeasure, chagrin, upset, annoyance
• Calima: Haze

Did you know?

Back in 1724, a Scottish woman survived her hanging and changed legal history.

You Have to Laugh

Finnish discomfort . . .

Finally . . .

I wrote recently about the plague of AI-generated, very genuine-looking news items. Two of the latest are that Trump had sacked Pam Bondi and that Canada had stopped exporting potatoes to the USA, forcing MacDonalds and other places to ration their French fries. Or ‘chips’, as they’re properly called, being chipped of a potato . . .

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.