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

It’s reported that talks between the two right-of-centre parties are deadlocked in both Extremadura and Aragón, meaning that elections might have to be run again. The leader of the further-to-the-right Vox party has accused the leader of the PP party of treating him and his followers as savages. Which might well be a rare case of a politician telling the truth.

Spain’s young folk are said to feel that men are now disadvantaged relative to women. Anyone who’s been married knows this has been true since the Garden of Eden . . . Even in Spain.

Lenox Napier writes here on Scams, Shams and Spam.

And Noémi treats us to a guide to transport in Barcelona – Metro, buses, trains and more . . .

After all the rain and a bit of sun, we’re now scheduled to be covered by orange dust from Africa.

Complaints about the potholes in our road have reached the point where the Diario de Pv is seeking examples, possibly for a campaign of some sort. But I doubt I’ll be able to get compensation for my 2 destroyed tyres, one of which was only a month old.

The therian craze here in Galicia appears to have lasted not much more than a day or so, amongst this look-at-me generation brought on a diet of selfies. Ditto in Madrid.

Back to Pv city’s retail scene . . . It’s quite disappointing/annoying to find that a shop you’ve patronised over the years has closed down since your last visit. Or has followed the trend to a 9-to-5 hour day and is no longer open in the evening. But así son las cosas in modern Spain. Quite a few things ain’t what they used to be.

I’ve mentioned more than once that not all drivers in the inner lane stop when I’m on the outer lane on one side or the other of the 4-lane road at the Pv city end of O Burgo bridge. Most do, but a good 10 to 20% don’t. I mention this again today only because the driver this morning was a member of the Guardia Civil. As the car passed in front of me, I noted that the passenger was pointing at me and saying something to said driver. But whether he was fingering me or his colleague as the guilty party, I couldn’t say. But at least they didn’t fine me for, say, dangerous walking.

Portugal

Oporto is said to be the best city for, would you believe, getting over a breakup. It’s also perfect for seeing the sights of the city of Porto.

The USA

See my earlier Trumplandia post.

Private Eye answers a long-standing question here. (Apologies for the format but my voice-to-text has ceased working and I can’t be bothered to type it all out,)

Spanish

• Mecha: Fuse, wick. Highlight (in the hair)
• Desmechado: Shaggy, blunt cut.
• Carne desmeschada: Pulled meat.

English

The US euphemism for ‘working class’ – non-college graduate voters

Did you know?

The Israeli city of Megiddo is the Biblical city of Armageddon and was, needless to say, the scene of a major battle. This was fought c. 1500 BC between the Egyptians and rebellious Canaanites and is said to be the first battle whose details were written down for the benefit of those not at it.

You Have to Laugh

Only a week or 2 late, like my mail . . .

Finally . . .

Talking of romance . . . I realise I’m a nice guy and a real catch but I am, nonetheless, amazed at the number of young women who want to be my FB friend and to move quickly to wotsapp, so that we can get to know each other better. One a day at the moment. Strangely, none of them seem to have read my FB profile despite arriving via a DM on that platform. Or know where I live. Is it possible that they all have an ulterior motive? Or that they’re all the same bot?

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.