Colin Davies

6 June 2026

ing 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.

Cosas de España/Galiza

Spain, says left-of-centre El País – has too many people. Or putting that a better way round, Spain lacks infrastructure for its current – recently significantly increased – permanent and transient population.  Deferred public investment, it reports, is now reflected in obsolescence, breakdowns, and a loss of efficiency in transportation infrastructure, water networks, and energy assets. The combination of a rapidly growing population and years of underinvestment has finally reached a breaking point, with water supply being the most critical.

Mark Stücklin is uncharacteristically positive here about buying a 2nd home in Spain, at least compared with doing so in France and the UK – where you will not only be disliked but also penalised,

There’s nothing new in this advice on what to know before you visit Spain but it will be useful to first-timers.

HT to Lenox Napier of Business Over Tapas for the citation of this cheat sheet to Spain’s amazing history.

Lenox reminisces here on Mojacar bars.

As if it wasn’t so bad with 300,000-plus Caminoers going in one direction, we now have a rising number of them walking south, from Santiago de Compostela to Portugal. These aren’t included in the official numbers, of course, and might never be. I noticed this new trend a few weeks ago and yesterday asked a couple of hardy-looking Caminoers if they were following the blue arrows to Fátima. No, they said, we’re going to Lisbon. This is 462km from SdC, say 20 days. On top of doing their original walk to SdC. Professionals. Or, possibly, fanatics. That said, the longest walking option in the USA is The American DiscoveryTrail, from Delaware to California. Which is 10,945 km. I guess some folk will have done the whole thing. And possibly even walked back to Delaware. Conceivably, there might even be some who never leave the trail. It takes all sorts, as they say.

The UK

From reader Perry – The oldest inn in England. At least 600 years old. Quite something.

The Middle East War

The latest update from Naked Capitalism.

The United States of Trump America

Quotes

  • The difference between the Vietnam War and the Iran War is that Trump knew how to get out of the Vietnam War.
  • We will be living with the economic consequences of the US-Iran war for a long time. Like Covid, it’ll have a tail.
  • This country is ripe reform.

Carl Sagan predicted the current state of the USA more than 30 years ago, here.

And now someone is forecasting the future of the USA and, indeed, the world, after the continuation of the decline of the (US)American empire. An excellent read.

This guy is usually more directly critical of Trump but here goes in for a bit of satire. Also good stuff.

Each of these US commentators issues at least one podcast a week, usually 2, sometimes 3. All available on Podbean and most on YouTube for free. So, take your pick. You should get the latest episode when you click on the link, though YouTube videos seem to come out a bit earlier:-

There are also the excellent late-night shows, of course. And SNL.

Spanish

  • Doloso: Intentional, malicious, wilful
  • Para más inri: To make matters worse
  • Agachar: Bow, duck, bend

Did you know?

The strange history of SPAM

Finally . . . You Have to Laugh

The laconic Iceland guy.

My thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

The Usual Links . . .

The US commentators I follow, all on Podbean and/or YouTube for free:-

  • The Daily Beast Podcast/Video
  • Inside Trump’s Head Podcast/Video
  • The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent Podcast
  • The Rest is Politics US Podcast/Video
  • The DSR Network Podcast
  • The Politics Girl Video. Amusing
  • The Daily Show Video. Very amusing

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 no longer post on Facebook. But I can be readon X at Thoughts from Galicia. And on Substack here

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.

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