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

Ceuta

• The Spanish PM is getting it form all sides now, with the leader of the right-wing party going so far as to say the Moroccans must have something on him. And, of course, calling for his resignation. As he does more or less weekly.
• The Guardian had this good article yesterday, from the lady who recently set up a new centrist party: Sánchez defends Morocco over Ceuta crisis as opponents call for his removal. This seems to have been written before the storm-creating news broke of the police report confirming Moroccan involvement.
• As elegant and as hyperbolic as ever, Trump has described what happened as a ‘bum rush’ and warned that Spain will become a ‘ruined country’. So, unlike the USA as a result of his administrations.

It’s reported that: Petrol prices in Spain have returned to levels of the early days of the Iran conflict. Not here in Pv city they haven’t. Last night’s price was almost €1.9 a litre, against €1.53 in the first days of the war.

The creatures that watch over Madrid.

Romerìas are Galician religious processions dedicated to the Virgin Mary. They take many forms, some of them involving the sea. A famous one near Pv city is the Romería da Virxe dos Milagres de Amil. This is nocturnal and involves hundreds of pilgrims walking – sometimes on their knees – to a chapel in which a candle-lit ceremony takes place at 4.30am. Followed by fireworks an hour later. Why it takes place during the night, God only knows. And maybe his mum. Given that some pilgrims carry chains and even ‘symbolic’ coffins, one wonders about pagan or even Muslim influences.

In a UK article, Galicia naturally came up as an autumnal getaway option. Pv city was described as being the handsome stone-paved capital of Pontevedra province. Which got me asking what other than stone could you pave a pavement with. Granite-paved would have made more sense.

The United States of Trump America

Does anyone other than the man himself and perhaps his wife, think that Pete Hegseth would make a good presidential candidate in 2028? Though quite possibly 30 to 35% of the electorate would support him as the natural successor to their idol. Confirming their lack of something.

Starting, I suggest, at min 13:55 seconds: Why Trump’s Hegseth Problem Exposes His Fatal Flaw. Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles look at Trump’s long-standing appetite for power, from his determination to get around courts and regulations to the possibility that he could use his enormous political war chest to maintain influence long after leaving office. They examine the growing crisis around Pete Hegseth, why Trump appears threatened by competence, and how the war with Iran is exposing deeper failures in American leadership. They also trace the economic risks tied to tariffs, interest rates and the massive AI boom, before turning to the increasingly volatile 2026 midterms, dark money, mail-in voting and the presence of U.S. Marshals at polling places.

Relevant Books

• To be published in October. Can be pre-ordered now: Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy. On Amazon or here.
• The final pages of Kurt Andersen’s fascinating run through the USA’s history – Fantasyland: How America went haywire. A 500 year history.

The Way of the World

In case you’re as confused as I am to the difference between influencers, creators and streamers . . . Careers that didn’t exist not so long ago and in which you can make millions, apparently:- The 3 terms overlap a lot, but they describe different primary jobs and what’s being sold:-

• Influencer – paid [by sponsors] mainly for access to an audience and the trust they’ve built up, so brands can move opinions or sales. [Not always honest about the sponsorship].
• Creator – paid mainly for making content (videos, photos, tutorials, etc.), whether or not they have a big following.
• Streamer – a type of creator whose main format is live broadcasting, usually with real‑time chat and monetisation via subs, tips, ads, etc.

See the end of this post for greater elucidation.

Spanish

• Bàsquet: Basket
• Cojear: To limp, hobble
• Tatarabuelo: Great, great grandmother
• Tataranieto: Great, great grandchild

Did you know?

Spain has a lot of patron saints, possibly one for every single town or village. Pv city’s is The Virgin of the O, said to be a traditional title for the pregnant Virgin Mary, with the O coming from the liturgy, not from the shape of her womb. Here’s another 10 unusual patron saints.

You Have to Laugh

A streamer?

Finally . . .

It’s not uncommon for the titles of Spanish versions of English films to bear no relation to the English title. Last night I watched a film in Spanish – La Captura – called in English Facing El Chapo. when it really should have been called either Confronting El Chapo or Facing up to El Chapo. There was something rather odd, unreal quality about the actors’ English, though their lips were certainly synchronised with their words. I checked re dubbing and got: Yes, the actors’ Spanish dialogue is dubbed into English using AI, not by human voice actors. AI‑aided dubbing:-

• Clones the actors’ vocal characteristics (tone, cadence, emotion). [Less than perfectly]
• Generates English speech that mimics the original performance. [Ditto]
• Synchronizes the new audio with the lip movements. [Amazingly]

Impressive but a tad weird.

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 X at Thoughts from Galicia. And on Substack here. I no longer post 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. And this, on the annual costs of owning property here.