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 & Galicia
Another major crisis for the government . . . It stands accused of markedly lowering educational standards, as evidenced by PISA stats released yesterday. This is the headline in today’s El Pais, a left wing paper normally supportive of the (socialist) government.
[US]American tourists are taking over Spain – and locals prefer them to Brits*. Lured by the glamour of Gaudí, a trendy tapas scene and sultry Spanish icons, US visitors are flocking to the country like never before. And maybe some are coming to witness the Islamic takeover by illegal immigrants that Trump has told them about.
*Hardly surprising, as they could well be less troublesome and have a lot more money to spend.
As I’ve said, things have changed in Pv city as regards eating and drinking times. These days, it’s very unlikely that any place other than a pure bar will give you a table at 8.30 for a group of 8 who mostly just want to drink, which I’m trying to arrange for tomorrow night. The fault of Covid and bloody early-eating foreigners. But not of us ‘residential tourists’, as the government labels foreigners who live in Spain. We’re the ones who deserve a drinking table at 7.30! And there was a time – not so long ago – when we could easily get one, vacating it before the diners arrived at 9 or later.
Europe
The Middle East War
The latest update from Naked Capitalism. As threatened, Iran hits US bases.
The United States of Trump America
Something else Trump knows more about than anyone – stone/marble. His ballroom and other (ignorant) construction obsessions here.
I guess it can be said that Trump has done the rest of the world a favour, in revealing the dark side of the USA. Ensuring it will never again be seen as ‘a shining city upon a hill’. Not that it ever was by everyone. But let’s hope we don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater and that we continue to recognise the bright side of the country and its people. While totally rejecting the outdated and specious notion of ‘American exceptionalism’.
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.
Russia
Entertaining Trump, back in the day . . .
Spanish
- Repesa: Dam, reservoir
- Coletilla: Rat tail. Pony tail. Tag line, catchword/phrase, postscript.
- Manoseado: Abused
English
To get into the weeds about something: ‘A US idiomatic expression. Where someone is overwhelmed, bogged down, or preoccupied with details. It can refer to being swamped with work, struggling to keep up with tasks, or getting lost in the minutiae of a project or problem’.
Did you know?
How Sweden switched rapidly from driving on the left to driving on the right.
Finally . . . You Have to Laugh
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.
Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain 