I went to bed at 12.30 last night to the sound of firecrackers in the street. And awoke this morning at 6.30 to God setting them off all around Heaven. And chucking down the occasional lightening shaft to lighten the sky. Which, I guess, proves He’s Spanish. Or at least Galician.

I watched the match with my friend Jon and five Spanish women. The emotions of the latter were in inverse proportion to their knowledge and understanding of the game. And they were at least as incessantly voluble (and as partial, of course) as the Spanish TV commentators. It was rather like watching the game in a chicken coop. I particularly liked their comment that it was unfair for Germany’s defenders to be so much taller than Spain’s forwards. Great fun. With the bonus of no bloody vuvuzelas.

To be more serious, here’s a nice (and accurate) comment from Henry Winter’s match report:- For all Germany’s dynamic football this tournament, and the three occasions when they have hit four, the final would have been a poorer place without Spain’s conquistadors. They play with so much joy, so much freedom. Even Pique is encouraged to glide upfield. Even the full-backs, particularly Sergio Ramos, capture the team’s buccaneering spirit. Spain’s commitment to football as the Beautiful Game (with the occasional, devastating moment of directness) should be cherished. For the luddites of the modern game, like England, Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Holland will be a celebration of the way the game should be played: with flair, with intelligence. A tournament that has been a festival of fun off the pitch may become a showcase for football’s most breathtaking qualities on it.

Whatever the correct description might be, Spain is not officially a federal state like the USA and Germany. Sometimes, though, it seems to be Federal Plus. Madrid has introduced a new national law on abortion which at least two regions have said they won’t apply. One of them justifies this stance on the basis that the Constitutional Court has yet to pronounce on the issue, so it would be pointless to act now. If valid, this argument could lead to the non-implementation of all national legislation disfavoured by litigious regions. Does this sort of thing happen in Germany, I wonder.

From a financial perspective, the FT recently commented that “Spain’s regions are interesting in their own right. They’re politically autonomous to a very great extent but still receive the sovereign’s financial guarantee.” This was in the context of Moodys taking a negative view on the solvency of the regions, whose politically-controlled savings banks fell over themselves to fund the ludicrous construction boom inspired by EU fiscal policies designed for Germany. And, of course, by the desire to fill numerous pockets.

The good news is that Moodys are positive on the risk of social unrest here in Spain. They see “a tremendous amount of unanimity from all sides regarding what has to be done.” And they are encouraged by “the political tone and consensus” which, I have to say, are not always obvious from my reading of the various national newspapers.

I went to a lovely 8-cello concert in Pontevedra tonight, in which my friend Peter’s wife was performing. I noticed they’d played the same program in Lugo last night at 8.30. Just when Spain were kicking off against Germany. I couldn’t help wondering whether the size of orchestra exceeded that of the audience.

Finally . . . Click here if you want to read my write up of the Camino I recently did with old friends. Or, rather, don't as I've just discovered there's something wrong with several fotos. Tomorrow, then.