The level of arbitrariness differs from country to country, depending on how rule-based each is. More accurately, how rule-compliant each is. In the case of high compliance, things are (boringly?) predictable and, in the case of low compliance, they aren't. This musing is prompted by the fact that I twice had to squeeze myself between a car and a wall this afternoon, as each of them was parked, four-wheeled, on the pavement(sidewalk). But this wasn't all; one of the cars had no driver and the other had a pretty young mother waiting for her kid to come out of the school on the other side of the road. I mention this because along came two scions of the local police on their motorbikes - one of whom booked me a few weeks ago for wearing iPod earpieces in my car. There was a cursory chat with the (smiling) young woman and then they drove off, without booking either offender for what I know to be a delito grave. I pondered asking them for an explanation but, this time, forwent the opportunity.

How do I know parking with all four wheels of the pavement is a serious offence? Because 10 years ago I was fined 160 euros because my daughter had done this on a pavement opposite my house which was never used. Why was it never used?, I hear you ask. Well, becase the same authority which was fining me the 160 euros had made it impassable by plonking 3 bloody great bins - contenadores - on it. Equitable? I think not. Arbitrary? Absolutely.

But talking of rules, there's a bit of a stink here in Spain about non compliance with the anti-smoking laws. This has been brought to a head by the foto of one of the senior government members caught dragging on a ciggie in the parliament building. So, who's at fault for this non-compliance? The bar owners, perhaps. Well, no. A full 61% of Spaniards surveyed saw it as the fault of the smokers themselves, who clearly regard the rules as inapplicable to themselves, a stance long seen as typically Spanish. Time for me to quote Ángel Ganivet again: Every Spaniard's ideal is to carry a statutory letter with a single provision, brief but imperious: "This Spaniard is entitled to do whatever he feels like doing.

As it happens, cigarettes were the intro to one of the more interesting episodes of last week's camino from Sarria to Santiago. Some way through the final leg from O Pedrouzo, we were approached by a blonde lady who was keen to cadge a fag - as we say in British English. Laughing, she explained that - contrary to everyone else - she'd only taken up smoking during the camino and planned to give it up when she got to Santiago. Especially as she was a doctor. After chatting and laughing a bit about this, I asked her where she was from and she said California. As she had a trace of an accent, I asked her where she was from originally and she said Iran. When I raised my eyebrows a bit, she added that she was blonde and fair-skinned because she was a Kurd. We then exchanged a few words and phrases in Farsi, as did another member of our group who'd lived in Tehran. As we parted, I took to wondering about what the odds were that she'd find not just one but two people on the camino who'd lived in Tehran the same time she had.

Galicia, as they say, is the place of (nonsensical) myths but I never thought I'd find two that involved someone sailing here from the Holy Land in a stone boat. The first, of course, is the ridiculous tale of an unguided craft bringing the dead body of St James(Santiago/Jacobo) to the port of Padrón. The second is that the Virgin Mary arrived in a similarly heavier-than-water boat to encourage said St James in the preaching of the Gospel. Now, there's no evidence whatsoever that St James ever came to Spain, either before or after death, but the irrefutable proof (for some) that the Virgin Mary came here is a large rock which, if you squint, resembles an upturned boat. In, of course, the Sanctuario de la Barca. I think I'll now invent a 3rd stone boat myth centring on Pontevedra and see how far it flies. Or sinks. Just got to find the right large rock. Maybe I can combine it with the Columbus myth. Sailed back from the New World in a new type of (American) stone galleon, perhaps.

Finally . . . Barcelona, Band and Bluegrass are not 3 words I ever expected to see as a unity. But there is such a combo and it's bloody good. Get yourself onto Spotify, Grooveshark or whatever and type in the name. Which is obviously not Barcelona Band Bluegrass.