Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Thoughts not from Galicia, Spain: 15.5.18

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable. 
- Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain. 

If you've arrived here because of an interest in Galicia or Pontevedra, see my web page here.

Final Travel News
  • Correction: The price of the compulsory travel card on the Madrid metro is not 2€ but €2.50. 
  • I drive home today, with 2 Bla Bla companions who are going to Vigo and Pontevedra. It would be 3, if I didn't have a spare tyre on one of the back seats . . . .
Spain
  • Here's Madrid's (predictable) reaction to the belated election of a Catalan prsident.
  • And here's Tim Parfitt with a comprehensive review of the last week or so in Spain. As regards the most important event of this period, Spain did better than the UK in coming 23rd out of 26 in the Eurovision contest. The UK was 24th.
  • Are Spanish companies preparing for Brexit? Apparently not. One of the more interesting reasons given for this is that no one in the UK or Spain these days believes anything the respective – but not respected – governments say about the future.
  • Talking of the future . . . Ye gods! Someone is predicting that the Spanish property market will grow by at least 18% this year. I'll ponder on that as I gaze on the unfinished or empty blocks of flats on the outskirts of Madrid as I drive home today. Madrid, of course, is expected to beat the national average. I guess it makes sense to someone. Perhaps a ban on renting out flats will take some of the heat out of the capital's growth rate. If it ever happens.
  • Good news for some
  • Here's El País on yesterday's story of the changing fortunes of the political parties. And, one hopes, of Sr Rajoy.
The World
  • Here's Don Quijones on the gradual turning off of the tap of free money for US and EU banks. And its likely consequences.
The USA
  • It's hardly much of a secret but here's a new book on Fart's long-standing financial relationship with/dependence on Russian money. Does anyone really believe this won't eventually bring him down?
Duff Cooper
  • He wasn't the only philanderer around town, of course. Here's his account of an incident at a dance at a place called Pembroke's in 1920: Diana had an adventure with the King of Spain. He began his attack by trying to put a hand up her dress and when repulsed asked for an appointment making his intentions crudely clear. She warned him there would be nothing doing whereat he put back his pocket book in which he had been about to write her address. He left her saying that men always won in the end. I think he was drunk.

Finally . . . Coming down from the sublime . . . I recently removed the Word Verification demanded for comments to this blog. As a result, I've been annoyed every day since by anonymous spammers. So, I've removed the permission for anonymity. Though I hope the removal of Word Verification stands.

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