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. Garish but informative.
Spain
- Spain has long-standing laws which forbid construction within a certain distance of the sea. My understanding is that this margin has increased in recent years. But this article suggests the law is being respected more in the breach than in the observance.
Life in Spain
- So . . . If you're a guiri resident in Spain, which is your tribe? En passant, I've never seen any foreigner of the type said to head for Galicia.
- Last time I went to the notary with my elder daughter in respect of a gift to her, the secretary made 3 serious mistakes in the draft deed (escritura). This time – in another office – the secretary just managed to switch the numbers of our passports. On the whole, though, things were quicker this time. But the fee for a few minutes' simple work was still outrageously high. Presumably fixed by whatever the Notaries' cartel is called. What a racket the (French inspired) notary system is.
- You may recall that I cited a while ago an extraordinary peon of praise for Spain from a Brit called James Rhodes. He's still at it, to more popular acclaim, and here's Guy Hedgecoe's nice take on him.
Portugal
- I knew that the Portuguese economy was motoring along now, after years in the doldrums. But I didn't realise it was because they'd cast off the cloak of austerity. Keynes might well be gloating in heaven.
The UK and Brexit
- Yet more articles in support of the Norway option in today's British papers. An extract from one of them: Interest in the Norway option has intensified since the white paper was released. More thoughtful Brexiteers [i e. Richard North] have always favoured it, as the smoothest way of exiting the EU with the minimum of economic damage, and a reflection of the fact that the vote in June 2016, of 51.9% to 48.1%, was not conclusive enough to make the case for a hard break. It appeals because: It retains the best of the economic benefits of EU membership, while leaving the other 27 to pursue the rocky road towards closer political union. In short: The best Brexit outcome, EEA membership, is staring us in the face. As it has for some for years now.
Galicia/Pontevedra
- Having trained down to Madrid yesterday, I was going to write today about the attempted whitewash of the already 5 year-old official enquiry into the dreadful Santiago train crash – 'an accident waiting to happen' - and then I saw this in ThinkSpain. Which says it all.
- I've travelled on the night train many times but this was my first train trip to Madrid in daylight. The positive highlight was the astonishing changes in scenery. I knew of these, of course, from doing the journey by car but this time I could look out of the window. The negative lowlights were the slowness of the train and, on a single track, the need to stay marooned in some derelict station or other while a train coming the other way passed us. Still, better than crashing into it headlong, I guess.
- I think I saw evidence of works dedicated to the AVE high-speed train up near A Gudiña. My impression is that, as well as tunnels, there are viaducts to be be finished. And that the latter are years off completion. More than 2, I mean. But I could be wrong, of course.
- The train was 20 minutes late in Zamora, Segovia and Madrid but no announcement/apology was made, this being well within the Spanish margin of 'punctual'.
Finally . . .
- 55.000 camino 'pilgrims' passed through Pontevedra last year. This year's forecast is 80,000. Well on the way to 100,000 in the Jacobeo Year of 2021
© David Colin Davies, Pontevedra: 25.7.18
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