Thoughts from Galicia, Spain: Thoughts from Galicia, Spain: 27.9.18

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. Garish but informative.

Welcome back, Lenox, after your sever ankle injury. As ever on a Thursday, I owe some of today's items to Lenox's Business Over Tapas.

Matters Spanish

Here's El País on the growing problem of poverty in Spain, in Spanish.
And here's a report on something that won't help – the soaring costs of renting property here.
I can't say I really understand what's happening around a claimed qualification of the new leader of the right-of-centre PP party, Pablo Casado. My impression is that many folk are unhappy that the courts are giving him a degree of protection against legal action. You can read about this here, in Spanish.
Well, it's Thursday and, as I'd not been called by the IT shop about the laptop battery due to arrive a week ago, I called them. Three times before I got an answer. Which was that there was some confusion about the order and I'd be called back in 5 minutes. That was almost 2 hours ago. Apart from anything else, this supports my claim that giving Spanish retailers the number they always ask for is invariably pointless. Like Movistar's computer, they're just going through the motions of customer service. Playing at it, as I put it. It might also display something of the Spanish attitude to time. It seems that the IT shop owner has the same concept of this as my neighbour, Ester. Perhaps they live in the same parallel universe. With my battery.

Matters US

I've been saying words to this effect for a long time:- The sniggering response [at the UN] to the president’s boasts proves laughter is a powerful weapon.
It's so hard to believe that Fart didn't anticipate scorn. But, then, we've had plenty of evidence of how he doesn't think. The best evidence in the entire history of the world, I'd day. If I were him. Still, it remains hard to conceive of a clown who doesn't expect his act to he greeted with laughter.

The Spanish Language

Matters Galician and Pontevedran

I suspect the claims in this article apply to our narco business as much as to that elsewhere in Spain.
Another guided tour of pretty ancient Americans in town last night. Possibly from a vast cruise ship moored in Vigo. The city gets more and more like Santiago every summer. In 20 years' time – by when I'll be long gone – it'll be just like bloody Venice!
Meanwhile, reader María has her own blog, now in my RSS feed, and here she is on the subject of what tourism has done to said Santiago. About which I, too, have (mildly) ranted occasionally.

Finally . . .

I read in the article I cited that the max pressure for your tyre/tire can be found on its wall. To my surprise, on my new ones this is 51psi, against the 30psi recommended by the manufacturer Or 3.5bar v 2.1bar. This is even above the 41psi(2.8 bar) put in at the shop and is surely not recommended, even if it means your tyre isn't going to explode before you go past 51psi/3.5bar

Thoughts from Galicia, Spain