Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain
Life in Spain- Something has finally landed at Spain's 'ghost airport'.
- The growth in camino numbers is inevitably having its commercial effect. On Saturday, I noted several 'feeding stations' and new albergues on a stretch where there never used to be any at all. And I read yesterday that 7 new albergues have been licensed in Pontevedra city alone. [BTW . . . Google twice rendered my word albergues as allergies.]
- Very good news for some of us. . . . November might well see a new ferry from Vigo to Cork and Plymouth. But I've seen similar announcements several times over the years and will believe it when I see it. Meanwhile, I've taken out a mortgage to sail with Brittany Ferries from Santander on 30 September.
- Not only was there still a 'Gypsy Corner' at Sunday's flea market in Pontevedra but several sellers had returned to the edges of it. Whether this is illegal boldness or the result of a pragmatic accommodation, I can't say. But I can predict that things will again evolve in such a way that there will be another 'crisis' in a year or so.
- Reader Country Girl has kindly suggested the little black/purple grapes I saw on Saturday were possibly Catalan. Problem is there are several red wine grapes grown there. They include powerful reds, known as "black" wine or 'vi negre' in Catalan, due to the colour of the grape. The red wine grapes also include Garnacha, Monastrell and Tempranillo. While the majority of the wines are blends, some varietal versions are also produced; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah are used for red wines. And there are non-fortified reds made from Carinyena, Garnatxa and Monastrell. As if that weren't confusing enough, there's also red wine production based on Cabernet Sauvignon and the local strain of Tempranillo known as Ull de Llebre. So, a little bit further along but not much.
- Rod Liddle yesterday: In this unhinged carnival in which we are all participants, willing or unwilling, there is never a definitive answer to the perpetually posed question: WTF will happen next?
- Richard North today: The balance of evidence is that the UK has not tabled any substantive proposals. There is no evidence even that any such proposals exist. . . . EU officials have rejected the Johnson claim of 'huge progress' in Brexit talks.
- Below is a cri-de-coeur from a Remainer which might well be representative of the majority view.
- I hope Ffart is proud that his trade wars have resulted in the lowest global growth since 2009. Actually, I'm pretty sure he is.
- At least one qualified observer of the US stock market believes that shares are 'ludicrously overpriced' and that the farcical IPO of WeWork will prove to be the straw that breaks the market’s back. If true, it won't be pretty.
- This is a must-hear podcast for thoughtful folk.
- Word of the Day: Ahijado/a. Godchild.
- The first line of each other these 4 paragraphs is Galician (Gallego/(Gallego), the second is Spanish, and the third is Portuguese. They show that, if you speak one, it often isn't difficult to understand what you're reading in either of the other two languages. Understanding the spoken word is an entirely different matter, though. And, as far as I'm concerned, impossible with - 'Slav sounding' - Portuguese, even if you're attuned to Galician. Brazilian Portuguese is slightly easier. They tell me. All that said, I've had some success in understanding Portuguese speakers when I've forced them to speak slowly and to stop eating their words. One daily example of the latter is Bo tard instead of Boa tarde. Another is Leit crem for Leite creme. This, incidentally, in not supposed to happen in a syllable-based Romance language.
No solo habrá nuevos contenidos, sino también nuevos espacios para desenvolver actuaciones y
Não só haverá novos conteúdos, mas também novos espaços para o desenvolvimento de atuaçãoes e
accións espallados por toda a cidade de Pontevedra, que se sumarán ao habitual espazo central
acciones dispersos por toda la ciudad de Pontevedra, que se sumarán al espacio central habitual ações espalhados por toda a cidade de Pontevedra, que se sumarán o habitual espaço central
do Pazo da Cultura, pois Cantos na Maré tamén pretende ser un festival que promova a
del Pazo da Cultura, ya que Cantos na Maré también pretende ser un festival que promueva el
do Pazo da Cultura, como o Cantos na Maré também pretende ser um festival que promove a
descuberta e revalorización do patrimonio da cidade.
descubrimiento y la revalorización del patrimonio de la ciudad.
descoberta e reavaliação do patrimônio da cidade.
Note 1: Some of the Portuguese spellings give a false impression. The pronunciation of the word ações, for example, its is not far removed from either the Galician accións or the Spanish acciones, I believe, but could be wrong . . . There are probably better examples. Tamén and Também, perhaps. As the Portuguese M here is pronounced like an N. I think . . .
Note 2: If the Spanish and Portuguese translations of the original Galician are wrong anywhere, blame Google, not me. I have tweaked them where I thought they were wrong, or used a different word when a similar one would do just as well.
Finally . . .
- Here's a confession . . . Until the camino walk last Saturday, I'd never eaten a grape in my life. One of my little food fads. But I couldn't resist either the little black or little white grapes on the vines and, of course, found them delicious. Never too late, I guess.
Correction: Yesterday's mistakes in my post included a failure to add this link to a guide in English to the Forgotten Camino de Santiago.
THE ARTICLE
I voted Remain but I’ll take any solution to end this chaos: Charle Dunstone, the Times.
I was a passionate Remainer and was desperately disappointed when the nation voted for Brexit. But sorry and depressed as I was then, even in my lowest moments I never envisaged the nightmare we have subsequently managed to turn it into.
I think I speak for many in business, and probably the nation as a whole, when I say that we feel utterly let down by politicians from all sides. They have repeatedly put ambition and party politics ahead of the needs of the people they have been elected to serve. They seem to have become totally absorbed by the Westminster bubble.
I’ve noticed that almost everyone apart from the media and politicians has stopped talking about Brexit. I’ve been in meetings where people say “sorry to mention the B word” when they have to talk specifically about something it affects. Beyond that, we’re done; we’ve said all we’ve got to say on the subject. We’re thoroughly bored and tired of it.
The British are a creative, adaptable and imaginative nation and better than most at coping with whatever is thrown at them. What we struggle to deal with is the seemingly never-ending cycle of Brexit paralysis and uncertainty.
I feel as though we are all stuck in the car park after a fire drill: we’re cold, wet and we’ve been here for hours. All we want to do is get back inside and get on with our jobs and lives. Instead the people who run our building are squabbling about what type of drill they want to run next time and have forgotten about all of us, the people they are paid to serve.
I’m not sure that many of them have considered that the repeated extensions and consequent uncertainty may actually be worse for the economy than choosing an option and getting on with it. Nothing is happening, no decisions are being made, investment decisions are on hold or going elsewhere. We are dying a slow death out here.
With apologies to Donald Rumsfeld, I now believe that any of the knowns are preferable to carrying on with the unknown. I think I speak for many when I say: please just do something, we simply don’t care any more. Stay, May’s deal or no-deal, let’s just get on with it. Whatever it is, once we know what we’re dealing with, we’ll get on and make the most of it.
So please politicians, stop being so dogmatic, cynical and tribal. Finish this thing so we can all move on.
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