Thoughts from Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain

Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day

Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.   

- Christopher Howse: 'A Pilgrim in Spain'*

 Life in Spain: Living La Vida Loca . . . . .

• In some parts of Spain, the only thing worse than having no tourists is having Brits return to their favourite vomiting grounds
• Talking of the South . . . A Valencian gentleman earned €500,000 over 10 years as a civil servant by doing nothing more than clocking in and out of his office. El Mundo reported this and was sued by the guy for defamation. Successfully . . . But the Supreme Court has now reversed this ridiculous verdict of the Valencia court. Though there's no sign at all of the chap being prosecuted or being asked to repay any of the half million. 
• This morning I'm trying to pay the relevant tax ahead of a cita at 9 tomorrow to progress my TIE application. The relevant government site is not responding and is giving me the message You are not connected to the internet. As I plainly am, this presumably means that the site has a problem, not me. If I can't at least download the form to fill and take to a bank today, then my application won't be processed tomorrow and I'll have to return some time later. But, then, I expect this to happen anyway. Good job it's not remotely urgent.
• Here's what O Burgo bridge now looks like, with all the fences finally gone. I suspect the last hold-up is getting all the flashy ('world first') light system installed and operating:

• Here's María's Day 29 of our Adjusted normal. Those elections.

The EU

• Germany is going to be more European than ever, it says here. Good to know.

The USA

• Life imitating art. Or at least Private Eye . . .

Spanish

• As you all know, the V and the B are both pronounced as a B in Spanish. To make things even more complicated, Castillano and Gallego use different letters in some words. So the O Vao I mentioned yesterday is O Bao in Galician. Or Castillano. I'm never certain which way round it is. But what is clear is that the Castillian version - whether it's V or V - uses the Galician O in place of El. No wonder it's confusing.
• You might be able to access this article on the V v. B issue.

Finally 

• The word Dublin comes from the Gaelic Dubh Linn, literally Black Pool. And, as it happens, Dublin is virtually opposite the infamous Blackpool in England. Oddly, the modern Gaelic name for Dublin is Baile Atha Cliath. I believe the first word means Home but have no idea about the other 2.

* A terrible book, by the way. Don't be tempted to buy it, unless you're a very religious Protestant.