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'
NOTE: Info on Galicia and my Guide to Pontevedra city here.
Covid
The EU: Has said it will be open [not sure when*] without a need for quarantine or testing to fully vaccinated travellers making non-essential trips from countries with low Covid-19 infection rates. The UK and the USA are expected to be on the list.
But:
Holidays aren't seen as non-essential, as least not by the UK government. A government minister has insisted Brits aren't allowed to holiday in Amber countries such as Spain. Not surprisingly, the tourism industry has warned that 'mixed messages' are risking disaster for it. More that 70% of British travel companies are said to be selling holidays in Amber countries. Which can only end in tears for some. And possibly some law suits.
*Stop-press: Diplomatic sources suggest that ears about the spread of the Indian variant will delay an EU decision to allow easier access for British tourists, including those fully vaccinated. A decision to add Britain to the safe travel list was expected tomorrow but growing concern about clusters of the Indian variant could cause a delay.
Cousas de España
Politics: Some good news from Cataluña?
Economics: Definitely some good - if surprising - news for the entire country
There is 'A high-profile spat is taking place between the boss of Banco Santander, Ana Botín, and a chap who thinks he was appointed its CEO but suddenly wasn't. This is said to have transfixed Europe’s banking industry. Though possibly no the rest of us.
Cousas de Galiza
María's Level Ground: Days 44-46. Uh, uh. It seems that, with the state of alarm gone, everyone thinks the pandemic is over.
Driving in and around Pontevedra city, I see no evidence yet of the reduced speed limits. So, I wonder what the legal situation is for those who haven't read the State Bulletin and abide by the (incorrect?) signs still in place.
The USA
The US state attorney-general has said that an investigation into the Trump Organisation is no longer purely civil but had become a criminal one. This doesn't mean anyone's guilty of anything, of course . . .
The Way of the World
Oh, good . . . Google is to offer users help with gender-neutral language. Just when I was beginning to get a bit desperate . . . Am so pleased to know I'll be reminded not to write things like 'chairman'. But what about 'he' and 'she'?
The Twitter account of a Vox politician was temporarily suspended this week after he wrote that a man can't get pregnant because he has no womb or eggs. According to Twitter, this amounted to the incitement of hatred. I guess that, if one person anywhere in the world felt hated, this was accurate in today's non-judgmental, (hyper)sensitive world. The man should be hung. But only because he’s a member of Vox.
Spanish
Los bafles: Baffles, or loudspeakers/'cabinets'. Singular Un bafle: 1. La pantalla o caja acústica que mejora la calidad del sonido de un altavoz. 2. El altavoz de un equipo de sonido. There’s no long an excuse to be baffled by this word . . .
Quote of the Day: The most dangerous 4 words in the English language, especially in the context of finance/economics - 'It's different this time'.
Finally . . .
Well, I might have managed to evade the Covid virus over 12 months but not the bloody common cold virus brought here by my daughter and grandson from Madrid. Not to mention a cough. Así son las cosas.