Incarni rolled up on her 883 Harley-Davidson and we began to chat. We had a great time talking about life, the world and the universe. She appeared to know just about everyone in Rute and we were joined by her husband about 1130 pm. It is clear they are well known and respected in Rute and the tapas this attracts was excellent! Baby Squid and salted battered fish were all consumed with relish. Jesus asked if I fancied spending the following afternoon with him watching the Andy Murray Rafa Nadal singles semi-final tennis match from Roland Garros.
Unfortunately my aches and pains were really becoming a problem and the pain was such that my time with these wonderful people was very limited due to the fact I needed to go home and rest after only a few active hours. It reminded me of my last days at work. When it is this bad the pain killers don’t really help – I’ve run out now anyway.
They invited me to a concert on the Saturday night but I just couldn’t do it but we also made arrangements to meet up Sunday lunch time for a classic car and bike rally in the square the Plaza that my house overlooks. Incarni’s father owns several classic cars from the pre-war era and it sounded like a nice few hours and so it was. We met up in the square then, with Jesus in my car and Incarni with the bikes on her Harley, we followed the group to a couple of bars for dinks and lunch. Some of the bikers I recognised from town and this was another way to introduce myself to the locals and, as I have written before, these could be the first steps in integration if I so desire.
Tonight I hope to go, if I can, to the de Meido bar and say my goodbyes there. Tomorrow I pack and go out for dinner with Lez and Terri. This English couple have supported me very well and I am looking forward to seeing them again later in the year. Lez is an incredibly talented man and one of those people that the more you look the more depth and talent there is to see. I hope he has enjoyed our chats as much as I have.
In trying to explain how to speak good English to Encarni and Jesus I have also distilled my thoughts on my own country and countrymen. You can’t help but draw comparisons. France and the French are more like England and the English than either country would admit to! This is especially true of southern England and northern France. In Italy I was on holiday really so I can’t really comment. I have been living in Spain for the last month and whilst I have only scratched the surface of this country there are some obvious differences between the English and Spanish as well as some surprising similarities. The sense of humour for example is very similar. Given that I think the English sense of humour; our ability to take the piss out of ourselves is something the English take for granted, but it is rare in Europe. The French are not like this at all – it’s a serious business being French! The Italians are very pre-occupied with being beautiful and any slight against this position is seen as an insult. The Spanish and English appear to share the same sense of humour and this is probably why there are so many English living in Spain.
So to the differences. Driving in Europe is an interesting experience. To date I have driven 4800 miles across these 3 great European countries. Lane discipline (sticking to a lane without crossing the lines) is not good in Spain, Italy or France. In England it simply would not be tolerated and either road rage by outraged English drivers or attention from the Police would eradicate it. The Italians, especially the southern Italians are simply dangerous. The French drive fast but their lane discipline stops them from being good drivers. The Spanish are probably the best of the three. They keep to the speed limits and rarely make unexpected moves except for the occasional departure across the centre lane for no apparent reason. The English and the Germans are the beat drivers in Europe that I have seen. Given how busy the roads are in England I guess we have to be. Most cars in Italy have dents. About 40% of cars in Spain have sideswipe scratches. In England most newish cars are intact. That I think says it all.
There is no doubt that British infrastructure is better than any of the great European countries I have visited in the last two months. Broadband and super fast broadband is cheap and in the vast majority of British houses. In Europe I have not seen this. The quality of British plumbing, electrical supply and housing is also higher. The truth is due to the comparatively poor weather in Britain it has to be. The British do not spend as much time outdoors as any of the other countries I have visited on this trip so our houses must work better. The English education system, whilst not the best or, increasingly the fairest, in the United Kingdom is very good indeed. Law enforcement in the UK is also in a different league. It appears to me that if it is not against the law in England then it is compulsory! These things, the British staying at home, the obsessive enforcement of rules and regulations and the pre-packaged youth groomed to work all the hours they can to pay off their University debts comes with a terrible price for England. Compared to France, Italy and Spain our culture and it high ideals is badly flawed. Our young and not so young watch our soap operas and believe their fantastic plots are real and seek to copy them or at least accept them as being real. Our old people are frightened to walk the streets and socialise with the young. The old are also becoming increasingly isolated within English communities. The wealthy English old people live in retirement flats rather than real homes. We let them wither in old age and give them drugs. Our teenagers tend to look like hookers as do the divorced 40somethings looking for their second (or third, or forth, or fifth etc) live in relationship. Drunks or other menacing groups possess our streets after midnight in the middle of our towns and cities. The English are not expected to police themselves therefore we don’t. The English obsession with money and hard work leaves precious little time to spend with our families. The English rejection of religion (I’m an atheist as well) removes yet another forum where families can exist together. In England we have a very advanced welfare state where from the “cradle to the grave” you are looked after in a nanny state. In Europe you rely on your family to help in the hard times. You do not see people without work drinking heavily in bars in Europe. They simply cannot afford to do so. Instead they are required to maintain the trees, public spaces and other civic assets. No wonder the Rute is clean and the local taxes are very low when compared to England.
As an Englishman I have all of these flaws as well. One thing this trip has shown me however is there is another way but I think I am swimming against the tide. A common message has been expressed to me during my 5000 miles trek across western Europe. That is mainland Europe is following the Anglo-Saxon social model albeit 50 years behind. To the Spanish I say look and learn from the English. Money is not everything.
From my writing above it may appear that I am rejecting my country and its culture but nothing could be further from the truth. I am proud to be British. I am proud to be English. Our laws (the millions that there are of them) apply to all and are free from sexist, religious and any other forms of discrimination. These laws are also applied by an independent judiciary who often rule against the state. Our welfare state protects the weakest from true poverty. Our health care is mostly free at the point of delivery and our national infrastructure is world class. We take our democracy for granted and our type of democracy delivers strong enduring governments. This allows my country to regularly take on big projects that may take decades because Britain is so stable and has been so for centuries. This self assuredness however can make the English (especially) people arrogant and disrespectful when we go abroad. The Spanish for example love to tell me of the drunks that populate the Costa Brava and other tourist haunts here. They also like to tell me how much money they make from the English in inflated prices. He who laughs last, laughs longest.. We like to remind ourselves that in the past we have defeated most of neighbours and other countries further afield in terrible and sometimes avoidable wars. We DON’T like to remind ourselves of the terrible cost to our world standing in doing so.
In my lifetime, generally speaking, I remember when The United Kingdom was a country that was respected for its technological achievements, its sense of fair play, its tolerance and its democracy. Now we are known for our poor behaviour when on holiday abroad and our warmongering. I would like that to change and I hope I have done as much as I could on this trip to help this cause. You are what you do.
It is my last night in Spain tomorrow. I would like to thank all of the Spanish I have met for their generosity of spirit and their friendship. I would also like to thank the British ex-pats here for the same. Funny how they are here, in their tens of thousands, and not in Britain.
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