In a recent podcast, Ben Curtis of Notes from Spain suggested the Spanish are more respectful towards each other than others are. I’d not only agree but I’d go further and say they can display a degree of nobility that’s higher than elsewhere. All that said, I also believe it’s a fair charge the Spanish can, at times, come across to foreigners as quite rude. Very specifically, I’ve noted there’s a level of personal abuse here that’s higher than in other cultures. I’m not just talking about the loonier comments to my blog but, say, the slanging matches that take place on TV, and the insult-swapping – You’re a bigger liar than me! – in the parliament. Over coffee with a Spanish friend this week – a very intelligent but shy man – I tentatively asked whether it was true personal abuse was a feature of Spanish society. To say the least, I was taken aback by his candour. ‘Absolutely’, he said, ‘Our language even has an imperative aspect which lends itself to this.’ His view – with which others will surely disagree – is that it’s all related to the oft-made observation that every Spaniard wants to be king and is happy to disregard any rules he finds personally inconvenient. It was all a reflection of personal pride and of a desire to exercise personal power. Few Spaniards, he insisted, put forward arguments with the objective of arriving at a mutually agreed compromise, or as a participant in a search for truth; they merely wish to impose their view on their opponent. Preferably by proving he is a fool in the process. The picareresca attitude [see my blog of 14 Sept.] was very much related to this element of the Spanish character. “So . . .” I asked “Would you say it’s all down to Spanish individualismo?” “Absolutely” he replied. And we moved on to other things. As I will now do and await the flak. But I will depart with an observation quoted in the Spain section of my Galicia page and of which I was reminded by this conversation. It comes from the 19^th century Spanish writer and diplomat, Ángel Ganivet García - Every Spaniard's ideal is to carry a statutory letter with a single provision, brief but imperious: ‘This Spaniard is entitled to do whatever he feels like doing’.

Now, a warning for those thinking of following in the steps of, among others, Brian Sewell. . . A Spanish psychologist has identified a Santiago Way Syndrome which he says is similar to those going under the names of Stendhal, Jerusalem, the Wandering Jew and Ulysses. Whatever these are. He claims the condition strikes those who have a strong sense of mysticism, who suffer from fatigue after much walking and who’ve suffered previous mental health problems. The alleged symptoms are acute psychotic episodes, anguish and behaviour disorders upon completion of the walk. And possibly hallucinations along the way. The typical sufferer is male, 40 and Spanish. So, you might want to check out the guy lying next to you in the albergue before dropping off to sleep. If you can.

Finally - The least surprising headline in today’s Spanish press - Fernando Alonso could be leaving Mercedes McLaren at the end of the season.