Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.
Spain
Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain
- Says a columnist on The Corner, Spain's political instability at home is continuing to undermine her influence abroad, specifically in Brussels. Click here for this.
- I neglected to point out yesterday that youth unemployment in Spain is very much higher than the overall rate of 14%. In fact, I read yesterday morning that the great majority of young people who return from the UK immediately go back there when they realise that what jobs they can get now pay less than half that what they did when they left in the first place. This, of course, is the result of EU imposed 'internal devaluation' on Spain after the ludicrous construction-driven boom. An entire generation is paying the price for massive greed and corruption.
- As long expected, a proportion of holidaymakers are now abandoning Spain for the (cheaper) places they used to choose before terrorist activities put these out of bounds. See here on this.
- Outside my window, the rain is falling from a solid blanket of grey cloud. It doesn't look like the weekend of Operación Salida, when millions of Spaniards take to the road for their annual holiday destinations. Anyway, if you're among this number, here's The Local's advice for you.
- As I've said, there are at least 39 caminos de Santiago and this year will see in excess of 350,000 'pilgrims' wending their way to the (not really) bones of St James/Iago. A Spanish camino site has provided the list below of categories. They stress it's just a bit of fun but I fear that, in these times of hyper-sensitivity, one of the categories could be considered 'racist'. BTW, I've only slightly modified Google's translation of the original text. Don't blame me of its idiosycracies . . .
- Living in Spain and worried about the impact of Brexit? Here's some advice from the British Ambassador: Whether we leave the EU with or without a deal it is vital that you and your friends and family out here living in Spain are properly registered as residents. This gentleman will be holding a Facebook live Q&A on the issue on Tuesday July 30th at 4pm Spanish time on the Brits in Spain Facebook page.
- The usual - and believed to be very wrong - official number of Brits resident in Spain is around 300,000. But this only reflects the numbers who've registered with their town hall. Which not everyone does. So, it'll be interesting to see how high the number goes after worried Brits have flocked to the town halls to do what they should have done years ago.
- Modelo 720 is shorthand for an infamous 2012 law re the overseas assets of residents in Spain. As of now, it's been declared prima facie illegal by the EU Commission, not per se but in respect of the humungous fines it imposes. When I first came up against it 5 or more years ago, even (expensive) consultants couldn't give me a reliable interpretation of its implementation. And they laughed at my suggestion they ask one or more inspectors from the Hacienda. The main reason was that they felt there'd be as many opinions as the number of inspectors they asked. Another reason was that there was, as yet, no 'case law'. Since then we've had the case of one man fined an amount higher than the total of his assets and this week we've had the case of a young man who was given some money by his father in Italy which the Hacienda arbitralily decided was 'black money' and then did the same thing - fined him more than the money he'd received. Fortunately, a Spanish court has declared this illegal. But the truth is we still remain in ignorance of the application of this law. A major reason is that the Spanish government has failed to respond to the EU Commission demand for a response to its initial verdict on the law within a period of 2 months. And that was over 2 years ago. Life can be rather unclear and arbitrary here. Not surprisingly, it's been reported several times that thousand of Brits have quit Spain since 2012, to avoid any risks to their assets back in the UK. This, of course, has had an (unquantifiable) negative impact on the official number of 300,000 British residents.
- I reported yesterday someone's comment that social media had coarsened dialogue between us. Here's a case in point - reader María's experience after she'd made a FB comment similar to mine that the 'far left' Podemos party was cutting its own throat and increasing the chance that the far right Vox party would be part of the national government after the possible elections next November:- Ah, social media. I am, politically, to the left of the PSOE, and have voted for Podemos. I also belong to a closed Facebook page of Podemos voters. Today, I posted that, for the good of the country, and to avoid fall elections where Podemos might very well disappear, and the right dramatically rise, that Podemos should take what is offered them and do the best job possible with it. I've been called a "facha", "errejonista", "perdedora" and countless other labels in the course of the morning. No wonder this country is going to the Vox dogs. Sad. And worrying.
- Footballer Gareth Bale, unwanted at Real Madrid, might well move to China for a wage of GBP1 million a week. At least insane, if not obscene.
- The Scots, the Welsh and the Northern Irish may well complain that foreigners use England when they really mean Great Britain or the UK. Just as Brits use Holland when they should say The Netherlands. Anyway, in an address yesterday, that stable genius, Mr Trump, gave the lie to this, when he said that 'England' was a rarely heard word and that Americans should know it was part of the UK. But perhaps he's right as regards US practice. And levels of ignorance. I guess it's quite possible that Fart has only just learnt this himself. As with the 'Who'd have thought it?' complexity of the healthcare system.
- Word of the Day: Hoja
- Dutch folk are famous for their ability to speak excellent English. In contrast, the English are not so famous for speaking Dutch. Possibly because of the rather guttural sound in, for example, Schiphol. A Dutch friend once gave me a word which contained this sound thrice - achtentachtig. Or '88'. And 2 Dutch visitors this week gave me the challenging - but unlikely - phrase Allemachtig prachtig achtentachtig - 'Very beautiful/great 88'. You can hear it here if you click on the little loudspeaker symbol on the left. Good luck with reproducing it. I'll be eternally grateful to the Dutch for the fact that I'll never have to try.
What types of pilgrims exist on the Camino de Santiago?
(Remember that this is simply an ironic list and should not be taken at face value)
Of course we are all different and we are looking for different goals in the Jacobean route, although nobody can deny that some features unite us as pilgrims. That is why we
started thinking and we came up with this list, partly in a joke, in a certain way, to "pigeonhole" and label the different types of walkers we are going to meet.
These types of pilgrims often mix; They are not closed at all. From your pilgrimage experience, can you think of other types? Share them with us in the comments.
Newcomer pilgrim
We have all been rookie pilgrims once, arriving on the Camino de Santiago with many doubts, but we have come forward in one way or another, with the help of more veteran pilgrims and with open eyes and ears. When we go through it for the first time, we usually carry in our backpack more than we need, footwear plays tricks on us and it is not difficult to avoid blisters. The uncertainty that accompanies us when we leave the door of the house with the backpack behind us becomes joyful when we reach the Plaza de Obradoiro (and sadness when it comes to return).
Veteran pilgrim
The veteran pilgrim is a man toughened by a thousand battles, who know the Camino de Santiago as the palm of his hand, every year he tries to try new alternative routes and usually runs away from the massages of the French Way. He is always willing to help newbies and always end up sharing his best anecdotes and when he finishes the Road he is already thinking when the next one can begin. It has been a long time since they depended on friends or family to embark on the adventure; Doing it on your own is no problem, you always find company on the Camino when you need it.
Adventurous pilgrim
The adventurous pilgrim faces the Camino de Santiago as a new challenge to add to their experiences; usually lacks religious motivations to do so, simply looks for destinations in which to practice sport in the middle of nature and stay fit (and the Camino is perfect for it). As the veteran pilgrim, he is not afraid to discover and travel alternative routes such as the Northern Way or the Primitive Way, he even looks for them. He is not a friend of the pilgrim crowds and does not mind giving up comfort. Take the necessary equipment to travel the Camino de Santiago, but [sic]
Futuristic Pilgrim. [Geoff?😀]
This type of pilgrim is characterized by always having the latest in terms of equipment, with the best trekking shoes on the market, the essential activity bracelet and a Go-Pro adventure camera on the chest to record everything on video. He is more aware of his smartphone, checking his pace at each stage, than enjoying the landscape in front of him. Shares daily on social networks his way through the Camino de Santiago without being able to disconnect digitally. Like the turigrino or the rookie pilgrim, the weight of his backpack ends up taking its toll.
Turigrino
The turigrino is one of the types of pilgrim who has flourished the most on the Camino de Santiago in the last 10 years. In their environment, many family and friends have told him how much fun they have had on the Camino, which has become fashionable, so they want to see it with their own eyes, but without giving up a comfortable holiday. They are simply passing through and are not interested in the spirit of the pilgrim or the camaraderie among walkers. They usually spend very few days in walking, relying on backpack transport services (if they do not carry a trolley directly) and at the time of resting they prefer to opt for hostels and hotels.
Religious Pilgrim
Being a pilgrim with religious motivations is not incompatible with being a veteran or debuting pilgrim. These pilgrims understand the pilgrimage in the same way as the walkers of centuries ago; They seek to complete a spiritual journey and arrive at the Cathedral of Santiago to pay their respects to the Apostle. Given the boom of the Camino de Santiago among the general public - who simply seek an experience - they increasingly represent a smaller percentage of the total. They live the Way embracing all their symbols, such as the scallop shell, the staff or the pilgrim hat and find on the Jacobean route a spiritual and religious context that is increasingly difficult to see in their day to day.
Asian pilgrim
The eastern pilgrim, who comes mainly from South Korea (although many other eastern countries provide walkers), is a kind of visitor who has appeared on the Camino in the last decade. The boom of the Camino de Santiago has also reached South Korea and pushes thousands of walkers every year to travel half the world to reach to Spain. They usually travel it in winter or spring (coinciding with their vacation time) and are usually open and friendly with the rest of the pilgrims. Although many South Korean pilgrims are Christians, the main motivation to travel the Camino is the search for adventure and disconnection from routine.
Bicigrino
Bicigrino is how pilgrims who advance by bicycle are popularly known*. They travel a greater distance in each stage than the pilgrims on foot, so for them it is a perfect way to get to know many places in the north of the peninsula, although going through some stages mounted by bike is very hard. They are sports enthusiasts, they do not carry a backpack on their backs - all their luggage is well distributed in their saddlebags - and they are very well prepared for the unforeseen, with a set of tools and tent, in case they run out of place in the public hostels (where walking pilgrims have priority).
* Not by me. I prefer 'inconsiderate bastards'.
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