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Patrick in Spain


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2024 Jul 19, 2:57pm   348 views  13 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (61)   💰tip   ignore  

My wife and I just spent two weeks in northern Spain, getting back yesterday just before the internet crash cancelled a lot of flights, whew. We flew into Madrid, visited an old college friend of mine, then took the train up to the Basque country, rented a car, drove across the northern coast of Spain, ending up in Santiago de Compostela, where we returned the car and got a train back to Madrid for the flight home.

Thoughts:

Way more prosperous than Mexico or Argentina, Spanish-speaking places we have also visited.

Most people were Spanish. People would turn their heads when I spoke English. Not many people were the Indiano mixed types I see in California. They were all pretty much European looking, except for maybe a few percent each of friendly Africans selling things on the streets, and Moroccans who don't seem to work and look very unfriendly.

Basque country had everything dual language, even things like banks. Basque is definitely a living language, though used more in the countryside than cities. They had a lot of "Free Palestine" graffiti in Basque. Galicia also had graffiti like "Galicia no es España" where some counter-protestor had crossed out the "no". Galician language seems to be mixed Portuguese and Spanish.

Lots of homo flags still up from Sodomy Month, and gays and some trannies were about.

Restaurants were generally high quality and about half of what it would cost where we live. People use credit cards for pretty much everything, even tiny purchases. No prices in restaurants or cafes, but very few problems with getting overcharged or crap food. Happened a couple of times in very touristy areas. I remember Italy as being full of scam restaurants.

One graffito in Santiago said "tourists go home", but their whole existence has been tourists forever, being the end of a major pilgrimage route.

Driving was a bit stressful, since the speed limit would change over and over in large and unpredictable ways. I don't recommend driving in Spain.

Lots of smokers everywhere. People drink a lot late into the evening, especially Friday and Saturday nights.

Overall, people were quite friendly and chill.

This was not even a tourist restaurant, but instructions on how to piss were in English:


Comments 1 - 13 of 13        Search these comments

1   HeadSet   2024 Jul 19, 4:43pm  

Patrick says


My wife and I just spent two weeks in northern Spain, getting back yesterday just before the internet crash cancelled a lot of flights

Lucky. Just like my wife who flew to Montana on Wednesday got out before the glitch. I hope this will not affect her trip back on Sunday with any rolling outage issues.

EDIT 7/21/24. No such luck, her flight out of Salt Lake City was another of several cancelled and she is one of the many stranded there.
2   mell   2024 Jul 19, 5:04pm  

Partied a lot in Barcelona and Callafel in my youth
3   beershrine   2024 Jul 19, 6:22pm  

That's a different world no thanks, I have a friend that cancel his business trip to Barcelona and instead played in the world series poker in Vegas for the week. Still a mad house of stupid any big city.
4   komputodo   2024 Jul 20, 3:35pm  

Funny place for the SOLO USO CLIENTES sign...they think the guy is in the stall ready to take a piss or a shit and is going to stop when he reads the sign?
5   WookieMan   2024 Jul 20, 7:06pm  

beershrine says

That's a different world no thanks, I have a friend that cancel his business trip to Barcelona and instead played in the world series poker in Vegas for the week. Still a mad house of stupid any big city.

Yeah, no interest in Spain. If that's your jam not judging. I have no interest in Europe. Vegas can eat a pile of shit too. Been too many times as my dad was an extreme gambler. Now it's just layover flights to get up to Bozeman, MT or Spokane, WA. I think Vegas is about 12-13 non-layover visits. Most pre age 21. I also have no interest in gambling, whores, strippers and drugs.
6   AmericanKulak   2024 Jul 20, 7:11pm  

Patrick says

Moroccans who don't seem to work and look very unfriendly.

If you want to piss off a Falangist, or get the truth, mention the Moroccan legion in the Spanish Civil War.

Lots of atrocities ascribed to them.
7   Patrick   2024 Jul 20, 7:34pm  

@WookieMan

Tell me what's in Bozeman, MT or Spokane, WA. I'm interested.
9   HeadSet   2024 Oct 6, 12:33pm  

Patrick says





Water Country (a large park with water slides, wave pools, etc.) was primarily staffed this summer by Spanish exchange students. It was odd hearing so many blue eyed and blond folks speaking to each other in Spanish.
10   AmericanKulak   2024 Oct 6, 1:42pm  

I make Argies and 'Guays howl with laughter with my Castillian accent. Thinco Mortillas, por el Hombre de Madrith, por favor

Literally the courtier's lisp.
11   Patrick   2024 Oct 6, 2:11pm  

I know Spain is a European country, but it was still a bit odd for me to hear so much Spanish without seeing any people who look like the Spanish speakers around where I live.
12   Patrick   2024 Oct 8, 11:04am  




Ecuador is not the real problem in Spain though. It's the Morroccans.
13   WookieMan   2024 Oct 10, 7:55am  

Patrick says

Tell me what's in Bozeman, MT or Spokane, WA. I'm interested.

Missed this. Intentional derailment of a thread.

Bozeman - If you're active there's tons of hiking. If you're into fishing or want to learn fly fishing, it's the GOAT of fly fishing on the Madison river. If you ski at all, for some reason I picture you as a skier type, but Big Sky is amazing in winter. About 45min south of Bozeman. I have the trail maps above my computer currently. Same with Bridger which is closer, but minimal green runs.

I actually haven't been, but Glacier I think is about 3-4 hours away as well. If you visit MT it's going to be a lot of driving. I know it's illegal, but drinking and driving is the norm out there. No cops basically besides in town. Few traffic accidents outside of winter. Don't drink and drive in the town though.

I could write a novel on the area. You still have Yellowstone an hour to the south. Do the loop through Ennis and Earthquake Lake, Hebgen, Yellowstone and Big Sky. 3 hours, but worth it. You'll spend 7-8 hours hiking, eating lunch, fishing, or whatever. 10-12 hour day. I have photographic memory of the place.

Tetons are 2 hours roughly, but that's one of my favorite national parks. Jackson is a cool town as well. Again, you just have to understand you're going to be in a car for 3 hours a day to do stuff and probably more.

My buddies out there have their go to spots. I usually rent a car and just say fuck it, we're taking this road. We've found some random cool spots that they didn't know about. Lava Lake is a must do hike. It's kind of rough, but my kids handled it at 6 and 8. I usually have 20 drinks on my back. Just north of Big Sky. Don't do it in the winter.... learned my lesson this year. Yak Tracks.

Spokane, WA - Usually not my style at all. Hipster city. I just liked it. Wasn't like Portland, OR. It just had a good vibe for a city. No crime feeling. No homelessness, rare in Washington. I can't really tell you what to do there, but you just find it. I guess that's kind of my point. It's weird. I was solo all 4-5 times. I think it's a good city for that. Just walk around. It's not big by any stretch. They have the scooters as well. Airport is nice and small.

I don't like cities as commented here before, but it's a top 5. Not in order, but Spokane, San Diego, Miami, Montgomery, AL, and San Juan, PR (not a state, but what ever). Talking 200k population roughly. Not the 1M+ cities.

I know the good parts of Chicago, but no. I have to go there this weekend. Fucking gay. Goal for the wife was to do a marathon so I'll yell at her and throw shit at her. Not joking. I'm a dick. She'll laugh though. I'll have to see the forecast, maybe water balloons if it's warm. Or I'll get some of those foam balls and chuck them at her and other runners.

I really don't want to go.... She just left to get her race shit in Chicago. I don't know, I don't like the runner vibe. They're weird. Kind of like bikers. I don't need my knees replaced at 50. I have enjoyed Chicago but I'm done with it. I'm young, but might be my last time in downtown Chicago. My anxiety gets to me. Legit PTSD having worked there 15 years. This will be her first marathon and my last as a spectator.

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