Thanks for that, Rob - a fascinating and troubling insight into the toll mass tourism is exacting on places like Barcelona. For the record, this picture was shot in Sitges, a relatively short train ride from the city.
Hi Seamus,
I'm concerned about what's going down in the UK regarding the Brexit matter. For me, it could be a disaster if only for medicines, about which there seems confusion as to whether it's a separate agreement or an EEC one to have a reciprocation deal, but for the wider Brit population happy at home, I think it would be a mistake to quit. Even just the E 111 is a piece of solid gold when you need it. And anyone well might. That aside, being part of a bigger commercial market, with the rights that gives you, still makes sense, however you cut it.
Yep, there's a huge difference between a common market and a political union. That's what we all believed we were getting into, as I imagine, did our fellow members across the Channel. I shouldn't think many of them - apart from maybe the French - wanted to share in what was our nature of constant strikes, labour disputes and closing factories. I guess they just wanted to ship more wine, cheese and pasta, and cars and cameras, and sell easier package holidays with fewer currency control restrictions. Few bargained for what they got: French, Spanish and Italian property prices hitting the roof because of the deeper pockets and greater gullibility of the Brits and Germans abroad, until they reached a pitch where, as I was told to my face by a local plumber doing a job for us one day, that the locals could no longer afford to get married, buy a home of their own. Sure, the Spaniards who sold made some big money - in their then current terms and perspectives - but lots also discovered that they could no longer buy back into the market themselves.
It becomes a vicious circle of profit, greed, regrets; but that's one aspect that might have actually been worse without the EEC because the Euro did drive up prices and the value of the peseta changed; I will not forget the first Sunday market we went to after the ending of the peseta: a coffee had doubled in price. I doubt many cafés were unhappy about that, but if you were on a mortgage...
Perhaps cities fare worse than Hicksvilles do; by their nature, and especially if already on the tourist maps due to history, then even
more crowding will bring problems for everyone, the tourists included. I used to dread driving off the Palma/Barcelona ferry on our frequent trips to Scotland in the car. It was as bad doing it the other way around. Nothing to do with strangeness of driving on the other side: I'd already many years of living and driving here before we started to do those trips - it was simply the overwhelming confusion of the first, multi-lane roundabout that you hit as you leave the mouth of the port. There was no obvious lane to enter to get where you want to go... the return trip, through those semi-tunnel stretches with just a tiny notice telling you when to go off for the ferry terminal was no happier an experience. Made the French system into Calais's ferry terminal a model of excellence and clarity! But then, the French motorway system (bits I've used!) is a great example of good engineering and sanity.
The answer to getting more easily out of ferry and onwards to France was partially provided by getting the Saturday night ferry from Palma that took one into Barcelona very early Sunday morning. One hoped most residents would be abed, sleeping off the night before! How it must be now, with ever more visitors, I dread to think.
Rob