Uncategorized
Musings From Northern Spain and France
September 1, 2008 
After a week of crusing about northern Spain and SW France making photos for the day job, it is time for the GUARDIAN to share some thoughts–and give you all some topics for the blog.
For ease of navigating, we will offer up observations as follows::
–Gas in France is 1.52€ per liter and only 1.19€ in Spain. Folks near the border line up in Spain of course. With the EEC, there are no border guards and of course the money is the same.
–Our cars in USA are simply too darn big! After driving an underpowered Citreon that is very comfortable and miserly on gas consumption, it is easy to see the daily waste.
–Lots of windmill electric generators to bee seen and here they are mostly turning.
–Well designed big cities have broad avenues and boulevards. Small villages that grow tend to do so with modern additions OUTSIDE the “old town.” The cores are walking only in the small to medium places. A Dodge minivan looks like a Boise City bus amonst the small cars and narrow streets.
–Lots of Basque people have knowledge of Boise, but Reno seems more popular. Boise is listed as a “sister city” to Gernika Spain on a really grubby sign at the city limits. (will post photo on return)
–Talking at dinner with some Brits and they perceive that Americans are all “crazed gun nuts.” I explained in Idaho the ONLY law that comes to mind that does NOT apply to everyone is the concealed weapon carry that allows elected officials–but not ordinary citizens–to carry without permit or training. The Ferdinand case is a good example…any “commoner” would have been convicted without question.
–Our children all need to learn at least one foreign language. My lack of communication skills results in sometimes humorous, sometimes futile charades.
–ACHD could take lessons from engineers in the France and Spain when it comes to signs, left turn “loops” on the right side of the load and large ROUND ABOUTS that really work well.
–George Bush is not at all popular and there is great hope for Obama…combined with the unknown factor. The attitudes of the world are indeed changing.
–England is headed for a big economic fall. Regardless of value of the dollar, things are outrageously expensive. There is an influx of easturn Europeans–especially Polish taking the low pay jobs and they have a rep of being smart and hard workers.
–There are a lot of horrific highway crashes in the news with six, or more fatalities. Often car-truck and buses. The issue is the narrow roads, crazy drivers–NOT the size of the cars.
That should give you some topics after a long Labor Day weekend.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Sep 1, 2008, 6:03 pm
I have seen those left turn loops in New Jersey before. They work well but consume extra land and can be confusing.
Sep 1, 2008, 10:09 pm
Did you note that the high price of gas is almost 100% the result of government taxes. The French are simply moore greedy then the Spanish. I note you also didn’t mention the current meltdown in the Spanish real estate market. Thier problems make ours look easy because so many of their overpriced homes are owned by foreigners. Those round-a-bouts have a much higher accident rate than do our cloverleafs and have a bigger real estate stamp. That is why we moved away from them in the 1950’s. Oh, and the same folk who long for Obama are voting their own left out of office all over Europe. It seems there might be a limit on the number of votes one can buy with other peoples money. The folk who speak of gun toting cowboys in America don’t know that their own countries have a higher violent crime rate than here and that theirs is is increasing while ours is dropping. Perhaps it is something other than the guns. Perhaps Americans retain their balls while the EU has theirs in a locked box.
Sep 2, 2008, 1:24 pm
For all it’s faults, a really bad day in Boise – or America for that matter – is still better than a really good day in about 3/4 of the rest of the world.
As we tackle the challenges that face us, I am reminded of a quote attributed to Winston Churchill, to wit:
“You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing… After they’ve tried everything else!”
Sep 2, 2008, 3:51 pm
“ACHD could take lessons from engineers in the France and Spain when it comes to signs, left turn “loops” on the right side of the load and large ROUND ABOUTS that really work well.”
I can hear those guys filling out their travel requests as I type.
Sep 3, 2008, 2:47 pm
I moved to America (and Idaho) from Spain in 1987 and have been a US citizen since 1994. I’m never going back. I am glad that the Euronized Spaniards, who allowed their elections to be swayed by an act of mass murder, approve of one of our Presidential nominees. I will sleep better tonight.
EDITOR NOTE– To one and all. I love America, I love Boise, but it is nice to note how other people live in other places. Lighten up and enjoy life–I am not advocating anything other than making our own little world a better place.
The Euro is worth around $1.50 and there are approximately 4 liters in a gallon. Today in Boise I filled up at $3.84 a gallon. The cute little crash-test failure rental cars may be fuel efficient, but in Spain you’re paying a sweet seven bucks a gallon.
The Europeans are more dependent on foreign energy than the USA. Why else would they barely whiff as Russia begins to invade former Soviet states? Russia holds all the cards and the flaccid EU “government” can and will do nothing until we are on the doorstep of another European war.
Enjoy the paella and the beautiful sunsets over a short visit because a long one would open your eyes too wide and only make you sick.
Sep 3, 2008, 4:52 pm
Jorge,
Welcome to America. Just remember, If Bush was having a love fest with Russia and our oil companies were making billions there, the Georgians would be labled terorists and the Russians “freedom fighters”. Just like in Spain, the Basques are terroists because they don’t have anything we want or can sell at WalMart. It’s all how you look at it.
Sep 4, 2008, 9:29 pm
Editor, I have lived on 3 continents, visited 5 and can say that very few things that folk in the rest of the world do is better than we manage in our provincial country. I lived in Scotland in 1991 and 92. My home was 7 years old. I had to chip a hole in the ice in my toilet every morning in winter…no insulation, not double paned windows, not garbage disposals. Sewage disposal was simply a pipe that dumped raw sewage a minel into the Atlantic. About 3 years ago the Uk changed their laws on double jeopardy letting the government prosecute over and over again till they got the result they desired. In 1997 they outlawed all guns and gun crime increased 80%, violent crime over 100%. Hot breakins, with the owners home, are 17% in the USA and over 70% in the UK. It seems the crooks like unarmed victims.
I am tired of hearing how much better they manage it than we do when they really screw it up.
Sep 8, 2008, 2:59 pm
This being a football town, it shouldn’t surprise anybody there are those with the mentality of “us all good, them all bad”.
Duh, is it possible that somebody else could have a good idea? When you praise someone, does it mean you hate yourself?
Thanks Dave, I wish you’d write more on your world travels. A lot more, in fact.