Holiday — Why leave your brain at home?
Summer is a holiday season. Most of us take time off during summer and escape to what we think a paradise is to us. I cannot wait for when I and my husband are going to set off in August. The destination is yet to be decided. When I was growing up my parents could only take holidays at the time when the management told them.
In London, you can pretty much choose your time for the holiday. It’s in the culture. Bank holidays when combined with weekends turn into a mini holiday breaks in Europe. The world is your oyster and one can travel a lot more living in London. I loved it. Every opportunity I’d get I would go to Italy.
Once I listened to an older Russian lady. She’d send me off to a remote place where only romantic couples go. Trust me there would be nothing else around. I thought it’s a great escape to do my writing. However, all I did was have rivers of Chianti and a cat for a company who wouldn’t say a word. The writing never happened.
I got lost in my own world ‘how on earth did I end up here?’ The views were to die for but after a day of two in a complete silence and being surrounded by couples with nothing else much going on I got bored. Never again will I listen to the old Russian lady! I should have guessed she’d sent me off somewhere quiet.
Life is unpredictable and I end up living in an amazing holiday destination. Life in Barcelona is nothing more than amazing. What can you expect sun, mountains, horses, wild bores, bunnies, butterflies, beaches, great food, great Spanish people and a quality of life. The list continues.
‘Spain received a record 81 million foreign tourists in 2017, making it the second-most popular destination in the world’ according to El Pais newspaper. They say the tourism has fallen since due to Catalonia independence and the bombing, however, it doesn’t show when you are in central Barcelona.
I don’t know why the tourist behave so badly when they are on a holiday. What happens to the brain? People tend to shock me to say the least ! Their behaviour is astonishing. The English tourist are the worst, then the Russians and then the Scandinavians and the Dutch. All of them fall short in common sense when on holiday. Common sense is not that common after all.
The English tend to drink like there’s no tomorrow. The drinking wouldn’t be a problem if they kept themselves to themselves but that’s not the case. They cause havoc for the passing traffic by asking the drivers to kiss the bride to be; or pee in the reefs in the middle of the city and take their shirt off thinking they are in some kind of ‘who’s the hotest’ competition but nobody cares.
The Russians and their culture one word — shocking! They’d be ok if they didn’t teach their kids to push you when you are trying to get on a bus home. They are on a holiday and where do they have to rush in a middle of the day? They come from the culture of lack maybe that’s why they tend to push everyone and everything out of their way so they just might get a chance of getting whatever they want.
The Dutch managed to create a business for Spanish property lawyers. Did you know there’s a business now to sell properties for just Dutch people? It’s one of the biggest scams ever. The Dutch choose a house they’d like to buy and put a “deposit” which is an intent to buy. It’s not even the actual deposit for the house. The seller tells them this money is to secure the property and take it off the market.
The amount varies anything from €200 to €5000. The Dutch spend all that money for a piece of paper which is not legal. The lawyers have to track the people who took the money and there’s no property. It’s bad! But where’s their common sense? Who in their right mind would actually pay money in a different country without a lawyer being present?
The tourist created a massive thief “culture” here too. The tourist are such an easy target to get their bag off them. Why not take it? The laws in Spain for a theft is little, hence, they get away easily. The police station is heaving with tourist crying over their stolen goods. I say it’s their own fault. They create an opportunity for something to be stolen.
They leave their bags in bright sight here for anyone’s taking. If they didn’t do it nothing will ever be stolen. I had nothing stolen from me in fact anywhere in the world I went. Why because I am not stupid. I don’t leave the bag out of my site or even on the floor for anyone’s taking. I look after every piece of my belongings all the time. It was the same in London. I didn’t create an opportunity for someone to steal something from me.
Why on a holiday people forget their common sense? I don’t understand. Why their manners go out of the window? Why they behave the way they wouldn’t at home? What happens to the brain when people are on holiday? Every holiday might have some mishaps. You cannot have summer without mosquitos! Just accept what it is and move on.
Why push people when getting on a public transport? Why demand your dish at the restaurant if they are a bit late? Why buy property without a lawyer being present? You are on your holiday so just chill! Isn’t the reason you are on a holiday because you need to relax; no stress, no shouting, no demanding and not being mean..?
I wish I had the answers. I understand people want to have fun. It’s great to have fun but don’t treat everyone else around you badly by being a drunk, pushing everyone else around and not having legal advice when purchasing something as big as a property. Wherever you go it’s someone’s home. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice and kind and who knows you might receive more kindness in return!
