For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
I know of Spaniards with engineering degrees that, purposely, applied for any job in the UK because they want to learn English. English classes in Spain are not cheap and they reckon this method is probably a compressed, advanced course....I had lunch in town last week, my companion knew the waiter and told me that he had two advanced scientific degrees and could not find work in Spain so was serving tables in London.
So sorry to hear this. (I haven't read the article yet, but I will.)A friend just sent me a pdf of a recent Financial Times article talking about the population deserts in Spain, including a few dire predictions. Made me think of the family I stayed with on the Camino Olvidado in the town of Fasgar, population 8, who are now essentially self-sufficient.
I've attached a copy. Buen camino, Laurie
A friend just sent me a pdf of a recent Financial Times article talking about the population deserts in Spain, including a few dire predictions. Made me think of the family I stayed with on the Camino Olvidado in the town of Fasgar, population 8, who are now essentially self-sufficient.
I've attached a copy. Buen camino, Laurie
Me?Careful, don't judge all of Spain by the narrow Camino corridor.
But do remember, the only constant is change.
The whole world and our culture (ethics) has being destroyed. It's turning in opposite, wrong direction for a while now, haven't you notice that?
More, more, more, more, more..................
Almost every town in France has a train station. But no trains. New high speed trains are designed to compete with airplanes.the only constant is change
Hi, Kinky, I think the obvious solution here is for you to walk the Olvidado and spend a few days in Fasgar!Nicely put, Laurie!
It's not about romanticizing or being over idealistical. That's the plus which I wasn't talking about. But let's not get into negative things. They've chosen (mostly because there was no other option) the life they live now. And that's the life I remember as a child. Asking myself now what's wrong with it??? Nothing really...
I didn't eat tripes for years because my mother made me clean them (and other intestines) when we've slaughtered a pig/calf etc. The smell. Ugghhhhhh... But right now I'm a master of preparing tripes. Why? Asking forgiveness and developed kind of devotion to prepare best food for loved ones. I kind of figured it out that was essential in the times before me. Nature of things.
Nowadays it's hard even in my country although unemployment isn't so high as in Spain, but overall situation is almost the same (young highly educated fleeing abroad etc.). EU (with help of other international financial institutions) is pushing us slowly to the edge. That's why my "protest" against: more, more, more, more, more,....
But I guess I'm just hijacking the thread. Sorry for my bitterness regarding the topic
Or start living in any of the desolated villages on either CaminoHi, Kinky, I think the obvious solution here is for you to walk the Olvidado and spend a few days in Fasgar!
Thanks for posting that, Laurie. It definitely makes one think and worry about all the sparsely populated/abandoned villages that we've all walked through, and what their fates may be. My daughter-in-law's family, who live in tiny Herreruela, about an hour or so west of Madrid, have hit hard times with their sheep and pig farming, and have had to give up a lot of it, her sisters now live and work in Madrid. Incidentally, one of them married a hospitalero she met in Estella. Most of the family has walked at least part if not all of the camino, and were very pleased that I wanted to do it to honor my father, whom they all met at my son's wedding.A friend just sent me a pdf of a recent Financial Times article talking about the population deserts in Spain, including a few dire predictions. Made me think of the family I stayed with on the Camino Olvidado in the town of Fasgar, population 8, who are now essentially self-sufficient.
I've attached a copy. Buen camino, Laurie
Personally (tongue in cheek) I will be happy when you don't have enough to field a strong national rugby team for us to worry about in the 6 Nations!We have had something similar during the recent recession and of course during all previous recessions. All the young people emigrate to Australia, America, Canada and any place else they can get work. Many parishes here did not have enough players left to field a parish football team during this recession. This has been a re occuring theme in my lifetime and before but has not been as bad as described by the FT since our famine.
The last two years I was and still am a volontairy mental-and (dutch) language coach for an engineer from Madrid who was hoping to find a new job here in the Netherlands due to the unemployment in his own country. he succeeded in talking acceptable Dutch and reasonably fast found a new and good job in his own field here. He must have been a lucky one .I know of Spaniards with engineering degrees that, purposely, applied for any job in the UK because they want to learn English. English classes in Spain are not cheap and they reckon this method is probably a compressed, advanced course....
The southern half of France is in similar straits. Agribusiness removes agricultural jobs, while the TGV makes it easy to get into and out of the metro areas. Several sections of the Le Puy route keep going on the strength of the expat economy. On the other hand, large swathes of the US have been depopulated in similar fashion (think Nebraska and the Dakotas, at least before the fracking boom).
Nice photos. Thanks.Well, Kinky,
You'd love the family I stayed with on the Camino Olvidado. They had essentially decided they were never going to get ahead working in the city with low paying jobs, a child in daycare, rent, etc, and so about a year and a half ago, they moved back to the family homestead in Fasgar. It's at the end of the road, literally, the only way to get to the next stage on the Olvidado is over the mountain and through the Campo de Santiago, where Santiago supposedly appeared to help fight the Moors (or take the road 85 km around), but I digress.
They have become essentially self-sufficient. They have a huge garden, sell some high quality foodie type potatoes to some ag company, keep some animals. During the summer months, the town gives her the concession in the town "bar" because there are about 82 homes occupied in summer months. During the winter they are 4 (husband, wife, grandpa, 3 year old) of the town's 8 or 9 year round residents. They opened their home to me and they talked quite openly about their decision. It wasn't entirely a "oh wow, let's get back to the basics and live off the grid" kind of decision, it was more a decision based on the fact that hard as they worked they were always behind at the end of the month. The husband is in construction and gets the occasional job. A school bus picks up the 3 year old for school about 20 km away, which will work till high school/instituto age. Then they don't know what will happen.
It's not a bed of roses, of course, I know it's easy to romanticize about this. But they will both tell you without hesitation that their quality of life has improved many times over and that they are determined to make their lives in town. It's hard work, of course -- in fact I just got the pictures from the matanza, which I'll put here in the bottom. Even the three year old helped making the sausage! I've got an open invitation to go help out and I would absolutely love to be a part of this some year.
They would love to have an albergue if the traffic on the Olvidado ever picked up, but who knows how long that will take. In any event, they are certainly well poised to do it. I could go on and on, but they should give you some optimism that not everything is going in the wrong direction.I'm doubtful that they are part of a back to the land revolution, I'm pretty sure the statistics all point towards depopulation and relentless urbanization, but there are some bright spots like this.
Buen camino, Laurie
View attachment 15275 View attachment 15276 View attachment 15277 View attachment 15278 View attachment 15279 View attachment 15280
Don't want to get into a political debate here, ...
At the end of the day, competition is good as it raises the standard of living for all of us.
Laurie:Well, Kinky,
You'd love the family I stayed with on the Camino Olvidado. They had essentially decided they were never going to get ahead working in the city with low paying jobs, a child in daycare, rent, etc, and so about a year and a half ago, they moved back to the family homestead in Fasgar. It's at the end of the road, literally, the only way to get to the next stage on the Olvidado is over the mountain and through the Campo de Santiago, where Santiago supposedly appeared to help fight the Moors (or take the road 85 km around), but I digress.
They have become essentially self-sufficient. They have a huge garden, sell some high quality foodie type potatoes to some ag company, keep some animals. During the summer months, the town gives her the concession in the town "bar" because there are about 82 homes occupied in summer months. During the winter they are 4 (husband, wife, grandpa, 3 year old) of the town's 8 or 9 year round residents. They opened their home to me and they talked quite openly about their decision. It wasn't entirely a "oh wow, let's get back to the basics and live off the grid" kind of decision, it was more a decision based on the fact that hard as they worked they were always behind at the end of the month. The husband is in construction and gets the occasional job. A school bus picks up the 3 year old for school about 20 km away, which will work till high school/instituto age. Then they don't know what will happen.
It's not a bed of roses, of course, I know it's easy to romanticize about this. But they will both tell you without hesitation that their quality of life has improved many times over and that they are determined to make their lives in town. It's hard work, of course -- in fact I just got the pictures from the matanza, which I'll put here in the bottom. Even the three year old helped making the sausage! I've got an open invitation to go help out and I would absolutely love to be a part of this some year.
They would love to have an albergue if the traffic on the Olvidado ever picked up, but who knows how long that will take. In any event, they are certainly well poised to do it. I could go on and on, but they should give you some optimism that not everything is going in the wrong direction.I'm doubtful that they are part of a back to the land revolution, I'm pretty sure the statistics all point towards depopulation and relentless urbanization, but there are some bright spots like this.
Buen camino, Laurie
View attachment 15275 View attachment 15276 View attachment 15277 View attachment 15278 View attachment 15279 View attachment 15280
I think internet is important because it is what allows them to work from the pueblo.Thanks for posting that recent update. Very interesting! I was a little surprised that the most important service everyone went on and on about was internet - important, sure, but what about schools and health care, etc?
In some ways, the situation in Spain is even worse than it looks. From what I understand, in Spain you can choose where to be “censado” (counted for the census), and many people use their “pueblos” where they own property for purposes of preserving services and keeping the town alive. I’ve had so many sad conversations with people in Spain who see that unless a child moves in the school will close next year (and I think the minimum is something incredibly generous like 6), or that the bar will close, etc.
@Rick of Rick and Peg once posted a link to a Spanish TV show “Me Vuelvo al Pueblo” that had a segment about a family who returned to Montamarta (on the Sanabrés). It’s in this thread. I just did a little searching and see that this show is still going strong and there are lots of episodes to choose from.
Me vuelvo al Pueblo
El programa descubre las ventajas de vivir en el medio rural a través del testimonio de sus protagonistas, gentes que han elegido distintos pueblos de Castilla y León para vivir.www.cyltv.es
I wonder if @JillGat’s observation will turn into a real trend.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?