Don’t you just love it when you pop out for a quick coffee and end up meeting people that are so interesting that you end up in deep conversation, and before you know it hours have gone by and several drinks have been consumed? If, like me, you live in Spain this can be a common occurrence … especially if you frequent typical Spanish bars and don’t restrict yourselves to the stereotypical so called “English” bars.
Last week we were having a coffee at one of my favourite little family-run Spanish bars when a couple sat next to us and just struck up a conversation. A wonderfully adventurous retired couple, they were from the Netherlands and were spending a few weeks in the area. They travel Europe and the world, spending a few months here and a few months there. The gentleman told us how they had always had wanderlust and had worked at some time or other in nearly every country in Europe. What a marvellous thing to do I thought!
We then got onto the subject of Brexit. He simply could not see how anyone in the UK had voted to leave. He asked me why the UK didn’t want people to come to the UK anymore? Why are we so hostile to foreigners? I explained that I and many others were not! He said that is the impression that Europeans now have of us. “Don’t you want the freedom to go and work and live in other countries? I would’ve felt totally trapped if I couldn’t have travelled and worked wherever I wanted to”. He had started a business in London twenty years ago and had ended up employing 40 people. “I wouldn’t be able to do that after Brexit”.
I said “Yes … but at least the people who voted ‘out’ won’t get a foreigner living next door!”. He laughed and said “Well if that’s what the people want” … “Unfortunately, it is” I replied.
Catch you next week …
