Shop attendants and receptionists in France are, indeed, stereotypically and almost comically rude. I’m starting to think they play it up on purpose to delight the tourists who are eager to have the real French experience of proverbial rudeness.

My French exceeded my wildest hopes, though. One woman was so taken in that she addressed a very animated speech at me that I understood only very vaguely. At the height of my linguistic enthusiasm, I immediately bought a French book and started reading it. Which, as we well know, is my response to any eventuality that befalls me.

Photos don’t begin to transmit how beautiful the views actually are. Unfortunately, the bus trip to France from Spain was so jerky that we dedicated the first hour in the country to a competition in projectile vomiting. But it was worth the trouble because this is the most stunning place we’ve ever seen.

Klara is unimpressed with the views. “Yes, yes, I know,” she says sarcastically. “This is yet another most beautiful view on the planet. Can I have another ice cream while you are at it?”

Ice cream here has an absolutely Soviet taste, which is a high compliment.

We crossed into France, and things are looking up already. No Palestinian or rainbow flags, I’m speaking French everywhere and everybody understands, and for the first time on this trip I had a tasty meal in Europe. We went to a touristy place and had a salad, and that salad changed my entire philosophy of life. I wonder what their haute cuisine is like if a small touristy joint does such sensational food.

N had something they call “bagel with smoked salmon”, and he laughed for 15 minutes because that was no bagel. It was much closer to ambrosia than anything else.

We can’t get used to Spanish mealtimes, and N ended up having to eat an atrocious dish called pig ears. Because that’s what it is. His good cheer over being on this trip made him say the dish was fine but it was a typical Spanish horror of food.

We are off to France tomorrow. Let’s see what’s going on there in terms of food.

2 men arrested in strangulation of 12-year-old Houston girl whose body was found in a creek https://t.co/TtbfXL7mBz

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 21, 2024

These men were recently apprehended at the US border had released into the country for reasons nobody can explain. Why it’s hugely necessary to let people in first and process their immigration cases much later remains a mystery.

In the meantime, references to the origins of the mysterious “men” who rape and murder their way through the country are being removed from reporting. For instance, it took forever to get out the fact that the rapist and murderer of Rachel Morin was hiding illegally in the US from murder charges in his native El Salvador.

There are more cases than one can reasonably list. Here’s a kidnapping and rape of a child by a dude who crossed illegally from Ecuador. Nobody knows what his antecedents were because nobody cared to find out. He was simply brought in and unleashed on the children of New York, two of whom he proceeded to attack with a machete, kidnap, and violate.

Does anybody know why milk and eggs aren’t stored in refrigerators in grocery stores here in Europe? I spent 20 minutes searching for milk and disbelieving the shop attendants who kept pointing me towards unrefrigerated aisles.

It was probably not the best idea ever to bring an 8-year-old American child on a European walking holiday. We manage 10-12 km a day but then she gets tired and wants to go home.

On the positive side, San Sebastián is peppered with playgrounds. There’s a playground every couple of blocks.

Also, we saw a Palestinian flag on a Catholic church, which is one of the most ludicrous things I have seen on this trip. What else can possibly be in the running? you’ll ask. Well, today the waves are big and the tide has started to come in. Everybody who wants to swim and not surf is relegated by the lifeguards to the smallest stretch of the beach next to enormous green boulders. An older gentleman planted himself in that spot, stripped naked and strutted around. Every once in a while, he’d wrap himself in a towel, then strip off again, and so on. A resigned elderly wife picked up the towel whenever the old dude dropped it.

These aren’t homeless people. These are very well-groomed, well-heeled tourists. Their eccentricity isn’t completely out of place but one doesn’t necessarily want that around one’s child.

NPR's Ira Glass got a pit and it constantly bit CHILDREN, him & wife & more ppl. So they gave it prozac and exotic meats to "cure" it and it STILL had to be muzzled 24/7. They stopped having guests over. He says the dog is the victim.

Encapsulates an unfortunate liberal mindset https://t.co/tYGZvWgIB6 pic.twitter.com/UDLryvxoAd

— Simon Sarris (@simonsarris) June 22, 2024

There is no better description of the type of people who put up Palestinian flags all over Spain. They believe that condescending to something scary will make it less dangerous. Because it’s all about words. It’s all about positioning. You can conjure reality with rituals.

N was doing so great with his Duolingo that I felt it would be great also to have something to do during breaks. Of course, I could choose any of the languages on offer but I already learned German back in college, and I remember a lot.

Based on the last names of my Jewish ancestors, they trudged through what today is Germany after the expulsion from Spain. As a result, I feel some affinity for the country and the culture. Learning a language with no particular goal is enjoyable, relaxing and fun. I highly recommend.

Trump: If you graduate from a college you should get automatically as part of your diploma a Green card to be able to stay in the United States

— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) June 20, 2024

The situation at my university’s grad school is this. State funding has collapsed. Inflation has eaten into whatever is left. Nobody gets hired to substitute people who retire or leave. Equipment that breaks down isn’t fixed. We can no longer offer teaching assistantships. Classrooms are crammed full. Course offerings are pared down to the bare minimum.

As a result of all this, grad school applications from domestic students drop off a cliff. To make up admission numbers – and it’s all about numbers, of course – we start admitting foreign applicants whose English is at the level of my German and other qualifications are non-existent. The reason they apply is because they want to immigrate.

This is a convenient scam. Turn graduate programs in schools like mine into transportation hubs for humans and create yet another bypass for the immigration system.

Typical San Sebastián, a pricey restaurant with a line of washing over the entrance:

The waitress is from Ukraine and has worked at this restaurant for 16 years. She’s from the Carpathians, so her Ukrainian is somewhat different from mine but it was still great to chat for a bit.

The Basques are the only Spaniards who can show restraint while cooking. We had the neck of hake that comes with a few tiny potatoes, a bit of garlic and olive oil, and a few hot peppers for flavor. Nothing else, and it’s delightful. I’ll try to remember to take a picture next time but believe me, it’s excellent.