Villarejo de Órbigo

Since the cost of gas is interesting to old & young men alike.

€6.60 per gallon which works out to about $7.04 per gallon.

All this for a country with an average salary of €27,000 per year / $28.8k.

Spain is a poor country by comparison to the United States. Walking through these small pueblas populated mostly by aging senior citizens, it's easier to understand why Spain offers golden visas to Americans who will buy real estate and move their retirement accounts here. I for one have had enough of Spain. As we enter our final week here, I'm relieved. Any romantic illusions about life in Spain or Europe are destroyed. I have been to Spain and Europe many times, but I'm struck this trip with how remarkably backward Europe is. They want to hold on to the status quo at the expense of growth and change. They are pouring billions into innovation with the hope of growing the EU economy through entrepreneurship and start ups and it's never going to work. When you focus your entire life around avoiding risk and discomfort, you cultivate a life of mediocrity. In the US there is no safety net - there is a remarkably high risk/reward factor. It's not right versus wrong; it's simply a choice on a spectrum where no matter what you choose brings pros and cons. For me, I don't want to live in a country where risk aversion & maintaining the status quo are more valued than growth, change and risk taking. This is how America put a man on the moon using less technology than found on an iPhone 60 years ago while the 2023 EU is focused standardizing mobile phone chargers on USB-C.

I don't mean to suggest America > Europe because it's really more about what you value. I will say the average American has zero appreciation for what an utterly unique and privileged place they call home. They'd do well to learn from Europeans some self awareness and humility. But I do mean to say that I want to live in a place where growth, innovation and change are valued more than anything else.Read more