Do we Spanish hate the French? In my 60s, and meeting people of all kinds, I have not met anyone who hates the French in these times.
Many like me escape to France whenever we can, we love that country. I have studied at the University of Grenoble, the French treated me with respect and sympathy and considered France and its culture one of the most important countries in the world.
Between Spain and France there are the piques that have always existed between border countries. There are also between neighboring towns; it is human nature.
Before in Spain people traveled little and in times of franc everything foreign was bad and Spain was an island of peace and love, but the people who were really hated were the English, because of that of Spanish Gibraltar ... Fortunately, that too has changed with travel.
The hatred of the foreign is a disease that is removed by traveling, when we realize that in all countries the human being is not more than a single species, with its defects and virtues and its own characteristics of each country, a diversity that is enchanting.
Traveling is an effective remedy, although it is not available to everyone, to save unnecessary anger and resentment.
By Emma Boschetti.