Thanks for this. As a fellow traveler, I first thought that your reference to "finding a room in a foreign city" had to do with a traveler finding a hotel room during a short stay. It was a pleasant surprise to see that it had to do with living in a foreign city, in shared apartments.

You've recounted an enjoyable cast of characters here.

I imagine that this must be fairly recent, with the mention of "your king." You were certainly being polite by not countering with any of the shenanigans of Spain's Juan Carlos, who left the throne under shady circumstances.