The Spaniards may be our neighbours, but there are still a few trifles at home that may surprise you at first glance and which we still have a hard time getting used to. And we obviously imagine that it is reciprocal.
1. Spaniards speak loudly all the time
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Certainly the Italians speak loudly, but honestly the Spaniards have nothing to envy them. It’s as if they had been set incorrectly at the factory and that the engineer had skipped putting a button to adjust the volume and also a mute, just to enjoy a few moments of calm. The worst part is that the Spaniards love to argue with each other above all else. At first, it’s funny, but very quickly you don’t really know if it’s bacon or pork. And in Spain, charcuterie is sacred!
2. Spaniards spend their life at the bar
Because in Spain, you don’t sit on the terrace like the first Parisian to come. No, a real pillar of a Spanish bar remains upright, solid on its supports and obviously, a glass in the hand (and tapas in the other). The counter is the nerve center of Spanish social life. This is where everything starts, meetings, loves, friendships and sometimes even orders from tourists seated a little further away.
3. Spaniards are night owls
It is sure that leaving the table around 11 p.m. does not help to go to bed with the hens. The most amazing thing is that the whole family naturally adopts this rhythm of life. It is therefore not uncommon to see kids having fun in the street, or walking with their parents at times when in France, a neighbor would have already called the cops.
4. And have nothing against a little nap
You might hear that Spaniards don’t siesta too much anymore. Officially perhaps, because in reality, the country is still idling at (late) lunchtime, ie until around 3/4 p.m. A real societal problem that the Spanish government addressed in 2016 with a view to increasing productivity at work. The idea was to reduce the lunch break currently by 2 or 3 hours, and bring forward the end of the working day to around 6 p.m., compared to 8 p.m. usually. Last I heard, nothing has really changed, and nap addicts can still rest easy.
5. Spaniards are obsessed with football
Unlike France, football is a passion that affects the whole family. A real religion with its ceremonies that take place every weekend in the stadiums, or on television, and that the Spaniards would not miss for the world. It is not for nothing that the best players in the world of football have settled in La Liga for years.
6. Spaniards are very tactile
And go ahead and let me take you in my arms, give you a kiss, here you go… You should know that the Spaniards are particularly warm and have a heightened sense of contact. In comparison, a Marseillais would almost pass for a shy person.
7. Spaniards don’t have the same digestive system as us
In general, tourists love Spanish gastronomy and its best tapas. Provided, however, that you like fat and have an adapted digestive system. But where the Spaniards are clearly not Gaul like us is this ability to digest in a horizontal position. Finish dinner at 11 p.m., and unless you go to bed early, you better have some sachets of Gaviscon on you to deal with some serious stomach upsets.
8. The Spaniards and the art of strolling at two an hour
Some call it “taking the time”, but for a Frenchman accustomed to the hustle and bustle of cities, the stroll of Spaniards on the sidewalks would almost seem like a provocation. As if they had decided to walk at two an hour, stopping every 10 meters, just to make us sweat. It’s true, not everyone has time to daydream in front of the windows…yes, even on vacation.
9. Spaniards and punctuality
Logical continuation of the previous point, as the Spaniards like to take their time, do not hope too much that they do not make you lose yours, for example by arriving all the time in the rush. Logic.
10. The Spaniards and their hot chocolate
Spanish hot chocolate is absolutely unlike the drink you are used to. It is a kind of super thick mixture, which is eaten as much as it is drunk, and which is generally served with churros. And frankly it sucks.