The Challenges of Living and Eating in Spain

We are trying really hard to assimilate ourselves to the Spanish lifestyle, but it’s hard. The biggest problem is the fact that everything shuts down between noon and 5PM. How annoying is that? Today we decided to stick around the resort and take in some beach action. Since hearing the waves crashing seems to do wonders for my shoulder, I was game for a day of relaxing. But after our first hour on the beach (from 11 to noon) we decided that perhaps we better buy some suntan lotion. So we went back to the villa for lunch (at 12:30 like normal Americans do, silly us) and then headed out in search of a store that sells lotion.

Well that turned out to be quite the adventure. Nothing was open. Well, almost nothing. After driving all over we did manage to find a store that was just about to close and we barely squeaked in to get the lotion. By the time we got back the tide was low and it was perfect for our several mile walk along the shoreline so that worked out good.

Just after 5PM we got cleaned up and headed into town. We walked around until 7, which seemed like a reasonable time to eat dinner. We were both starving since our noon lunch was a very light one. That is where we went wrong. In Spain you are supposed to eat a huge lunch around 3 or 4 o’clock and then eat dinner no earlier than 8PM. We couldn’t find a single place serving dinner at 7 and I was convinced that I would pass out waiting another hour.

Dinner time in Spain . . . and it's still light out!

Last bits of sunlight.

When we finally sat down for dinner I was thrilled to see some English on the menu. But despite the English, I still had no clue was I ordered. Even scarier was the fact that I still didn’t know what it was WHILE I was eating it! But it was yummy and much less gross than Karlo’s sardines or whatever the heck he was eating; fins, tails, eyeballs and all. Most of our dinner talk consisted of Karlo trying to get me to try one of those nasty looking fish . . . “Trust me, it’s good” he says, but I just rolled my eyes and told him that he’s nuts. I enjoyed my mystery food and tomorrow we will do better at forcing ourselves to better follow the shopping and eating rules of Spain.