Change In Plans

This long post is a summary of what we learned about daily life, as a family, during our nearly three weeks in Spain.

Overall, Spain is a beautiful, interesting, safe, and enjoyable place for a family to visit. As a country, Spain seems confident and energized. We are trying to figure out where to spend 2-3 months living at the end of our travels, and are considering Barcelona and Madrid seriously. Spain seems quite different from the rest of Europe, for a variety of deep and long-standing reasons.

Here are some observations:

1. The rhythms of Spanish life are definitely different from those in the rest of Europe.
   · Business day starts 9-10am (closer to 10)
   · Lunch starting 1-2 pm
   · Still a long afternoon siesta in many places (definitely outside of the big cities)
   · Business comes back to life at 4-5pm, and continues through to about 8pm.
   · Dinner starting 9-10pm,
   · Bed at 12-1

   Some of this rhythm is geography: Spain is far west in the Central European time zone, and the sun comes up late and goes down late.

   Some is also weather-related: it makes sense to sleep in the heat of the day. The rhythm of daily life seems unlikely to change quickly, even if it is has become impractical (ie, homes and jobs are far apart) and inconvenient.

2. Observation #1 notwithstanding, things in Spain run on time. Every train, ferry, bus, dinner, car, appointment started and finished exactly when it was scheduled. My uninformed prejudice was that Spain had a “mañana, mañana” culture, and that everything would be delayed. Not true in our observation.
3. The Spanish way of eating (late meals, tapas, café society) seem well suited to the daily rhythm of life. The food and wine are generally great. Eating and drinking as a social event seem deeply rooted in the culture.
4. Spanish adults seemed generally less warm and friendly, even toward children, than I would have expected in a Mediterranean culture. In this regard, the culture seems more like Northern Europeans (ie, a little haughty and distant) and less like other Mediterraneans (ie, warm and effusive). On the other hand, maybe people just didn’t like our kids.
5. Spanish art and architecture are distinctive and outstanding. In addition to the globally known giants (Gaudi, Picasso, Miro, Dali, etc.), it seemed that everywhere we looked we saw beautiful workmanship, style, innovation. Some of this may be attributable to Moorish influence. We heard also beautiful live music, saw great street performances, and had the sense of being in a highly cultured environment. Appreciation for refined art and beauty seems to be deeply rooted in the culture.

   Overall, the quality of life in Spain is excellent, almost independent of location and income level. This may or may not lead to complacency, but it is not surprising that Spain ranks highly on “happiness” and “well being” indicators, as well as the composite Human Development Index. Daily life in Spain is good.