Beyond the Postcard 🌅
It’s not all flamenco, siestas, and free tapas.
Everyone carries a “movie version” of a place in their heads. But no matter how much research you do, reality almost always differs from the reel playing in your head.
For me, I imagined Spain was all Andalucía — flamenco dancers, elaborate palaces (Alhambra, anyone?), endless tapas. I imagined that everyone takes a siesta in mid-afternoon, and every inch of the country is always hot.
These assumptions came from books, movies, and videos, but what I forgot to take into account was that the most popular imagery of a place is never all it is.
Spain is a large country with a surprisingly diverse landscape. While Andalucía’s iconic imagery might be the first thing to pop into your mind when you think of it, there is so much more to this country. For instance, did you know that Spain is the second most mountainous country in Europe? I didn’t.
Here are some things I didn’t know until I lived them.
Siesta is a thing, but not everyone does it. Large businesses remain open during the late afternoon hours, but if you’re headed to your local hardware store, it’s probably closed until at least 5:00 p.m. Small businesses still honor siesta hours. It also allows for a long lunch, which the Spanish appreciate and take advantage of.
When it comes to iced coffee, we aren’t in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Iced coffee is regular coffee served with a large chunk of ice on the side. Café con hielo. There is an art to pouring it over the ice without spilling it.
Tapas aren’t free everywhere. In Granada, it’s tradition to order a drink, and a tapa comes with it. This isn’t the case everywhere in Spain. In fact, in most areas of the country, if you plan to make a meal of tapas, you should also plan to pay for them.
If you’re looking for flamenco performances, you’d better head to Sevilla. Or at least Andalucía. Here in Valencia, if you’re looking for flamenco, it doesn’t happen on the streets. You’ll need to book a ticket at a theater.
Paella is not a dinner dish. It is a slow-cooked dish eaten for lunch. If you try to order it for dinner … well, don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😉 And whatever you do, don’t try to order it with chorizo! Many good arroz restaurants will require you to order paella ahead of time.
Speaking of dinner, expect it to be served no earlier than 8:00 p.m. As an American, this was a bit of a shock to my system. I was very accustomed to eating at 5:00 or 6:00 p.m. Now, we regularly sit down as a family for dinner at 9:00 p.m. You do adjust, but the change may happen gradually. Part of the adjustment occurs naturally because the sun rises and sets later than it does in the U.S. Your circadian rhythm seems to follow the sun. It also means you’ll stay up later, get up later … Basically, life shifts forward about two hours.
Bread comes with olive oil, alioli, or a tomate spread. Don’t look for the butter because you won’t find it. (I promise all three options are even better.)
Yes, clothes dryers exist in Spain. However, the sun is free, and electricity is muy carro. In summer, line-drying your clothing will happen much faster outside anyway.
Sometimes it feels like there are more dogs than people. Seriously. There are dogs everywhere. For the most part, they’re incredibly well-behaved. And very small. Since most people live in apartments in cities, dogs tend to be apartment-sized. Leo’s a bit of a novelty here, a bigger dog who always gets attention.
The grocery stores and Carrefour don’t carry OTC medicines. For those, you’ll have to go to your local pharmacy. Don’t worry: There’s one on practically every corner. By law, there is at least one 24/7 pharmacy in every municipality, so you can get help when you really need it.
In many ways, life can be less convenient in Spain than it was in the United States. Will and I agree that it’s been a welcome change for us. The simplicity of hanging clothes on a line to dry is a bit of a meditation moment. Waiting for the bus or train gives you time to let your mind wander. At night, standing on our terrace when the city below us is silent, we can just be.
I once thought of Spain as a postcard — glossy, two-dimensional, a reel of stereotypes. Living here has shown me the reality is richer, more complicated, and infinitely better.
I lived in Spain during the Pandemic. Madrid is big on the Free tapas, too, The best deal was in Salamanca on Sundays. One place filled up the bar with everthink from jamon to boquerones. All free.