We all know that Spain is a land of sunshine, golden beaches and tapas.
But there are aspects of Spanish life that aren’t so well publicised, as revealed on Reddit by foreigners who settled there, from bizarre pavement etiquette to a touching love of the elderly, and from remarkable coffee to extremely relaxed attitudes to children’s bedtimes.
The comments came after user ‘r/askspain’ asked: ‘For foreigners who have lived in Spain. What surprised you about the Spanish people or Spain in general?’
Read on to discover a side of Spain you’re not likely to read about in holiday brochures…
The lifestyle of older people
Expats were big fans of ‘the way older people are still part of everything’ in Spain
Expats agree that Spain seems to be a surprisingly good place to grow old.
Reddit poster ‘Such-Pool-1329’ says they ‘love’ the way ‘older people are still part of everything’ in the sunny Mediterranean country. They add that it’s ‘not unusual at all to see grandparents with their teenage grandchildren at parks, cafes and as part of everyday life’ – unlike in other parts of the world.
They’re not the only one to admire this aspect of Spanish life.
User ‘Isotaco’ states that they like ‘the visibility of the older population’, explaining: ‘They can amble to the park, a city bench or pull a chair out and socialise in the street.’
The poster claims that seeing the elderly living so well is ‘one of the most beautiful parts’ of living outside of his ‘home country’ (the USA) – where they ‘commit elders to nursing facilities the moment they can no longer drive’.
The role of fathers in the family
A few foreign residents were taken aback by the central role fathers in Spain play in family life.
Commenter ‘Mortified-Pride’ says they love ‘how affectionate they [Spanish people] are with each other and how men are more involved with their children’.
‘OhNoNotAnotherGuiri’ adds: ‘Men taking their kids out for a walk without the mother present is amazing. So much more common than in Ireland and the UK where fathers seem to play a more passive role.’
The ‘Persiana’ shutters
Expats quickly fell in love with Spain’s Persiana shutters, used to shut out light and keep homes cool.
Poster ‘Ochikobore’ says: ‘“Persianas” are the best invention that it seems every Spanish person owns. I don’t know why nobody in my home country has them.’
While commenter ‘Elilistraee’ adds: ‘I live in the UK and it has taken me years to get used to sleeping in anything other than complete darkness. We have blackout curtains, but as good as they are, they can’t compete with Persianas.’
The late hours
One Reddit user says they had been left shocked by ‘how late children go to bed’
Although Spain’s late dining hours are generally well-known, the reality still left a number of expats shellshocked.
Reddit user ‘Laurita93’ says they were surprised by ‘how late children go to bed’.
And ‘WalterBCobb’ remarks that they were surprised ‘to see children playing until after midnight in the plazas’ in Spanish cities.
‘Sff_temp’, meanwhile, reveals that they wear earplugs to bed due to people ‘talking in the hallway or watching TV at two in the night’, which they claim ‘appears to be socially acceptable’ in Spain.
They say: ‘I have no issues with it at all. I just wonder how these people get their eight hours of sleep.’
Paper thin walls
The expats on the Reddit thread definitely aren’t fans of Spain’s thin walls, which astounded them upon moving to the country.
‘Ok_Text8503’ points out that ‘the lack of sound insulation in buildings’ means ‘you can hear everything your neighbours are doing and yet no one seems to be bothered by the chair-dragging, door-slamming, [or] stomping around late at night’.
‘Sunflower_Seeds000’ is in full agreement, declaring: ‘Yes! What I miss the most from my home country are the real walls, floors and ceilings. I don’t want to hear other people’s thoughts through my wall.’
The situation isn’t hopeless, though.
‘Cmdwaterford’ comments: ‘I once heard my neighbour going to p*** every time. I moved. Fortunately, there are buildings with thicker walls.’
The pavement etiquette
It can be a struggle to walk anywhere quickly in Spain, apparently, with expats pointing out the ability of locals to take up the entire pavement.
‘Mpviss’ says: ‘I say this out of love, but the Spanish superpower is one person somehow being able to occupy all parts of a five-metre-wide sidewalk simultaneously. Just this morning, I found myself behind an older woman with a grocery cart. When I tried to walk past on the left, she drifted left. I paused and then as I went to her right, she drifted back to the right. I don’t think she even knew I was there.’
Fellow poster ‘Leighgion’ agrees with this point, adding: ‘The Spanish will stop and form a circle to talk anywhere, especially if they’re blocking both the sidewalk and the entrance to a business.’
The coffee
One user says that in Spain, ‘coffee is pretty much always good, even in the rattiest bar you can imagine’
Spain’s coffee left expats divided, with some singing its praises and others less than impressed.
Reddit user ‘Leighgion’ reveals they were surprised by how ‘coffee is pretty much always good, even in the rattiest bar you can imagine’.
Commenter Strive2Achieve1’ concurs, saying: ‘I think I never had a bad coffee in Spain. Incredible even in the most strange-looking bars.’
However, poster ‘Old-Confection-2776’ complains that the ‘coffee is terrible in almost all bars’ in Spain and social media user ‘Popsai’ says: ‘I have to agree. The coffee sucks. Coming from Portugal, the coffee sucks pretty much everywhere.’
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .