Reflections on Spain

Oh Spain, how we will miss you! What an interesting three weeks (flashing back to Oviedo) with travel around Asturias, Valencia, Barcelona, Madrid, Córdoba, Granada, and Seville. I am writing this from frigid Scandinavia (with no orange trees in sight) but thought it would be great to reflect on this incredible country. Here are our top takeaways:

1. The Spanish concept of time can either be stressful or just perfect.

In case you are unfamiliar, the Spanish day is very spread out and punctuated by lots of meals and socialization. Picture getting up at 9 and having a coffee, getting another one and maybe a pastry around 11am, breaking for a large lunch at 2:00pm, an afternoon snack of churros and chocolate, and finishing the day with tapas and socialization from 10pm until whenever! Being people that like waking up a bit late, this schedule was perfect! But it can easily go the other way if you feel like you need to be super productive every day or like things to start on time. We left understanding that the schedule made room for the important things in life like good food, family, and friends.

2. Spanish food culture is amazing.

We stepped into a world of paella, ham, cheese, and wine and soon found ourselves very comfortable with it all! As we are noticing throughout Europe, all the food we have eaten has been of incredible quality. Many times, the plate of ham we were enjoying had been freshly sliced off the hock just moments before. In addition, tapas were simple yet inventive. A good example is the croquette (of which we must have had dozens). It is basically a little ball of flavored mashed potatoes and cheese (ham, seafood, chicken, etc) which has been deep fried to golden perfection. And there are many other examples, always starting with fresh ingredients.

3. The Spaniards are friendly and very proud of their culture and heritage.

This was readily apparent with everyone we met or interacted with during our time in Spain. You also see this reflected in how well-kept and pristine the cities and shops feel, especially when compared to other Mediterranean countries such as Italy. I think it has a lot to do with point #2 and how they deliberately intend to live a good life every single day. People are incredibly proud of their families, their work, and their aspirations in life. However there are symptoms that this may be changing as there has been a gradual push to have a more structured, typical Western schedule. Hopefully this all remains in balance due to the exceptional charm it lends to Spain.

-GP