Just a few observations we have had since being here for the last month.
The Spanish really like the following music: George Michael, Madonna, Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry be Happy”, John Lennon, Supertramp (a LOT of Supertramp!), the music from Flashdance, The Police, ACDC, The Scorpions (I think I’ve heard “Still Loving You” at least four times) and REM. At one point we heard on the radio that Stevie Nicks had died, so we heard about 6 of her songs, until they realized it was a hoax, and moved on to “Don’t Worry be Happy”.
The Spanish do not drive in the fast lane unless they are passing. They aggressively move back into the slow lane after they pass you, even if they KNOW they will have to move over again in 10 seconds. I’ve had to break several times as they are barely past my front bumper when they pull in front of me. The faster drivers are going 100+ MPH, and are ususally driving a BMW or an Audi, so I guess they can afford the tickets.
Spain loves traffic circles! Wow….they are everywhere!
Spain loves their road signs. When you are travelling somewhere, you never need to wait long to know how far to your destination. In many areas they post a distance sign EVERY kilometer! They have signs showing a tunnel before the tunnel, and then ANOTHER sign showing that you have left the tunnel. Is that really necessary?? Is somebody out there wondering where the tunnel went and needs a sign to appease them? They even have a sign that tells you how long the tunnel is in meters. I think there must be a lot of tunnel phobia here.
There have been some tunnels no more than 50 meters long (I know how long, there was a sign) that have a sign for headlights before the tunnel, and a sign reminding you to turn off your headlights upon exiting….and then there is another tunnel about 300 meters later! Sign creation and installation must be how they keep their welfare recipients employed.
Everybody in Spain has been super friendly. It doesn’t matter where we have been, big city or small or the middle of nowhere….they have been spectacular!
Any sort of tip is vastly appreciated. A tip of more than a few euros often has them wondering if something is wrong with you. We met two older ladies at dinner the other night who gave us a ton of tips on restaurants in the area, so I picked up their dinner tab (it was not much). The staff in the restaurant kept asking me “what do you want to do? Why? Where are you from?”. They just could not comprehend this gesture.
There are feral cats everywhere, and everybody is taking care of them. Whenever we see the cats, we see huge tubs of food and even some home made shelters.
Spain still has fuel attendants to pump your gas. I don’t know if I’m parking on the wrong side of the island or what, but I always have somebody running out to pump the gas for me. Spain does NOT have window cleaners at their gas stations. They sometimes have a scrubbing brush.
I think 90% of the people here smoke. Most of these are chain smokers. We usually like to sit outside at restaurants, but it’s nearly impossible to do so here if you want to breathe.
Nearly all of the Airbnb’s we have stayed in have washing machines, which are located in the kitchen. Nobody here has a dryer, and they line dry everything. We have seen so many clothes on a line….sometimes out in the rain. One place we stayed had the roughest towels (due to line drying) I have ever experienced. It was like drying off with 120 grit sandpaper, or what I can assume it would be like to have a cat lick you dry.
Did I mention they like to eat late, and stay up late? A lot of the restaurants don’t even open until 9:00 PM. Our friends Tom and Nancy would love it! If you’ve eaten at their place you know what I’m talking about. We are in San Sebastian and for the last two nights we have heard drunken men singing in the street at 4:00 AM. I’m guessing they just left the restaurant!