Last week I talked about the meal culture in Spain and that is definitely not the only thing I discovered was different than United States culture on my trip to Spain. There were multiple times when I looked at my Spain sister and said “¿que?” in shock and confusion. So today I am going to share with you guys 5 things that shocked me, so that when you travel to Spain you won’t have to ask “¿que?”.
#1 When my friends and I first arrived in Madrid it was around noon. We were starving from our long flight and started looking for places to eat. Turns out, most restaurants do not open till 2 for lunch so we had a lunch of chips and cookies from the store.
#2 Fanta Limón. This is the best soda I have ever had. I would drink this whenever I could. If you go to Spain, drink as much of this as possible. It is close to impossible to get it in the US, my mom tried to get it imported, $50 for 2 cans. So drink it while you can.
#3 DO NOT be alarmed if someone you just met goes in for a cheek kiss. When greeting someone, new or old, it is just normal to kiss both of their cheeks while they do the same to you. Be ready and make sure they are ready, do not make the same mistake I did. I thought my friend’s host sister was going in for this exchange, she was not, and I ended up almost kissing her on the lips. Although we laughed about it, I want to prepare you for what could happen.
#4 Smoking is still big in Spain. Be ready to smell cigarettes the whole time, especially if you travel to a major city like Madrid. Many of my host sister’s friends also smoked and would get smoking breaks at school.
#5 Night life is insane. My Spain sister told me that on an average weekend, her friends and her would be at the discoteca from 8:00pm to 6:00am. In fact when I was there, the town I stayed in had their annual music festival. We were there from 4:00pm to 3:00am and when my host sister and i left people were still there and some were leaving to go to the discoteca. The nights are long but very fun; wear comfortable shoes and clothes you do not care about.
These were 5 things I learned while in Spain, I hope this helps you when planning your trip.
Spain is definitely a place on my bucket list so thanks for all the useful tips. I’m not a huge fan of fanta, but since you’ve hyped it up so much, I guess I’ll have to try it when I go. The cheek kiss is definitely a European thing because I have relatives who do it every time I see them.
I love reading your posts! Barcelona was one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled and am so sad to not be able to return anytime soon (thanks to the current pandemic). The cheek kiss is still something that always throws me for a loop with my European family so I feel you!
This was a very informative blog!! If I ever have the chance to go to Spain, which I hope I do, I will be sure to refer back to this post!! I can agree with you on the smoking regarding France as well! That is all I could smell the whole trio, it was insane! Also, nightlife seems so FUN! I would probably sleep till 5 pm every Sunday, but I mean nonetheless, I would love to experience the Discoteca! I seriously love reading about your experiences in Spain and cannot wait for next weeks blog! 🙂