Three days into my Spain trip and I’m settling in just right. (I believe that when I sweat, there’s already a faint whiff of jamón.)
Tonight I blitzed restaurants and tapas bars in Ronda with a local guide and friend. I needed a bite to eat before running all over town to check restaurants, but it was out of the question for him — just too early. Antonio, who eats at 10 p.m., can’t get his brain around Americans eating so early. I told him I routinely eat at 6 or 7 p.m., and to him that was a wild as eating at 10 p.m. is to an American.
I’ve been eating standing up a lot in tapas bars. (I’d much rather sit.) Antonio said Spaniards eat standing up without a second thought, but they really like to sit when they smoke. And they are astounded when they hear about Americans eating while they walk or drive.
For breakfast today in my hotel, the only cereal was the local frosted corn flakes. As there was no “more mature” option, I was tickled to have a bowl. But the cereal milk was heated… apparently standard here in southern Spain. My poor frosted flakes were immediately mush. Not grrrrrrreat.
Southern Spain is inundated by expat Brits and Americans living here. Locals say, “If they could take the sunny weather home, they would; but since they can’t, they stay here.” Many live here for years without learning the language, or even trying. Brits have their own system of English-language private schools that fit right in with schools back home, so their kids are set for higher education back in England. The expat community has their own English-language radio station — “Coastline Radio 96.7 FM.” (The DJ finds last night’s Letterman and Leno jokes transcribed at www.newsmax.com/jokes/ and recycles them.)
I connected with an American friend yesterday who’s lived here for nearly 20 years. His email address had been the Spanish for “CowboyDave@yahoo.com,” but he changed it. When I asked him why, he explained that to the Brits, calling someone a “cowboy” is like calling them a scam artist. (When ripped off, they’d blame a “cowboy builder” or “cowboy auto mechanic.”) It was coloring people’s perception of him.
Learning on the road is a big part of being on the road.
Rick I was in Ronda on one trip. Had a nice 2 hour afternoon but……missed the famous bridge. Drove over it on the way out of town. Incredible……I normally click on all cylinders using your books etc… oops on that one …..very nice town anyway to wander around…enjoy your trip…thanks for your blog entries….
Hey Rick – I had the same “warm milk” cereal in Toledo on your RS_Spain tour last year. They did have a choice of little cereal boxes, but the milk was hot, the coffee cold, and the OJ was powder! This was probably the only meal the whole trip everyone was not happy with- but there were probably few options for out group. The poor waiter looked like he had been up all nite partying and had drawn the short straw to help us early that day. We suggested to our guide that it would have been better & cheaper to grab a coffee and pastry at the bar across from the hotel and get going fast! Love the food all over otherwise! eat more iberico jamon for us!!
I have always thought that in countries that eat so late at night don’t really want breakfast like we do. I was glad in the last couple of years that Italy has added a better breakfast in the hotels. France has nothing but a baquette or crosant and strong coffee. But I have to say when we eat and drink wine until Midnight we don’t really want much breakfast either.
We always consider eating late part of the enjoyment of being on vacation and having a different routine. However, over the past several years, 8pm seems pretty late. We’re going to Greece in a few weeks, think we will need to adapt to an ever a later time – seems ‘locals’ eat at 9 or 10pm there also. So we will work at fitting in with the locals. So Rick, what time are you really eating while in Spain?
Rick, you should try to finally make it to Valencia. It’s a great city with plenty to see, and in my 4 months as an exchange student I rarely saw Americans. But, on second thought, maybe you shouldn’t go, or at least don’t write about it. That way I can keep the city to myself when I return!
I have been in Europe for over 2 months and you just have to get used to not having American style breakfasts. In Switzerland & Germany it is cheese & bread, sometimes with cold slided meat. Luckily I am staying with my daughter and she fixes things like pancakes, omelettes and other favorites from home.
Do Europeans universally eat late? Even school kids that must wake up and go to school the next day? Is it the siesta that make this possible? Just curious because the older I get, the earlier I seem to need to go to sleep and I’m pondering …just how do they manage getting away with eating so late? Excited about reading about this trip of yours. Thanks for spreading the knowledge.
Spain’s Costa del Condo is, no doubt, in its own league. However, regarding expat schools in general: There is a whole system of “International Schools” all across Europe and around the world. The students are a vibrant mix of kids from places like the U.S., Korea, the Arab Gulf States, Israel, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Russia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, the U.K, etc. The International Schools are taught in English because that is now the global linguafranca of business. The kids typically will spend 3 or 4 years at a school (sometimes less, sometimes more) before their mom or dad’s job wisks them off to another country. A lot of these kids spend relatively little time in their home country and really grow up abroad. They are called “Third Culture Kids”: Not really part of the home culture, but not really “local” either. Many of them speak 2 or 3 languages. Kids going to the International schools often have the option of graduating with an “International Baccalaureate (I.B.)” instead of a High School Diploma. Many U.S. schools are also starting to adopt the I.B. because of its high standards. These third culture kids have close friends from all over the world and a really international outlook. They certainly have a unique and, in a lot of ways, priviledged childhood. They think nothing of jumping on a jet. But then again, they are also normal kids. On the down side, they may not feel as rooted in their home culture as most kids do. I never knew about third culture kids before I moved over here. Costa del Sol’s Brit schools may be a special case. But I guess my point is that International Schools are a subculture of their own, serving a diverse group of families from all over the place. Enjoy Spain & thanks for the good reporting!
I first had a breakfast of granola in Igls, Austria..in about 1998. Lots of fresh fruit and yogurt in it. Except for a couple times a month since, that is what I have for breakfast every morning. In the USA, I like the Post brand – Great Grains – raisens, dates, nuts….best on the market IMO. The old fashioned bacon, eggs, toast, just turns my stomach anymore. Oh, and Austria is where I learned what a good cup of coffee is. Oh shoot! This was supposed to be about Spain…oh well.
Rick, Ronda was one of my fave places in Spain. We stayed at a little B&B tucked away off the main street but close to everything. At breakfast, we ended up eating with a couple of Canadians. We talked to them for over an hour and even exchanged email addresses. We loved Ronda so much and just hiked and explored the back streets. The bridge and the views are great but get out and explore. We even wandered upon a kid’s carnival with rides and even at the recommended local restaurant by the lady that ran our B&B. I wish Ronda had been a bigger part of your Spain book. However, it was all the more fun to explore on our own.
One comment based on a question asked above about kids, Spain, and staying up late. My wife has been to Spain twice. We have a friend that has lived in Spain for nearly 5 years now. We have some really good contacts with some people that have lived in Spain for years. My wife and I actually talked about this the other night. The couple that we know that has lived there for years and raised kids there said that kids in Spain are some of the most sleep deprived kids in all of Europe. It’s really sad. If you think about how much sleep a baby gets and then think about the Spanish lifestyle, you realize it isn’t a good mix. And as kids get older, that don’t get any more sleep. Spaniards get the least amount of sleep of any country in Europe. And unfortunately, that begins very early with kids.
Back when I lived in England I ate dinner somewhere between US and Spanish time (although closer to US). Eating later wasn’t a problem because mornings started later. I never did get used to the US idea of getting to work at 7-something, or even 8:00. Remember 9 to 5? That was reality in the UK. School didn’t start until 9:00 either. Of course, it also ran much later.
I grew up eating dinner at 4.30 pm. My dad came home from work at that time so that is when we ate. Nowadays it is about 5.30 pm and I could not wait till 10 pm. I feel early dinner is a good thing because of kids. You do not want to put your kids to bed with full stomachs. The American heavy breakfast is not for me. I enjoy it for dinner sometimes but it would weigh me down if I had it for breakfast. I think new experiences is what makes travel so wonderful and interesting -even if you have to put up with some soggy cereal sometimes : ).
When I spent a semester in Spain, it took me some time to get used to the mealtimes. But once I did, I loved it. I really liked the long lunch with siesta time. I wish we had that here in the US! When I eventually came back home, it took me some time again to get used to American mealtimes. I think our bodies are able to adjust given enough time. But when I travel for short periods, I try to find a happy medium, as waiting until 10pm to eat would not be easy.
Envy you in Spain, Rick. Might you consider when getting a bit further north into Pays Basque country you go inland from the touristy San Sebastian/Donostia and Biarritz, St. Jean-de-Luz and report on: Santesteban, Elizondo,the Baztan Valley in Spain and Ustaritz, Espelette, Larressore, Ainhoa in France? Happy travels!
Ah, yes, in my younger traveling days those late suppers and lite breakfasts were truly fun; something different from the routine of home. But with “maturity” and slower metabolism and higher blood sugar levels, I’ve had to eat heavy in the morning and lite in the evening and never more than 6 hours between meals. Always interesting when visiting other cultures to “fit in” without violating my own needs. I guess that’s why a prefer to travel in Switzerland, Germany, Austria etc. Just another view of the world!
I find it much more convenient to eat earlier than the locals. That way, you don’t have to wait for a table or make a reservation.
In 1996, met a lovely family on the train from Toledo to Madrid. Asked them about eating late…difficult with children? She responded, “we don’t…the children have school in the morning…and it’s not good!”
Regarding the International Schools, my daughter, who I am staying with in Switzerland, is a Special Education teacher at one. She has taught there for almost ten years and it has been a very interesting experience. The teachers are from all over the world so she has friends from everywhere. I was recently privileged to meet some of them at a birthday party. They all have to know at least two languages, one of which is English. It is a great system with students from all over the world. Many of them know no English at all. Incidentally, my friends grandchildren attend an International School in Boise, Idaho.
Rick, last Christmas we went on a 3 week Europe trip which included 2 weeks on a Mediterranean cruise. For the first time, we were able to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at a decent hour without the usual long lines for “freestyle dining” on the cruiseship. The dining rooms started to get packed about 9pm. We’re headed on another cruise in the same region for June and looking forward to this experience again. Our home base is Barcelona, a very easy to get around home base. Have you tried the Churros and Chocolate yet?
Thanks for sharing the cultural observation about the use of the term “cowboy” in the U.K.
It’s not only in the U.K. that cowboy is a derogative term, but in most of Europe as well. So is it any wonder that lots of folks, seeing former president G.W. Bush on vacation at his ranch in Texas, automatically saw him as a cowboy, and thus stupid and unreliable, in spite of what the facts, if viewed objectively, actually showed. And, yes, I realize that asking for an objective examining of fact regarding G.W. Bush is like asking for the moon for most of the readers and writers on this particular blog.
Louisa, which facts exactly?
Time and space do not permit an examination of eight years. The most important fact which is almost always ignored is that Bush did not lie about the threat of Iraq. (Please understand that I did not favor the invasion.) Every major intelligence operation the world over supported the notion that Iraq possessed, or was in the process of perfecting, dangerous and world-threatening weapons. Some folks I’ve talked to in Europe were surprised to learn that Bush had even graduated from college, much less an Ivy League school, and then also had an MBA from another one. And please let’s not start another Bush administration post mortem.
Not so, Louisa. The UN weapons inspectors told the world that Iraq did not have wmd’s…prior to the invasion. To those without a personal agenda, that would be pretty convincing and it was to all but…… ONLY the usa, uk and spain thought they had information to the contrary…and they ignored evidence that challenged their desires. I know you love Bush, but in loving your enemy, one doesn’t have to deify him.
If I may add, Jean, that even Colin Powell expressed misgivings before getting in front of the UN with what we know now as fraudulent claims (then has the nerve to whine about it after being pushed out as Sec. of State). Iraq was never a threat to us, never threatened to attack us. Their “Al-Queda” was a product of insurgency only made possible by the U.S. invasion. And Louisa, respectfully, if you rue criticism of George W. Bush that much, perhaps you shouldn’t raise the subject…
Alfran and Jean–thanks for your comments. See, there can be respectful discussions, even disagreements, without rancor. I do like old George W, but I certainly never would deify him and I also understand the very real and valid criticisms of many of his actions. As someone once said (maybe it was me?) that when Harry Truman left office, he was one of the most vilified presidents in our history and now he is everyone’s hero. Too bad I won’t be around to see what history makes of GWB.
My last trip to Europe I listened to USA radio on my iPhone via the internet (CNN International in the pensions got to be to repetitive). And now that I’m home I can listen to Spain’s English language radio online at http://www.coastlinefm.net The world is shrinking and we can be at home when we’re not.
Yeah, when you go from on continent to another, this kind of thing will always happen. Like, i’m brazilian and in my last trip to Portugal, my friend said me to take the “bicha” (line), what in brazilian portuguese means “gay”. kkkkk So, i’m writing a blog in the same direction as you guys and it calls Viagem Europa. It is in portuguese now, but i’m already started to translate to english and italian. See you there and congrats for the blog!
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