mostly it was sunny and hot. in the morning it was about 21 degrees. around 1 pm it got to be about 30 degrees and then it would usually climb up to 36 degrees until about 6 pm when it would start to cool down again. in the shade it was cooler. it was dry every day except for two when it tried to rain. it is true that the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plains, and not as some people would think, in Madrid.
the interesting thing about the dryness was that it would clumpify the mucus in your nose. every day everyone had dry boogers in their nose and it was really satisfying to get it out as a private ritual in the bathroom.
Spain is sort of good for rituals, mainly because everyone used to be really Catholic. and they stick with things unless it’s apparent that it’s really not working and then they throw the whole thing out and start again. i like how the Spanish oscillate between Socialism and Conservatism. right now the majority of their Ministers are female. that’s neat.
in Spain, you get up around 9, have a coffee and a pastry, go to do whatever you do until about 1 or 2, get some lunch, have a drink at a bar that’s been open since 1827, (you can change the order of the drinks and lunch if you want), have a lay down or just quiet time, get up around 5, go out to the Plaza and have a drink and eat some tapas and watch people, go do whatever you do until 9, eat some dinner, go out for a drink at a bar that celebrates bullfighters and opened in 1846, go for a walk or do whatever you do until about 1, then go to bed. it’s very civilized and everyone walks upright and doesn’t seem to be bracing themselves against the cold no matter what the current temperature is.
the Spanish don’t have fear in their eyes.
Spanish hours of operation enforce the above schedule. the stores open at 10 and close at 2, the bars open at 2, the stores open again at 5 and close at 9, the restaurants open at 8:30 and close at 12.
AAND if you don’t want to go to a bar after working all morning, you can go to the grocery store and buy a bottle of wine for 1.5 Euro or a beer for 0.6 Euro. a loaf of bread is 0.5 Euro and a big carton of gazpacho is 3.5 Euro. the only drawback to this diet is stomach pain. but if you do go to the bar and order a drink they will just give you food. really good free food. not a lot. but enough to tide you over until 5 or so when it’s tapas time.
some of the food they are likely to give you for free are:
1. Tortilla. not as you know it. tortilla is a thick omelet cooked perfectly with slices of potatoes in it. usually this comes on a piece of thick white bread.
2. Olives (Aceitunas). like a big plate of them. and sometimes they’ve been sharing a jar with those pickled onions that you like but feel a little weird about, and that makes them taste better.
3. Chorizo. spanish sausage of awesome. usually sliced lengthwise on a piece of thick white bread. everything comes on white bread (pan) actually. except olives.
4. Anchovies (Anchoas). with tomatoes on bread.
5. Cured ham (Jamon de Serrano). on bread.
