Tuesday 25 October 2016
From the Costa Blanca to the Sunshine Coast: Lifestyle Differences
From the Costa Blanca to the Sunshine Coast: Lifestyle Differences: Huge, massive differences between Britain and Spain. Nothing like stating the obvious, eh? When I arrived in Spain to work a season back i...
Lifestyle Differences
Huge, massive differences between Britain and Spain. Nothing like stating the obvious, eh? When I arrived in Spain to work a season back in '03, the biggest difference was trying to get my head around the siesta. Everything closing for anything between two and four hours. We all know that's because of the heat, but coming back the other way, it is, of course very different. The shops are open all day, but close earlier, and the cafes don't sell beer! Yet the pubs all sell tea and coffee...
The kids on the beach in Spain build sandcastles. Here, they go rock pooling. In Spain it's impossible to walk on the beach because the sand is too hot. In England, you walk like a wally on the pebbles because it's too awkward! And, let's be honest, quite funny to watch.
I love the laid-back Spanish attitude. Here in the UK there are very few people who I would consider to be laid-back. We'e always in such a hurry, we have no patience and we need to chill out a bit. Maybe it's because Spaniards drink beer during the day in the heat and we Brits drink tea and the caffiene winds us up even more?
I will say that we are generally better drivers that our Spanish counterparts. A Spaniard behind the wheel of a car is dangerous. The most laid back, chilled nation becomes bonkers on the road. It's true. Been there, done that. They're confused by roundabouts and have absolutely no clue what an indicator is for! Most of the rosds around where I used to live were/are a free for all. Especially around fiesta time...street parades, fireworks and alcohol. Here, fireworks are usually reserved until Guy Fawlkes night and new year. Not every week in the summer! Tut, tut, us Brits need our sleep, you know!
The kids thought every day was a half day at school when they first started, finishing at 3 o' clock and not going back until the next morning was something of a luxury. In Spain they were there til FIVE o' clock (but not on a Wednesday - lunchtime finish midweek) and then homework for a few hours before bed. A lot of Spanish mums at the school gate used to ask me why my kids went to bed so early! I tried to get them settled for about 9pm when the other little people were still playing outside...a lot of parents in Spain include their kids and families in their night life and so it was considered normal for kids to go to bed at around 10.30 - 11pm and then get up and get to school for 9! I don't know how they do it, but they congregate in the towns' cafes and restaurants until quite late, and British tourists just cannot understand that. They often frown upon the little people enjoying time with their families. Especially at that time of night!
Here, generally on a school night, they are bedded down before 11. Way before 11. Whether or not they're sleeping is a different matter...
The kids on the beach in Spain build sandcastles. Here, they go rock pooling. In Spain it's impossible to walk on the beach because the sand is too hot. In England, you walk like a wally on the pebbles because it's too awkward! And, let's be honest, quite funny to watch.
I love the laid-back Spanish attitude. Here in the UK there are very few people who I would consider to be laid-back. We'e always in such a hurry, we have no patience and we need to chill out a bit. Maybe it's because Spaniards drink beer during the day in the heat and we Brits drink tea and the caffiene winds us up even more?
I will say that we are generally better drivers that our Spanish counterparts. A Spaniard behind the wheel of a car is dangerous. The most laid back, chilled nation becomes bonkers on the road. It's true. Been there, done that. They're confused by roundabouts and have absolutely no clue what an indicator is for! Most of the rosds around where I used to live were/are a free for all. Especially around fiesta time...street parades, fireworks and alcohol. Here, fireworks are usually reserved until Guy Fawlkes night and new year. Not every week in the summer! Tut, tut, us Brits need our sleep, you know!
The kids thought every day was a half day at school when they first started, finishing at 3 o' clock and not going back until the next morning was something of a luxury. In Spain they were there til FIVE o' clock (but not on a Wednesday - lunchtime finish midweek) and then homework for a few hours before bed. A lot of Spanish mums at the school gate used to ask me why my kids went to bed so early! I tried to get them settled for about 9pm when the other little people were still playing outside...a lot of parents in Spain include their kids and families in their night life and so it was considered normal for kids to go to bed at around 10.30 - 11pm and then get up and get to school for 9! I don't know how they do it, but they congregate in the towns' cafes and restaurants until quite late, and British tourists just cannot understand that. They often frown upon the little people enjoying time with their families. Especially at that time of night!
Here, generally on a school night, they are bedded down before 11. Way before 11. Whether or not they're sleeping is a different matter...
Friday 12 August 2016
Red Arrows and Blue Skies
BIG love for the Red Arrows
So today I went to the beach. Not to swim. To see planes. Airbourne has come to town and I was well warned beforehand about the traffic and parking situation. Now, when I lived here before I'd book the weekend off work and find music festival somewhere and get out of town.
This weekend is my first Airbourne for about 20 years. I'm not working this weeknd so I thought I'd pop along to see the awesome Red Arrows. It seems I'd left Suburbia at the right time, to heed all the pre warnings about traffic nightmares.
As it happens my mum lives one street from the beach so it would have been rude not to call in for an ice cream at Treasure Island with the little people before the show. It was a stunning day for it, the sea twinkled like the Med in the glorious summer sunshine. There were a few little boats on the sea for the best possible view, and, right on time the Arrows roared overhead and treated everyone below with a show stopping performance. They never fail to amaze us with their mind-blowing stunts. It was by far the coolest thing Ive seen so far this summer.
I'm now a little sunburnt.
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