its a dog's world in Espana. They dress up their dogs... like they dress up their babies.. and flaunt them all over the place... lol... designer sweaters, barrettes, little pigtails.. its cute!
the beautician who waxed my eyebrows... didn't believe it was important to wax her hands? And what takes five minutes in India and involves some basic skills, took half an hour, a whole of wax and then an extremely painful process and cost about ten times what it costs in India.
everything is compact... the flats, the roads, the dogs, the coffee cups, the cars, the washing machines, the television sets, the bars, everything except things I need to be compact for my three month trip - like detergent, jam and dish-washing liquid containers... those they made me buy in bulk!!
they talk at the bar, on the street, at the salon, on the bus, at the coffee place, in the club, on the beach, at the grocery store, on the metro.. anywhere and everywhere.. the Spanish love to talk. And I loved listening to their beautiful, animated chatter that was always full of life.
coffee is the end all and be all of Spanish existence. they drink it all day long, before, in between and after any meal during the day. The coffee menu is flourishing with options for varied, experienced tastes.
they like it slow and sensual. Why rush through the motions when you can stop every moment in time and make a 'fiesta' i.e. celebration out of it. In Spain, they serve your coffee slow so they can chat up with you, they make you wait longer in lines at the bank so you can get to know the person before and after you and the 'donoot' lady will tell you stories of her morning travel so you can enjoy ten seconds of smelling those freshly-baked sweet nothings before you start your day. While the world can accuse the Spanish of being lazy, I accuse them of being pleasure seekers rather than efficiency-obsessed.
food is an occasion in Espana.. they celebrate, bond, laugh, cry, share, ideate and connect over a meal. No wonder I love the place so much. My passion is the country's passion. Lunch is not to be taken lightly. Its a two-hour soiree complete with a beverage (most often alcohol), an appetizer, a main course and dessert. How do you go back to work after that, I don't know. What is the Spanish word for 'courage' again?
Speaking of 'courage', Barcelona is one of the craziest party destinations in the world and now I know why. After intermittent drinking through the day, serious alcohol intake starts up in the evening and multiple bar-hopping adventures ensue. Post that, people walk into clubs at 2 Am and party like rockstars into the morning. Breakfast, coffee and then work? Critics can blame the state of the country's economy on this phenomena if they like. I wouldn't though, I think partying is the fuel to their high performance on the happiness index.
For a person who has been a nomad all her life, I finally belong. I belong to Barcelona. Barcelona belongs to me. Te Amo Espana. and its funny how much :)
