My parents visited me here in Spain, and there are a few things that surprised/entertained/ shocked them, so I thought all y’all might be interested too:
Wee- fee: This is how Spainards say wifi. In the eloquent words of my mother, “It sounds like pee pee!”
Table heater: Because of the lack of central heating, they use very long table cloths and then have a heater underneath the table. The table cloth then doubles as a blanket as well.
City personality: My parents were a little worried that the cities would be very Americanized. While we did see our fair share of American brands and the occasional McDonald’s or Starbucks, they were very contented with the unique character of the cities we visited.
Walk-ability: They had heard about ease of walking in European cities and the fact that everyone walks almost everywhere.
Personal space: I’m so glad I warned them about this. For example, we were sitting on a beach looking at the med and a couple guys can up looking over the fence RIGHT next to us. My mom looked annoyed that they didn’t select any of the space along the rest of the fench until I reminded her of this.
Life is in the street: They kept commenting on how many people were in the streets, bars, and cafes. It’s not just because we were traveling during a busy time, it’s also that Spainards love spending time in the street.