Oviedo
We took a 4 hour train ride to Oviedo, which is the city where Emily lives. It is located in Northern Spain and is the capital of the Asturias region. It didn't take long to see some differences between our culture and that of the Spanish upon arriving in Oviedo that day...
Lunch
Lunch in Spain is a little different than what we're accustomed to in the States. While we consider the noon hour to be lunch time here, there, it is typically had anywhere between 1-4. (the restaurants are nearly empty until after 2:00) Another difference is the size of the meal. In general, dinner is our biggest meal, however, there, it is lunch. I learned of these differences right away, after meeting up with Emily's boyfriend, Raul, for lunch shortly after our arrival. Many restaurants have what is called "Menu del Dia" or "menu of the day", featuring a 2 to 3 course meal. Usually there are several options to choose from as well. We shared the menu del dia that day and had a plate of jamones diferentes (different slices of cured hams), calamares fritos, (friend calamari) and ensalada (salad). Regrettably, I did not take pictures of all the different foods I had while there, so I do not have a photo to share here. But, everything was muy delicioso!
Store Hours
Here, we have become accustomed to having stores open 7 days a week, and some even 24 hours a day. Hell, sadly, retail stores hardly close on holidays anymore. In Spain, it's a different story. Many small businesses close daily for 2-3 hours for lunch or "siesta". Waiting until Sunday to do your grocery shopping for the week? Not there! We had to make sure to pick up a few things after lunch because not only are they closed on Sundays, but the Monday of that week was a holiday, so they were closed that day as well. Closed 2 days in a row? Almost unheard of here, right?
Dinner
Since they typically do not eat lunch until later in the afternoon, it is no surprise that they eat dinner later at night - anywhere between 8 and 10. That night Emily and I headed over to her friend Mary's house for a Tapas party. We got there around 10 and indulged in such delights as ham wrapped asparagus, stuffed with roasted red peppers, tortilla (an egg and potato dish, similar to an omelet, but thicker), bread w/ a raspberry spread, cheese, and ham on top, and a salad. No picture :( but again, everything was fantastic.
Nightlife
The nightlife, overall, is similar here - gather in bars/pubs, drink, and socialize. The difference here, again, is the hours. We didn't leave the house until 12:30 and we were out until 6:00! Our first stop - a sidreria so I could try the sidra (hard cider). You have to drink the entire bottle of sidra in one sitting, (we split between the 6 of us), as it quickly becomes flat. There is a special way to pour sidra - holding the bottle high up in the air and the glass low - this is supposed to enhance the natural carbonation and make it taste better - and pour a small amount into the glass. You are supposed to take all but the last little bit in one drink, dumping the rest out by the drain that most sidrerias have for this very purpose. You can watch this process here (from 0:53-1:16) Next, we headed to a crowded outdoor plaza and shared a few drinks. It almost reminded me of the huge gathering on the hill for UNI's homecoming (when that was still allowed) but not as wild. It was fun to enjoy the cool breeze of the night, highlighted by the moonlight, and just fully be immersed in the nightlife of Oviedo. We continued to barhop, making sure to stop at the bar Raul owns, and ended the night dancing at another bar (fellow Panthers - think Sharky's minus the stripper pole) One of Mary's roommates, Christian, was a dancing fool and had a whole crowd of people dancing around him. He'd be a good fit for a "So You Think You Can Dance" show, just to give you an idea of his talent. Knowing of my poor dance skills, I knew I had to whip out maraca snap to save face....it was a hit, per usual. :) One thing that was true of all the places we stopped at was the playing of American music - Britney, J-Lo, Chris Brown, and yes, even Big Willie Style "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" rang through the speakers. I also enjoyed hearing some Spanish tunes, especially Shakira's, "Loca" and Don Omar & Lucenzo's, "Danza Kuduro".
Lunch
Lunch in Spain is a little different than what we're accustomed to in the States. While we consider the noon hour to be lunch time here, there, it is typically had anywhere between 1-4. (the restaurants are nearly empty until after 2:00) Another difference is the size of the meal. In general, dinner is our biggest meal, however, there, it is lunch. I learned of these differences right away, after meeting up with Emily's boyfriend, Raul, for lunch shortly after our arrival. Many restaurants have what is called "Menu del Dia" or "menu of the day", featuring a 2 to 3 course meal. Usually there are several options to choose from as well. We shared the menu del dia that day and had a plate of jamones diferentes (different slices of cured hams), calamares fritos, (friend calamari) and ensalada (salad). Regrettably, I did not take pictures of all the different foods I had while there, so I do not have a photo to share here. But, everything was muy delicioso!
Store Hours
Here, we have become accustomed to having stores open 7 days a week, and some even 24 hours a day. Hell, sadly, retail stores hardly close on holidays anymore. In Spain, it's a different story. Many small businesses close daily for 2-3 hours for lunch or "siesta". Waiting until Sunday to do your grocery shopping for the week? Not there! We had to make sure to pick up a few things after lunch because not only are they closed on Sundays, but the Monday of that week was a holiday, so they were closed that day as well. Closed 2 days in a row? Almost unheard of here, right?
Dinner
Since they typically do not eat lunch until later in the afternoon, it is no surprise that they eat dinner later at night - anywhere between 8 and 10. That night Emily and I headed over to her friend Mary's house for a Tapas party. We got there around 10 and indulged in such delights as ham wrapped asparagus, stuffed with roasted red peppers, tortilla (an egg and potato dish, similar to an omelet, but thicker), bread w/ a raspberry spread, cheese, and ham on top, and a salad. No picture :( but again, everything was fantastic.
Nightlife
The nightlife, overall, is similar here - gather in bars/pubs, drink, and socialize. The difference here, again, is the hours. We didn't leave the house until 12:30 and we were out until 6:00! Our first stop - a sidreria so I could try the sidra (hard cider). You have to drink the entire bottle of sidra in one sitting, (we split between the 6 of us), as it quickly becomes flat. There is a special way to pour sidra - holding the bottle high up in the air and the glass low - this is supposed to enhance the natural carbonation and make it taste better - and pour a small amount into the glass. You are supposed to take all but the last little bit in one drink, dumping the rest out by the drain that most sidrerias have for this very purpose. You can watch this process here (from 0:53-1:16) Next, we headed to a crowded outdoor plaza and shared a few drinks. It almost reminded me of the huge gathering on the hill for UNI's homecoming (when that was still allowed) but not as wild. It was fun to enjoy the cool breeze of the night, highlighted by the moonlight, and just fully be immersed in the nightlife of Oviedo. We continued to barhop, making sure to stop at the bar Raul owns, and ended the night dancing at another bar (fellow Panthers - think Sharky's minus the stripper pole) One of Mary's roommates, Christian, was a dancing fool and had a whole crowd of people dancing around him. He'd be a good fit for a "So You Think You Can Dance" show, just to give you an idea of his talent. Knowing of my poor dance skills, I knew I had to whip out maraca snap to save face....it was a hit, per usual. :) One thing that was true of all the places we stopped at was the playing of American music - Britney, J-Lo, Chris Brown, and yes, even Big Willie Style "Gettin' Jiggy Wit It" rang through the speakers. I also enjoyed hearing some Spanish tunes, especially Shakira's, "Loca" and Don Omar & Lucenzo's, "Danza Kuduro".
sounds lovely! i am so glad you had an awesome time.
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