Working in Spain-time concepts, part 1

In California, productivity, status and big money are highly valued, while in Andalucia (southern Spain), they are not so important.  Instead, in southern Spain, there is a tug-of-war between getting things done, and being relaxed.  People are more interested in quality of life...and I must admit, it's something worth thinking about.

These are cultural differences--Spanish culture as opposed to "American" culture.

Getting down to brass tacks:  one of the significant differences between southern Spain and California is the sense of time.  In California the accepted normal work-day is 9am to 5pm.  In southern Spain it's a lot more complicated.  MOST small businesses run on a schedule of 10am-2pm and then 5pm-9pm.  In the heat of the summer, however (and it IS hot in the summer) the afternoon hours may change to 5:30pm-9:30pm, or 6pm-10pm.  One result is that, other than the "bars" (the California equivalent is a cafe), streets are deserted during the sacred "horas de descanso" from 2pm-5pm.

A pedestrian street, Calle Larga, during the "horas de descanso,"

On the other hand, the bars in southern Spain are open for the early breakfast hours (9am-noon), for lunch (2pm-4pm) and for the afternoon-evening (6pm-11pm or midnight).  Those guys work very hard.  In California, most cafes that are open in the morning close down around 7pm and those that stay open until midnight don't open before noon.  Those guys also work hard, but for fewer hours.

In both California and southern Spain, if we're talking about a dance class or school, of course, these are things that usually start really, really close to the time specified, and you might even want to arrive a bit early.  Theater and performance events, however, nearly always start about half an hour late.

In southern Spain, government offices are generally open Monday through Friday from 9am (or sometimes, 9:30am or even 10am) until 2pm, and that's it.  Banks as well are only open Monday-Friday, from 9 or 9:30am until 2pm.  Big chain stores are often open for much longer hours:  from 9 or 10am until 9pm, Monday through Saturday.  If you have government or financial business to do, you'd better watch out for the hours.

The same street at 11am, in front of one of the bars.

The fresh food market is open Monday through Saturday, from around 9:30am until 1:30 or 2:00pm.  The fresh food market consists of stalls individually rented by retailers, who specialize.  Fish and seafood are one specialty, for example.  Chicken and eggs are another, sometimes with rabbit added on the side.  Bread is another. Meat--meaning beef and pork--is another and fruit and vegetables even another.  Then there are the olive merchants, the spice stalls, and so forth.

OUR NEXT BLOG will complete this topic.