Siesta? It’s not a myth. Many shops and cafes close after lunch and open again late afternoon. In smaller towns in particular there appears to be no rhyme nor reason to opening and closing times, so my advice is, if you see something you want, buy it. Even if you have to carry it around all day…..you may never see the shop open again!

It is a good idea to learn how to ask the following questions in Spanish

What time do you open?
¿A qué hora está abierto?

What time do you close?
¿A qué hora cierran?
(It’s also good to learn the numbers, but you can get by using fingers.)

Apart from “Dos vasos de vino tinto de la casa por favor”, they were my most commonly used phrases

A snack, a sip and a snooze, I have to admit there is a lot of merit in siesta!