What is this mysterious thing called a siesta and where can I get one? Before moving to Spain never in my life had I thought about taking a nap. Even when you are a kid in preschool you kick and scream and fight taking a nap because you want to run around like a crazy demon child and take over the school with all the other little children (also known as play time). Even at a young age, we American children know what nap time means. It means missing out on the world around us and not accomplishing our main goal - play time. Later on in life this transfers over to work time, but it is pretty much the same. To American’s, Sleep = Lazy.
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| We will first start by taking control of this space craft! |
Even someone who needs 8 hours of sleep every night feels as if they are wasting time, but they can’t help it, they need 8 hours of sleep or they can’t function even with 20oz of coffee, a 52oz soda, chocolate and no-dos (or other energy supplements). I am sad for these people; they shouldn’t feel bad for sleeping 8 hours a night. 8 hours is wonderful, glorious, amazing and healthy! But, for us American’s that is the maximum limit. Let’s take someone who sleeps 10 hours a night for example, in the US they might go to the doctor to see what was wrong with them! 10 hours of sleep! Man that is 4 more hours than you really need, come on, get it together! If you didn’t have a rough drunk night the night before or an all-nighter in college and those 10 hours aren’t taken over the weekend, it is completely unjustified.
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| Okay, now you can sleep. |
Now, if sleeping for a normal amount of time at night is unacceptable, it is pretty easy to imagine that naptime is way out of the question. But here in Spain, it is completely acceptable to take a nap in the middle of the day. In fact, lunch time and store hours are based around this amazing thing called a siesta. Most stores are closed from one or two in the afternoon until four or five in the early evening. This means no shops are open (except a few mega stores and Chinese dollar stores but they don’t count).
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| This is what happens when you don't close for a siesta, and then they steal your fruit... |
I remember thinking when I got here, like a good American, I can get sooooo much done in this 3 hour block of time! I can run errands, I can go shopping, I can do all the things I need to do but can’t during the day because I’m at work or in class. Man was I wrong! Everything I wanted was closed, the bank, the grocery store, the bookstore, the library, clothing stores, jewelry stores, even a couple of the dollar stores were closed. The only places open during this time of the day are bars and restaurants. For the most part, the only thing you are allowed to do is eat and take a siesta.
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| I'm dead serious. |
I have recently found that the gym is still open during this time (but it is so packed you don’t really want to be there) and that the megastore El Corte Inglés is open, but I hate that place. I went to buy fruit at my local fruit shop (known as la Frutería) today and they were even closed for siesta and that place is open on holidays! That is just how important the siesta is!
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| El Corte Inglés makes me want to gouge my eyes out... |
Does this mean that everyone takes a two hour nap? No, most people during this time eat their large meal for the day, or eat in a restaurant or visit with their friends and family, and then most people will take their 20 or 30 minute siesta. It is even a very peaceful few hours, even kids don’t usually start playing in the streets and being noisy until about 5pm. Granada, a city in southern Spain, even has noise laws prohibiting it to be noisy between 3 and 5pm! After 5pm these places will open up again and bars and restaurants will be closed until around 8 or 9pm when they open back up for dinner.
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| I know you want to take a nap by a La Alhambra fountain! |
So why in the world does Spain have siesta anyway?! The siesta was originally a part of Spanish culture to protect themselves from the sun (as the hour of siesta is at the hottest and highest point of sun in the day), to rejuvenate themselves for their afternoon work, and to recover from their giant lunches. Because Spaniards eat lunch as their main meal of the day, they are quite drowsy afterwards and need a nap. So after chatting with friends or family and eating their main meal of the day, they will take a little 20 minute nap and get up feeling refreshed and ready to head back to work.
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| Gorilla Siesta on your back! |
Now, I am ready for my siesta!
Until next time,
Raely Marie
