Spanish idiosyncrasies

Although for them, this often has a negative connotation.

We covered the Spanish way of queuing in podcast 3.

But basically the rule, if you remember, is to ask who was the last in, ¿Quién va al último?, and then know that it's your turn after whoever answers you.

But here's some other quirks.

For some reason, many Spaniards seem fascinated by construction work, and can often be seen standing around observing las obras, building or construction work.

I'm not entirely sure why this is, or if it's even a particularly Spanish phenomenon.

Anecdotally, at least, it seems to be something that foreigners notice in Spain, and it's often groups of older men who seem to be doing it.

Being retired with lots of free time, plus the Spanish tendency to spend more time out and about in the street, a perk of Spanish weather and its pedestrian-friendly public infrastructure, might be one of the reasons.

Another idiosyncrasy we know about is that Spaniards enjoy their time on the terraces of cafes that often line the streets.

However, it's very rare to see people eating on the move.

In the UK and the US, for example, it's very common to see people scoffing down a bite to eat while walking around.

In Spain, this isn't common at all.

It boils down to how different Spain's relationship with food is, something worthy of a podcast in itself.

Likewise, seeing people walking around with takeaway coffee is also pretty rare in Spain, though you do sometimes see it in the bigger cities like Barcelona and Madrid.

Generally speaking in Spain, if you're going to have a coffee, you sit down and have it in a cafe or bar or on their outdoor terrace.

Speaking of walking down the street, it's probably best for the Spaniards that they don't eat while on the move because if they did, they'd probably step in dog poo.

Many foreigners in Spain notice there seems to be an endless amount of dog mess in Spanish streets.

According to the country's National Institute of Statistics, 40% of Spanish households have a dog.

In fact, believe it or not, the Spanish have more dogs than they do children.

While there are a little over 6 million children under the age of 14 in Spain, there are 7 million registered dogs in the country.

Another factor worth considering when understanding the quantity of caca or poo in Spain's streets is how the Spaniards themselves actually live.

When you remember that Spaniards mostly live in apartments without their own gardens, it becomes less surprising that it feels as though there's a lot of dog mess in the streets.

Whereas around 87% of households in Britain have a garden, the number in Spain is below 30%.