Closed for lunch.
Siesta.
It’s one of the first things American students think about when contemplating studying abroad in Spain.
The idea of a daily nap after lunch before resuming normal activity is virtually irresistible. Who wouldn’t want to siesta every day?
Let me break the news to you: virtually no one siestas in Spanish cities anymore, except the American foreign exchange students.
“But why?” you may whine.
It’s simple — there’s no time left in the day. Spain and its larger cities are just like any other in Europe: they’re very productive.
To be fair, in some smaller towns, people may still siesta. I would not be surprised to find an abuelita turning in for a couple of hours in a town in Andalucía, a region in the south of Spain.
However, by and large, siestas are being left behind.
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