Just some things that took me off guard about Spain
1. Ethnicity - I honestly expected the people here to be Hispanic. Not even close. If not for the language you would be hard pressed to tell that the average crowd here is not a snapshot of America
2. Time - Time is different here. It goes slower. Everything is closed from 2 to 5 for siesta and you can not get dinner before 9. Also, the waitresses are in no rush whatsoever. You can sit at a table and nurse a coffee for 4 hours and they would not bug you or bat an eye.
3. Texas - So far this place looks exactly like Texas. Hard scrabble dirt. Rabbits, lizards, cows and horses everywhere.
4. We have not seen another pilgrim yet. One street worker recognized us as pilgrims from the shell we wear and one bicyclist who did the camino before stopped and talked to us but that is it. This should change once we get past Averello in 4 days.
5. Sidewalks - there are few and few are flat.
6. There are a lot of buildings for sale. You can tell the economy is suffering here.
7. Graffiti - it is everywhere. Madrid was the worst but even in rich communities it is present.
8. Yellow Arrows - these are our guides on the camino and by god they are everywhere. You would have to work very hard to get lost on the camino.
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