News/Blogs

The summer arrives with a punch around Valencia.

The transitionary seasons don’t last long – Spring seems to rush by and the pleasant early 20c temperatures are all too short. And those lovely autumnal days are few and far between.

When summer comes , it hits you straight between the shoulders.

Temperatures begin to flirt with the late 20s and test out the lower 30s. And once you’re over 3O, you have to start taking things seriously.

Many Northern Europeans don’t get the heat. They don’t get how hard you have to work to avoid being affected by long term high temperatures. They would never contemplate going out on a cold day in Iceland with shorts and sandals. You can see the cold right?

Yet many people will go out unprepared on a very hot day, including not drinking enough water, downing too much alcohol, wearing inappropriate clothes and exerting themselves too much.

A good tip is watch the locals – see what they do. Mostly it’s up early, stay hydrated, have a siesta in the high heat and only come out at night when the temperatures have dropped. If we go out into the town at night, you´ll see pockets of people, almost like refugees, sitting outside, trying to catch a cool breeze.

And fight the temptation is open the windows and let the illusionary breeze in. The air is hot and once you let it, you´ve had it. The room and house will quickly heat up and will take a long time to cool down. The trick is to shut the windows, bring down the blinds, close the curtains and keep the doors firmly shut. Keep it dark and cool – it’s counter institutive for us northern europeans, but it does work.

When you go out, there´s also a list of things to do.

When walking, try to find the shade. There´s usually one side of the road which will be shaded. Don´t sit in the sun, always go under a canopy, or a shade. If you see a cafe or restaurant table in the sun, don´t be tempted. The locals seek the shade, you must do the same. In winter you seek the sun, in summer you seek the shade. It´s a bit of a dance as the seasons progress.

One of our favourite cafes has a long line of tables along its main wall – it faces the sun. In winter it’s a wonderful place to sit and catch some rays. In summer, even with a wide shade extended from the wall, it can be an ordeal to sit there, trying to not let the heat beat you up.

The Spanish owners are incredulous that we still like our coffee piping hot, even on ultra sunny days.

Don´t go on walks/hikes/jogs in the sun – if you do, take plenty of water and never go without your phone. Over-heating is a very serious condition. If your core over-heats, then your brain struggles to make decisions and you could end up doing stupid things.

Wear clothes that are made from natural fibres, are light and loose-fitting. Have some flesh out there, as it will help you cool. But, be careful about exposing too much flesh. In the non-tourist areas especially, the Spanish can be a little prudish about too much bare skin. We´ve seen police ask men to put their shirts back on – going topless is best for the beech, not the streets.

Also, change your way of coping with the heat. Don´t make sudden movements, don´t have freezing showers, don´t drink a gallon of cold water in one and don´t eat too much hot food. When you walk, do it with a lanquid grace, because you don´t want to get a sweat on.

So remember, the heat is a challenge and can be a danger – treat it with respect and you be good.

Ronald McDonald is coming to a town near you, just like us.

One minute it was waste ground, the next its a fully-functioning drive-in restaurant.

Big Mac is continuing to supersize Spain which begs the question, how do you feel when your town get its own McDonald’s?

Pleased, or dismayed?

Is this a sign of progress, or another indicator that Spain, like many other parts of Europe that the continent is becoming, in terms of food and the service industry, just one corporate identikit.

Recent figures show France has succumbed to Ronald McDonald and experts are now asking, some fearing, that Spain will surely follow.

Surprisingly, the country with the most McDonald’s outside of the US is France.

The US has 13,444 McDonald’s restaurants and next comes France with 1,536. Canada follows with 1,462, Germany with 1,425 and the UK with 1,397.

Spain comes in eighth, with 580.

France was once the bastion of the bistro and small cafe scene, yet many villages and towns have seen huge numbers closing (around 70%) as rural populations have depleted and there’s been a change in habits.

The local McDonald’s – effectively for some the only choice – has now become a local beacon, especially with the younger generations, who see them as adding to their social lives.

Having proved popular in urban areas, McDonald’s is actively now moving out into the quiet rural areas.

Even some of the surviving cafes and restaurants don’t see them as a threat, saying they cater for a different customer, mainly an older demographic.

Others are not so welcoming, including farmers who see them as a threat. One farmer’s union, based in the southwest of the country, sees the restaurant chain as the worst of junk food, industrial farming, tax avoidance and only offering jobs with little security.

Spain’s hospitality industry is struggling, as in France. Bars and cafes are closing at a rapid rate. Between 2021 and early 2023 there was a 17% fall in the number of existing bars.

On 1 January 2023, the country had 168,065 registered bars. In 2022, some 7,825 bars were shut, a 4.5% decrease on the previous year’s total.

Madrid has borne the brunt of the closures, with 5,900 between 2021 and 2023 – a 26% fall. The Castilla y Leon and the Galicia regions weren’t far behind, both down nearly a quarter.

On the upside, some observers believe this is the bottom of the cycle and that the hospitality sector is about to make a comeback as people adjust to the new, post-Covid normal.

But if the downward trend continues, Spain may well go the same way as France and begin to welcome more Ronald McDonalds into town.