Spain continues to be one of the most popular holiday destinations for Britons trying to chase the sun.
In 2023, approximately 17.8 million visits were made from the UK to Spain. This made Spain the most popular destination for British tourists that year, accounting for 21% of all overseas trips by British residents, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. Of these trips, it is believed that thousands of British people move to sunny Spanish countries each year.
Most British people will know Spanish culture well before they move, but there may still be certain aspects of Spanish life that will shock them.
This was the case of Malta Baziska, a Polish woman who moved to Madrid in 2022.
When she was already moving to the Spanish capital, there is a part of her new life that still feels strange to her, despite already belonging well to the Spanish and Ground Nya cultures, which has nothing to do with the sunny weather.
Accessing her Tiktok account, Marta created a video sharing what her biggest cultural shock has been since she moved to Spain.
“One thing that never surprises me about Spain is that they eat so late,” she said at the start of the video.
She went on to explain that she went out for dinner with a friend the night before but their reservations were not until 10pm.
“And you know you have to think about the order, you get some starters, a main meal, and literally it took so much time,” she said, explaining that they were eating until midnight.
“And I'm not complaining, it was so much fun, I love it,” she said. “I love living completely with different cultures, like where I live or where I live. Like a holiday. Spain is my home now, but it's so funny that I don't think I'll ever stop being surprised.”
Malta told tourists: “If you go to Spain, don't necessarily be on time.
People immediately shared their experiences to request comment, and many Spaniards were related to what Malta had to say.
“In Spanish, this is very true,” one viewer wrote. The second said: “That's shocking haha. How will it work the next day?”
Third parties confirmed that similar dietary habits exist in Italy but could differ between 8pm and 10pm depending on which region of the country they visited.
Have you ever had dinner after your holidays? Please let us know in the comments.
