When in Spain It always gets my goat that it seems just as I want something or have arrived somewhere the shops all shut for their siesta - and the fact nowhere is open on Sundays (shopping is what Sundays are for afterall) - is this something you get used to - or is it always an irritation?

Do places like Ikea shut aswell?

its not annoying but rather refreshing Sundays are for church and lunch with the family, Back in the Uk bumper to bumper traffic no obvious break from one day to the next....... I love my kip in the afternoon and sometimes shop in the evening and have dinner out or a drink afterwards.......... you can always return to blighty leighbloke if you do not like the Spanish way of life if indeed you ever left at allAfter all isn't the change in the pace of life the reason we came here.

I can't sleep at night, never mind in the afternoon
Sundays I can understand if you're a member of the god squad.
Not in Spain no, and wouldn't want the Spanish way of life, (just a bit of sun and firm fairways will do me) but don't get me started on that.

Major supermarkets and stores, most shopping and commercial centres also, its only in towns and villages that the shops close, but then the bars are open, so no problem, and, in the middle of summer its too damn hot to be shopping in the middle of the day unless in a large air conditioned store.

What is that old saying......

Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun.;-)

Lines from a Noel Coward song I believe. Guess you have to be of a certain age to know that

Leigh, those are rather telling remarks, or were they just a windup?

If that's how you feel, go to a country that doesn't have a siesta.

Me, I quite like the Spanish way of doing things, and it's seldom a problem.

If you have to shop in the middle of the day, there's always places like el Corte Ingles and Leroy Merlin.

We should stop calling you LB and start to call you Windup Merchant

It takes some getting used to, well it did for me and OH, we don't usually get up until about 11am, by the time I have come alive, had breakfast, showered and faffed about deciding what to wear it opening the gates and getting the car out. We settle in the car look at the clock on dashboard (no clocks in house as we like to do things when we feel like it) it's bloody 1330 so no time to go into town as everything is closed except for Lidle so we go there lunch/siesta time is a good time to go all the peeps have gone home. Supermarkets are open all day so again really good time to go, no peeps

If we want to go into town now we go in the evening when it is much cooler to do so and quite often no peeps around to get in your way.

As for Sunday well it's just another day when you have retired

Well said Crispy.Its nice to laze about on a Sunday,but then We do it every day.

Same for me too!
My POV is that if people cannot change their way of thinking, and feel the need to cling to British ways like some sort of safety blanket, they'd be better off staying in Britain!
Not enough sun? Buy a sunbed! Sorted!

Ah well, you know Leigh, bit of a little Englander, beats the crap out of me why the hell he bothers with Spain.

Me? A wind up merchant!! What on earth do you mean woman?

So it seems it's something you get used to, the fact the bigger places stay open is a bonus - Thanks.

Don't know if I'm a little Englander or not to be honest - the reason I'm considering Spain is more logistics than anything else - and as I am particularly taken with idea of a golf development (wouldn't consider anything else to be honest) - could really be anywhere in the world - Florida would be ideal I suppose - time and cost of flights are the downside, though the property is bloody cheap!! - Spain just happens to be the easiest/cheapest to get to - and on the whole has a reasonable winter climate, given a "correction" in prices I have seen in my type of property recently and I imagine further reductions to come I may be able to bring forward my plans a little - time will tell I suppose.

Is that to move over lock stock and barrel or as a holiday home still - must admit i saw a gorgeous house on one of the websites - 5 beds, pool and with sea views - think it was about 200k - very nice - will wait and see what pans out me thinks

Florida saves you the trouble of learning another language.

No, I would never consider emigrating - holiday home for the foreseeable.