Talking about name changes and the Spanish way with names, my wife and I remarried after both of us were widowed, and we both had Spanish and other connections. We also got married in the US, which didn’t help with the burocracy, both there and in the UK.

We made a start on all the alterations that we should make to all our documents, and found it just about impossible. We even went to a friendly Gestor with a box full of documents and asked for help. He was a very patient man and started to make a long list of the things he would have to do on our behalf.

Finally, he pushed the lot back at us and asked us to follow him to the bar next door. Two hours later we were all laughing and had made the decision to leave everything as it was.

I think the turning point came when he examined two different escrituras with all different names on them. He muttered something that sounded like hacienda and we all got frightened.

A big surprise I found when we came to Spain, was that most modern Spanish families do not have alot of kids.

Usually just one or two. I know of only two families we have three!

Well I have four - so you can imagine how much I stand out. The stressed British mom with a massive family.

I noticed that alot of Spanish including men make a big fuss of my kids. They talk and joke with them. I think alot of British men don't and think they may be viewed as being improper...

Another surprise is that beef and lamb are not popular, and so expensive compared to pork. Pig is king.

Yes Spain has the lowest birthrate in the world along with Italy.

I like to pull faces at kids in Spain and always get a smile from the parents. When I do that in the UK the parents look scared and tell their kids not to bother me!

Beef and lamb are popular as far as I know, but only for special occasions for many families as they are expensive as you said

I was surprised by the food, I was expecting better.

I prefer Italian food then Greek for variety and flavor.

We bought some cakes last xmas, the powder ones and Turron, my god I though Jacobs cream crackers dried your mouth, but those things had me chewing for minutes.

Nearest thing to saw dust in edible form, I guess they like them, there everywhere, but hell no, not good for me.

For us the attraction is the bars on the beach, being able to sit for hours over lunch is a great way to relax, but every med country has that when your on holiday, I guess locals don`t get too many chances too sit all day in the sun.

Bread I like in Spain and oil on it.

But again that is true of most med countries.

Spanish food made for tourists or foreigners is terrible
Spanish food made for fellow Spaniards and locals is phenomenal

btw, only part of Spain is a "med country" though I guess for most Brit Expats it essentially is

I guess you must be talking about the Polverones? Yes, they are DISGUSTING!! I can't understand why people are willing to part with their hard earned money for them.

I agree about the food in general - no variety whatsoever. Eating out in the ventas or mostos bores me to tears but the bleedin' in-laws insist on doing it every weekend and never seem to get bored of eating yet more jamon, and yet more queso, and yet more langostinos, and yet more mush served with chips on the side. What joy!

No surprises there, it's had a really low birth rate for quite some time. The days of Franco giving prizes for the most numerous families have long gone. Thanks in a large part to the immigrants with their large families, the numbers are going up a bit.

I agree, we only ever eat Spanish food when there, but I also find it hugely overrated. Very predictable, mostly very bland, as so many places churn out identical stuff. And the veg, such as it is, is invariably a colourless overcooked mess. And no, I'm not talking about down on the coast, CDS I avoid like the plague.

We've had this argument before...

However imo and in the opinion of many I know Spanish food is some of the best in the world. You have to pay for it though... it's all in the quality of the products rather than in any fancy cooking.

Jamon de bellota
Wild fresh Atlantic merluza or lubina (I'm not talking cheap frozen exotic fish)
Fresh prawns from Huelva
Asturian beef
Gallegan almejas and pulpo
Cordero from Segovia
etc, etc

The Brits I know wouldnt dream of going to restaurants that serve this stuff, too "foreign" and too pricey

Also, I believe Spanish restaurants have some of the most michelin stars in the world, if you like that kind of thing. I find it all a little pretencious

I don't agree, I have eaten in some of the best restaurants in Spain and nothing has been memorable. I have eaten (tried to!) suckling pig in Segovia and it was undercooked with white runny fat

To suggest that spanish food is good only if you eat the best produce doesn't say much for the food as a whole. Why would prawns from Huelva be any better than say prawns from Portugal

Expensive ham and cheese may be (slightly) better but it's still ham and it's boring. Spanish food is for when you are hungry, not a treat. Now Italian or French.............

"its still ham and its boring" Guess you've never had jamon de bellota then

Never mind, just means there is more for me!

I cant eat in any place where cooks are used to cooking for Brits anymore becuase the cooks completely overcook everything so it ends up dry and tasteless. I guess thats why Brits prefer to buy cheap meet and stick sauces on them

I think it's like anything...no matter how good something is, once you've eaten it for the 145th time it becomes a bit boring. Due to the lack of variety on Spanish menus you end up eating the same things again and again and again and again, and that for me is where I have a problem. I dread to think how much jamon I have eaten since living here. Yes, the quality is great but I'd be happy to never see another piece of jamon for the rest of my life!!! Although I know another plate of it is going to be shoved under my nose next weekend at the venta with the in-laws.

yes, to be fair I've always lived close to cities where you can find restaurants from all the Spanish regions Galician, Basque, Catalan, Asturian. That gives you the variety.

Although you can find good Andalucian food it isnt so interesting or varied at times, like you say

I'd never want to live on a "costa" or in a tourist resort (or a metropolis like Madrid or Barcelona), but one enviable thing that they all have is a wide selection of restaurants that cater for all tastes. I mistakenly assumed that by living in a decent sized city I would have a decent selection of restaurants to choose from, but sadly no. Quantity yes, quality yes, but variety no. And I can't see that ever changing - the Spanish seem to be so happy and content with what they have got. I've just resigned myself to putting on my sour face each Sunday lunchtime when we have to go out to eat to make them suffer with me.

I don`t really understand the difference between a tourist eating in Spain and an expat when comparing the regions that expats live compared to the regions the tourist visit.

I`m sure there are many Expats in the butt end of central Spain, but not many.

So to suggest the food is different is rubbish.

I`ve eaten in Ventas full of Spaniards and there children.

I`ve eaten in resturant`s, cafes in a few different regions of Spain and the menu have changed very little in variety.

I compare the amount of time i`ve visited Italy which is around about one or two trips more than Spain and found the food far far far better.

Its only my opinion and I`m sure there are expats that have a vast wealth of knowledge beyond mine.

But on my personal choice of the 10 worst countries to eat in Spain would be in that list.

I guess Polverones are the ones, I couldn`t remember there name.

Also what the hell is those slices of bread you find in some bakers that look like they`ve been left in liquid gold and deep fried.

I tried some lovely looking cakes that looked like upside down ice cream cones, but made of some sickly meringue type foam, couldn`t finish it, way too sweet to enjoy.