Oh the Tapas...Pintxos? San Sebastian, Spain

In case you aren't sure that Spain as a whole country has it all right, let me enlighten you.  Midday naps... every day.  The siesta is a real thing.  Jobs close, schools close, and people go home for lunch and a nap before they come back to work or school.  Beautiful right?  And you are almost required to do the same because a lot of things are closed at this time.  Nothing to do, but partake in a glorious midday nap.

Which you really will need for Spain's dinner situation.   But wait, I'm skipping the paseo.  After work is over people get dressed up nicely and the entire city just walks around.  It happens between quitting time and dinner and everyone meanders in big groups of sharp looking people  taking in life and talking with friends and family.

Now on to the Tapas.  I mean Pintxos. (They are basically the same thing but Spain has two different languages and San Sebastian called them Pintxos.)   First of all, it's a good thing you had that nap earlier because dinner places don't even open until 9:00 PM.  Now you can get Tapas all over Spain, but by far the most glamorous/fun place to do it is the beach town, San Sebastian.  The whole experience is about talking to people.  We had an old friend take us around and explain it to us.

"You never have more than one Pintxos and one drink at each place.  You must move to the next one to talk to more people."

It's like bar hopping, but it's dinner.  Oh and each of these places has MAYBE 8 chairs.  You stand. You can stand and talk inside, you can talk out in the beautiful streets and alleys.  The people who work there remember your face and what you owe so you just come back and pay when you're done.  It's incredibly impressive... and trusting.  I don't think this system would work in America, but boy does it work in San Sebastian.  Also, all the food is just laid out all over the counters so you can point to which one you want.  No sneeze cards, no ridiculous menus and waiting.  You point, they hand you your pintxos and drink and you go walk, talk, and eat.  Then you come back later and pay.  I asked our friend how they don't get people stealing.  She says, "They will remember you.  They remember for years if you don't pay."

Gosh I love Spain.  These are my people.  Naps, walks, fun dinners, oh and lots and lots of drinking.  Here is a freshly made gin and tonic.  I don't think Alyce knew what to expect when she ordered.