Siesta
Okay, so siesta doesn't exactly look like those three sleepy guys up there...but, siesta IS a real part of daily life in southern Spain. Siesta is when most people go either home or out for lunch, usually around 2:00PM, and they don't usually go back to work until around 5:00PM.
Actually, there are really two different times for siesta, depending on the line of work...restaurants and tapas bars stay open during the lunchtime siesta because this is when people frequent those establishments. Patrons may arrive around 2:00 and linger for two or three hours, enjoying their meal and time with friends and family. Then the restaurateurs close up around 5:00PM for their rest break before re-opening for dinner between 8-9:00PM.
As long as you plan your day around the siesta hours, it isn't usually a problem...just know that you have to visit smaller shops and service-type establishments before 1:30 or after 5:30 (always leave some leeway on either end because most Spanish don't stick to definite hours), and don't plan on finding a restaurant open between 5 - 9:00PM. The restaurant hours can be difficult to work around because Americans are usually used to eating somewhere in that time frame. So, unless you want to eat late, have a plan B.
There are exceptions to all of this, of course. Large retail stores and shopping malls remain open all day, however individual businesses within the malls may close at siesta time. But, large "big box" stores like Ikea, Bricor, and Leroy Merlin, and the El Paseo and Area Sur malls are open all day.
Some Spanish schools tend to start a bit earlier than the American ones, and also don't take a long lunch period in the middle of the day, allowing kids to finish school a bit earlier, during siesta. Instead of having lunch at school, they may have a short snack break and then have lunch at home during siesta when the school day is over.
Actually, there are really two different times for siesta, depending on the line of work...restaurants and tapas bars stay open during the lunchtime siesta because this is when people frequent those establishments. Patrons may arrive around 2:00 and linger for two or three hours, enjoying their meal and time with friends and family. Then the restaurateurs close up around 5:00PM for their rest break before re-opening for dinner between 8-9:00PM.
As long as you plan your day around the siesta hours, it isn't usually a problem...just know that you have to visit smaller shops and service-type establishments before 1:30 or after 5:30 (always leave some leeway on either end because most Spanish don't stick to definite hours), and don't plan on finding a restaurant open between 5 - 9:00PM. The restaurant hours can be difficult to work around because Americans are usually used to eating somewhere in that time frame. So, unless you want to eat late, have a plan B.
There are exceptions to all of this, of course. Large retail stores and shopping malls remain open all day, however individual businesses within the malls may close at siesta time. But, large "big box" stores like Ikea, Bricor, and Leroy Merlin, and the El Paseo and Area Sur malls are open all day.
Some Spanish schools tend to start a bit earlier than the American ones, and also don't take a long lunch period in the middle of the day, allowing kids to finish school a bit earlier, during siesta. Instead of having lunch at school, they may have a short snack break and then have lunch at home during siesta when the school day is over.