At the camping shop during siesta times in Spain

Today we checked out of the campsite in Granada and looked for a camping shop we had been told about. We want a tent to train in! Now it has turned out that it is not very easy to find what we are looking for.

Buying an awning

We went to the camping shop Caravanas Autostar, just south of Granada. We want to buy "walls" that you attach to the awning, but as we have an Omnistor/Thule awning it is apparently a complex project. The girl in the shop spoke good English and was very helpful, but as it got close to siesta time she could no longer get the supplier on the phone. So then we simply had to wait out the three hours of siesta in the car park of the camping shop ...

Long delivery time

When the siesta was over, the shop assistant managed to find out that the delivery time was minimum 4-6 weeks (maximum was unknown) and that the price would be somewhere between SEK 15,000 and SEK 21,000, depending on the model. Neither delivery time nor price seemed attractive so after about four hours in the camping shop we gave up.

Why siesta?

We're not discouraged, though, and have already started thinking about new solutions for exercising! But what's the point of closing all the shops for several hours in the afternoon really ...? Sometimes you wonder if the shops don't wool sell ...?

READ MORE: Portable training room - we've got an awning

27 February 2015 0:55

Spain

camping equipment

Helena

Administrator

18 Comments

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Casa Annika says:

The siesta thing has to do with the hot summer months (in the interior). When it is so hot that it is not possible to stay open because no one who is not absolutely obliged to go out between 12 and 20, it can be downright dangerous. And the siesta lasts for the rest of the year as well, unfortunately. Unfortunately for the sake of the workers, because no one who works wants a siesta. It's all about starting work early in the morning, having to go home and be away from work for three hours in the middle of the day (and if you don't live next door to work, you may need those hours to go home, eat and return) and then work until 8 or 9 pm. No free time there! I have heard people say that Spaniards are lazy, probably because of the siesta, but they are certainly not lazy. And few have time to sleep at that time, even if it is called siesta.
Hopefully this will change at some point, but it's probably difficult, because who is going to start being open? A small shop that is open during the siesta doesn't sell anything, nobody is out shopping, and nobody can be reached on the phone because everyone is closed.

Too bad it doesn't work with the awning. Hope it will be good anyway!

27 February 2015 - 1:58

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Steve says:

Customs such as siesta are not easily changed. The siesta is probably simply adapted to life and the climate down there. No Norwegians should come and change that. Even if the siesta does not appear to be a rational phenomenon, I still think there is something sympathetic about this custom.
You tend to be solution-focused, so I'm sure you'll find a clever solution to your awning problem. Good luck to you!

27 February 2015 - 7:19

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Znogge says:

In the summer, the siesta certainly fulfils a good function, but during the winter I'm not so convinced... I hope you find something suitable with fast delivery and a good price.

Happy Friday!

27 February 2015 - 7:40

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Lennart says:

Remember that tomorrow is a public holiday down here!
Many things are closed all day!

Live well!

27 February 2015 - 7:52

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Annika, thank you for your answer! We talked about that when we met too, and we have thought about it. It must be really uncomfortable for many who work and feel that you are never free! Three hours in the middle of the day is difficult to use in any sensible way ... I can also understand the point of siesta in the summer heat, but it is difficult to apply now. But as you say, maybe tricky to change! However, in the centre of Granada about half the shops were open and half closed. So the ones that were open we visited and shopped in!

Steve, of course we cannot and should not change that. But in today's society, when many Spaniards may have a distance to travel to work, it must be difficult for them with such long working days and a long hole in the middle? In the cold winter, it also feels a bit incomprehensible. And often the result is that we do not shop at all because when the chilly dark evening comes, we usually huddle in the motorhome. We simply have to accept their habits, but sometimes I can't help but grumble a little....
😉

Znogge, I guess it's the heat that led to this tradition. But in the cold winter it feels a bit strange. We try to remember, but for some reason it's always in the afternoons that we want to shop... and then oh, no, that's right...
😉

Lennart, ok thank you very much! I don't even know what holiday it is, but we'll find out!

27 February 2015 - 9:04

Reply
BP says:

You, you are in Spain! There the siesta is sacred except for shops where the owners are from other countries. Just get used to it.
Why don't you buy a regular tent that you just throw up and then take down again. Ikea sells such cheaply.

27 February 2015 - 9:15

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Comment by post author

admin says:

BP, you're absolutely right, I'm trying to get used to the siesta but I'm going crazy with it, haha. Well, we are thinking of a regular tent, but it must be standing height. Will check what Ikea has!

27 February 2015 - 9:32

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Rolle o Carina says:

No need to buy a tent for so much money.
to exercise, here we have the whole nature open with paths.
that comes out when the snow disappears!
Best of all, it doesn't cost anything either 🙂

Take care...Hugs

27 February 2015 - 10:08

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Rolle and Carina, we've tried jogging a lot, but Peter's knees hurt and my head hurts... We're longing for our regular workout that we do in front of the TV... I don't feel like it will be ok to do it with an audience...
😉

27 February 2015 - 10:17

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Alexandra says:

When we were camping in Australia, we bought a kind of pop-up party tent (gazebo or something like that in English) and for them you could buy walls that were made of tarpaulin material. Maybe there is something like that?

27 February 2015 - 10:54

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Alexandra, that's what we're thinking about! We will look for it!
🙂

27 February 2015 - 10:55

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Ditte says:

Yes, you just have to get used to the siesta. Here in the city there are a lot of shops that are still open, which is nice, but almost all small shops are closing. You get used to it... This is the case in many southern European countries, but I understand your frustration. I really do! Hope you find an alternative solution where you can exercise.

27 February 2015 - 11:45

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Anna-Kari says:

hello
Try to buy undersheets for the double bed Jysk or IKEA then there is something called carpenters or glue clips that you can buy at larger construction stores, we have such sides and they hold against the wind better than you think. Looks a bit messy but the price is completely different.

27 February 2015 - 16:38

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Åsa says:

In Portugal they drive without a siesta! Another plus point for Portugal! (:

27 February 2015 - 17:33

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Ditte, yes, you just have to get used to it... But for some reason, we always want to shop between 13 and 17... So the bottom line is that we save money, and the Spaniards sell less....
😉

Anna-Kari, we actually talked about buying some kind of tarpaulin and doing just that, temporarily while we train. Right now the idea is to look at some kind of tent though, either a party tent or some kind of tent like Decathon has. We'll see what it ends up with... Great with all the ideas!
🙂

Åsa, can only agree...

27 February 2015 - 20:23

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Marie says:

I don't know if the siesta has anything to do with the heat, as most hot countries in the world lack it. In Turkey, which gets much hotter than Spain in the summer, they work diligently from morning to late evening often.

28 February 2015 - 6:13

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Comment by post author

admin says:

Marie, you are absolutely right... Many types of jobs today are also indoors with air conditioning?

28 February 2015 - 9:03

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Christine says:

Wow, what a wait and also what a long delivery time. I hope you find another solution to the tent problem. But I think so. 🙂

28 February 2015 - 11:03

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At the camping shop during siesta times in Spain

Buying an awning

Long delivery time

Why siesta?

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18 Comments

Casa Annika says:

Steve says:

Znogge says:

Lennart says:

admin says:

BP says:

admin says:

Rolle o Carina says:

admin says:

Alexandra says:

admin says:

Ditte says:

Anna-Kari says:

Åsa says:

admin says:

Marie says:

admin says:

Christine says:

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