A few of my favorite things...

In honor of my impending departure, I have decided to fill my time by listing a few of the best Spanish traditions/lifestyle details for which I am pee-your-pants-a-little-but-not-so-much-that-anyone-notices-excited. Not only will this get me more excited for my trip, but it will get YOU excited- and sound culturally savvy/temporal/generally classy when people start talking about the recent World Cup campeones.

Favorite Thing #1: Botellones (Bo-tay-yone-ayes)

Ever wish you could drink openly in public? Ever wish you could drink openly in public with 800 of your closest friends? Well, in Spain, you can! I certainly will, at least. Every night before Spanish youngens go out, they pre-game in open plazas and parks in Spain, sometimes with as many as 1,000 others. Is this real life?? Let us list the reasons this nightly event is muy bueno:

-It's fiscally responsible! (You don't spend a ridiculous amount on drinks at clubs)
-You meet the locals! (Alcohol IS the social lubricant of the world)
-You make friends! (Sharing alcohol with others is a sound beginning to any long-lasting relationship)
-You experience the local tastes! (Trading alcohol-duh... which is totally safe! Hi, Mom and Dad)

I am probably not cool enough to join THIS circle (specifically the bottom-left guy), but you get the idea.