{"id":64863,"date":"2016-03-30T12:15:03","date_gmt":"2016-03-30T10:15:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/?p=64863"},"modified":"2016-06-10T14:16:23","modified_gmt":"2016-06-10T12:16:23","slug":"things-that-are-different-in-barcelona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/things-that-are-different-in-barcelona\/","title":{"rendered":"Things that are different in Barcelona"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Having lived in <strong>Barcelona<\/strong> for a few months now I have noticed that certain things\u00a0are a little different. Some of these differences add a\u00a0certain charm to the city, whilst\u00a0some are just a\u00a0little strange.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_17 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-grey\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/things-that-are-different-in-barcelona\/#5_minutes_late_is_on_time\" title=\"5 minutes late is on time\">5 minutes late is on time<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/things-that-are-different-in-barcelona\/#Kiss_on_both_cheeks\" title=\"Kiss\u00a0on both cheeks\">Kiss\u00a0on both cheeks<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/things-that-are-different-in-barcelona\/#Always_pay_at_the_end\" title=\"Always pay at the end\">Always pay at the end<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/things-that-are-different-in-barcelona\/#You_dont_always_need_to_tip_10\" title=\"You don&#8217;t always need to tip 10%\">You don&#8217;t always need to tip 10%<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/things-that-are-different-in-barcelona\/#Drivers_can_still_go_through_red_lights\" title=\"Drivers\u00a0can still go through red lights\">Drivers\u00a0can still go through red lights<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_minutes_late_is_on_time\"><\/span>5 minutes late is on time<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Wristwatch_on_hand.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-65185\"><img class=\"alignright wp-image-65185\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Wristwatch_on_hand-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"time\" width=\"317\" height=\"238\" \/><\/a>As an English teacher working in <strong>Barcelona<\/strong> I have noticed that many of\u00a0my students\u00a0seem to believe\u00a0turning up 5 minutes late to a class doesn&#8217;t warrant any comment or excuse. Similarly, when I teach classes away from home and turn up 2 or 3 minutes early\u00a0or just on the dot &#8211; they never seem to be ready, are often\u00a0finishing a phone call and occasionally finishing a meal! You might consider it strange or rude,\u00a0but when you talk to some of the locals you realise that it&#8217;s actually a type of unwritten rule that 5 minutes should mean &#8220;on time&#8221;. So don&#8217;t be offended if you are kept waiting a little &#8211; that is just the <strong>Barcelona<\/strong> way.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Kiss_on_both_cheeks\"><\/span>Kiss\u00a0on both cheeks<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">True in many places but not in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/everything-you-need-to-know-about-barcelona-if-you-arrive-from-the-uk\/\" target=\"_blank\">UK<\/a>, this <strong>social law<\/strong>\u00a0can leave you looking silly if you don&#8217;t know about it. The correct etiquette\u00a0in <strong>Barcelona<\/strong>\u00a0is to kiss both cheeks when you are greeting people. This is common in many countries in Europe, and whilst you may know the\u00a0rule, you may find it slipping your mind which might just leave\u00a0you in an awkward social situation!<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Always_pay_at_the_end\"><\/span>Always pay at<a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/paying.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-65112\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-65112 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/paying-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"paying\" width=\"300\" height=\"199\" \/><\/a> the end<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In\u00a0the UK, when <strong>eating<\/strong> or <strong>drinking<\/strong> out, there are times when you pay the bill after and there are times when you pay the bill before. In Barcelona, the latter is hardly ever an option and payment almost always comes after you have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/how-to-eat-healthy-on-a-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\">eaten<\/a>.\u00a0This is by no means a bad thing and is really\u00a0the logical way of\u00a0doing business!<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You_dont_always_need_to_tip_10\"><\/span>You don&#8217;t always need to tip 10%<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In many places in the world giving a 10% <strong>tip<\/strong> is considered compulsory and if you were to give anything less you would be greeted with disapproving looks. In Spain however, giving a much smaller tip is often regarded as totally acceptable. In fact in many places, especially for lunch, a tip is often not considered necessary at all.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Drivers_can_still_go_through_red_lights\"><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/traffic-light-.jpg\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-65098\"><img class=\"size-medium wp-image-65098 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/traffic-light--300x200.jpg\" alt=\"traffic light\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/><\/a>Drivers\u00a0can still go through red lights<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Crossing the road is one thing that still confuses me in <strong>Barcelona<\/strong>. Much like many\u00a0cities in Europe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/driving-in-barcelona-and-spain\/\" target=\"_blank\">drivers<\/a>\u00a0can\u00a0go through red\u00a0lights. The green lights for the pedestrian offer a chance to cross but if there is no one waiting to cross then cars will\u00a0drive though!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-left \"\n    data-id=\"64863\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 150px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 25px; height: 25px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <strong class=\"kksr-score\">5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\/<\/span>\n        <strong>5<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">(<\/span>\n        <strong class=\"kksr-count\">1<\/strong>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">\n            vote        <\/span>\n        <span class=\"kksr-muted\">)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having lived in Barcelona for a few months now I have noticed that certain things\u00a0are a little different. Some of these differences add a\u00a0certain charm to the city, whilst\u00a0some are just a\u00a0little strange. Table of Contents 5 minutes late is on timeKiss\u00a0on both cheeksAlways pay at the endYou don&#8217;t always need to tip 10%Drivers\u00a0can still [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":65033,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4599],"tags":[176,628,3598],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64863"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64863"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64863\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65186,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64863\/revisions\/65186"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65033"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shbarcelona.com\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}