It seems like every nationality has their own holiday stereotype.   Germans get up at ungodly hours to put their towels on the best sunbed locations to reserve their spot; the Japanese snap photographs of anything and everything; the Americans talk loudly and can´t understand why the US dollar isn’t legal currency in every country; the British hide their pasty complexions from the sun under ridiculous clothes, and yet still turn into lobsters within 5 minutes of getting off the plane.  The Spanish love company. 

They crowd on to the beach with no regard for personal space.  They seem to hold a belief that if someone has selected an area of beach to occupy, that it must be prime real estate, and they will set up their towels, umbrellas and sun shades as close as possible.  This is particularly unnerving for Brits, whose personal space is an average of about 50cm,  but much, much more when we are scantily clad in swimsuits. 

While we go to the beach for peace and quiet, the Spanish go for a sense of community.     We will stake out an area a good distance from anyone else,  for a slight illusion of privacy,  yet on a mostly empty beach with plenty of ideal spots to choose, the Spanish will still opt to set up camp for the day so close that you can read the small print of their newspaper.

There is a Darwinian aspect to living in a foreign country, and this is just another Spanish way of life that you have to adapt to if you are going to enjoy time in their country.