Originally Posted by
axolotl
Spanish eating and shop hours are challenging for touring cyclists. Dinner in restaurants often began around 10pm and usually not before 9pm at the earliest. Those hours don't work for me, so I never ate dinner in restaurants.
That was SO hard to get used to during my 7 weeks touring Andalucia. I didn't camp as much as I thought I was going to, so I often bought stuff for lunch and ate dinner out. I remember numerous occasions scrambling to get the markets in small towns so I could get jamon, queso and pan for sandwiches before they closed at 2 p.m. for siesta. I also remember wanting to chew my fingers off waiting for the local restaurant to open at 9 p.m. When I did camp and cook dinner I was often waiting outside the market door when it re-opened at 6 p.m.