Marta Budzyska, who is originally from Poland, moved to the Spanish capital of Madrid in 2022 – but there’s one part of her new life that still feels weird to her
A woman who moved to Madrid was shocked by one difference (stock image)(Image: Carrastock via Getty Images)
Spain remains a firm favourite for Brits seeking the perfect sun-soaked getaway.
The year 2023 saw roughly 17.8 million trips from the UK to Spanish shores, crowning Spain as the top holiday spot for UK travellers that year. In fact, it accounted for an impressive 21% of all international sojourns made by UK inhabitants, the Office for National Statistics reports.
It’s estimated that among these sunseekers, thousands opt to permanently relocate to Spain annually.
While many Brits acquaint themselves with Spanish customs before their big move, there are elements of life in Spain that can still come as quite a jolt.
Marta Budzyska, originally from Poland, encountered just such a surprise after her 2022 move to Madrid, despite feeling well-versed in Spanish and Mediterranean culture due to her previous years living and studying in Italy. She shared her thoughts on TikTok.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Albeit acclimatised to the hotter climes, Marta found an aspect of her new existence peculiar – a facet unrelated to the abundant sunshine.
Eager to share her experience, Marta turned to her TikTok followers and created a video revealing the most astonishing cultural difference she’s faced since settling in Spain.
The video kicks off with her exclaiming: “One thing that will never stop surprising me about Spain is that they go to eat so freaking late,” indicating just how much this dining habit stands out to her as an anomaly.
She recounted how she’d been out for a meal with mates the previous evening, noting their booking wasn’t until 10pm and even then, folks rocked up over half an hour tardy, a typical occurrence in Spanish life.
“And you know you have to think about the order, gets some starters, the main meal. And literally it took so much time,” she shared, detailing that they were noshing away until the stroke of midnight.
“And I’m not complaining, it was so much fun, I love it,” she enthused. “I love to live fully with another culture where I’m living or where I’m at, like at holidays. Spain is my home now, but like, that is just so funny and I think it’ll never stop surprising me.”
Marta also had a tip for holidaymakers: “So if you go to Spain, just don’t be necessarily on time. Stick […] with easy and chill, it’ll be better for you.”
The comments section soon buzzed with people chiming in with their own tales, with Spaniards nodding along to Marta’s observations.
“As a Spanish this is so true haha,” chuckled one user. Another exclaimed: “It’s shocking haha. How do you even work the next day.”
Another commenter confirmed that Italy shares similar dining customs, though the timing might shift from 8pm to 10pm depending on which part of the country you’re in.
Have you ever found yourself tucking into dinner later than usual while on your travels? Drop us a line in the comments.