Housework in Spain, to me, is NOT one of my favorite pastimes. Gone are the days, at least for the time being, of dishwashers and clothes dryers for me. Here, where I live, I do all the dishes by hand and air-dry all the washed clothes. The ecologist in me is satisfied with this saving of energy. No doubt large-kitchen-owning Americans and Brits are reading this and asking “Why don’t you just buy a clothes dryer and dishwasher?” Good question. But where in the world would I put them? There’s absolutely no space in my small kitchen.
I wash the clothes in a clothes washer but take them up to the rooftop terrace where 8 metal cables stretch the length of the roof for air/sun drying. I actually love the part about air drying clothes, using no more energy than is required to tote the loads up one flight of stairs and then bring them down again, always being aware of weather conditions. It hasn’t happened often but sometimes rainstorms can sneak up on a person, rendering your nearly dry clothes totally soaked once again. So what do you do then? If you’re quick, you can save some drying time by taking them down and putting them back up once the weather clears. OR, as most people do, just leave them in the rain to re-dry. This last option takes longer, of course, because the clothes are now totally wet – unlike “somewhat damp” as when they come out of the spin cycle after washing.
I actually like taking clothes upstairs to the rooftop terrace. From there I have a nice, wide view of the neighborhood, can see La Iglesia de San Francisco El Grande (San Francisco Church – the big one – beautifully illuminated at night) and “El Pirulí” (Torrespaña – the radio and TV communications tower) but nothing else of interest except both the sunrises and sunsets.
Oftentimes, the “best” cables are much desired, the ones with the most direct sun, and competition for such cables can be fierce. Sometimes I wake up early and hang up the clothes at 7am or I’ll hang them out the night before in order to get the best location. What I hate is when neighbors leave their clothes hanging up there for days – and sometimes weeks!! That’s frustration, particularly when they’re occupying those “best cables”!
Note: I don’t know anyone in Spain who owns a clothes dryer but I think I’ve seen one or two for sale in the appliance stores. These are considered oddities by Spaniards.
Washing dishes, on the other hand, is a pain in the rear. There I am, standing for 45 minutes washing dishes in a relatively small sink, then stacking them all on a relatively small, stainless steal drying counter located immediately next to the sink. I’m sure I get no sympathy from anyone who grew up washing and drying dishes but I’m not used to it.
Note: Dishwashers are commonly sold in appliance stores in Spain and are often found in modern kitchens – WITH SPACE.
As for dusting, cleaning floors and bathrooms, well, that’s another thing altogether. Ugh.
Share THIS on Facebook!
