Today’s Friday – and the last day in July. So technically, we’re about midway through the summer holiday season. What does that mean? It means that half of the Spanish population is returning home from a monthlong summer holiday and the other half of the Spanish population is preparing to START their monthlong summer holiday.
So I repeat, “what does this mean”? Answer: GRIDLOCK
If you thought the July 1st summer vacation exodus traffic jams were bad, just wait! Today, tomorrow, and Sunday will show BOTH outbound AND inbound traffic jams throughout Spain. Best to stay home – or better, stay on vacation – for a few days to let it pass. But a lot of people don’t have that luxury. Many have to be back at work on Monday morning.
I recently returned from my own holiday vacation; nearly 3 weeks in my small, Midwestern hometown in the United States of America. The visit was to north central Ohio, near Lake Erie, and the temperatures were unseasonably and blessedly cool and and with low humidity. Every day was roughly 15-20 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler than normal. The nights, OH, THE NIGHTS, were so cool that – with the windows open – not only the bed sheet was required but also the blanket and even, sometimes, the comforter! Ah, man, I was in weather heaven as compared to this HOT and dry weather we have here in Madrid. I kept reading the Madrid weather reports while in Ohio and thinking, ‘Man, I’m so glad to be here right now,’ knowing I’d soon be returning to the Phoenix-like summer heat.
But now I’m home and happy to be here. The food, the people, the things all around which which make Spain SPAIN – even if half of these things are now closed for the entire month of August. Hmph! Just yesterday morning I went to my favorite bar to pick up some porras and they too were closed! I wasn’t surprised, though. It’s something you have to live with here.
Good luck with the traffic… maybe you should try a bike to get around the city for the next couple days. (haha)
And I can’t believe you’re complaining about the “Phoenix-like” heat in Madrid. I just came back to the USA from Burgos and here in Pennsylvania it has RAINED every day…. when I left Spain it was sunny and in the 90s all the time. I love the heat, and can’t wait to go back to Spain later this month to soak up some of that August sun!
I don’t mean to complain – nor should I because I don’t even own a car – but I know the traffic is a hot topic these days along with the HEAT! So if you like the heat, Spain is the place for you! If not, well, you/we just have to stick-it-out until autumn. Then begins my 9 favorite months of the year.
Enjoy your August stay in Spain!
Saludos, MadridMan