Tip: Don’t eat Spain restaurant food…everyday – Shop for food

…everyday.

Save your euros and time. If you are trying to get the most out of your trip to Spain and see as many sites in one day as possible, buying your meal in a store is a great alternative to eating out.

Plus, shopping for food is fun.

Yes, try to make time for dining out when you can. Just realize that restaurants are as much about the food as much as they are about the experience, the sitting around for a long time chatting with friends. Great food, good times.

When your time is limited, try a market (el mercado) or specialty food shops.

Go to a deli counter for your food every once and while. Get some meat at one place and a roll at a nearby bakery (la panaderia).

Buying something over the counter if you don’t know the language isn’t too hard either. Read the signs and study up on numbers and measurements and common food words and you’ll be fine. To make the words even easier, write them down ahead of time.

Or, just remember “Me llevo esto.” (I’ll take this.)

Then, make yourself a picnic lunch in a park, or find a street bench or even find a spot on a rooftop.