Life Doesn't Start at 6am Here (And Why that’s a Good Thing)
Sitting with clients at a café after an early morning residency appointment recently, I watched them take in just how quiet the streets, and the café itself, still were at 9am. They compared it to the US, where life really does start early: every café table occupied by 7 or 8am, laptops open, meetings underway before most of us have had our first coffee.
That's just not how it works here.
Cafés Are for People, Not Laptops
Working from an outdoor café simply isn't part of the culture in Santander. Partly that's connectivity. But mostly, it's that there isn't the need. People here do work remotely, plenty of them, but from home or from a co-working space. The bigger Spanish cities, Barcelona, Madrid, may look different. Santander doesn't, and I'm not sure I ever want it to.
By 11am, the terrace cafés fill up, but with friends meeting for a coffee and a chat, face to face, no screens between them.
Gyms Run Late Too
If you're used to 5 or 6am gym starts, get ready to reset your expectations. Classes here tend to begin at 8, 9, or even 10am. There's a reason for the later start, and it's the same reason behind everything else: the rhythm of life is simply different here.
A Different Rhythm, Start to Finish
A later morning leads into a long, late lunch, followed by a rest. Then a late evening, a late dinner, and a slow wind-down. For most people relocating to Spain, this rhythm shift is the hardest part of the adjustment. It's tempting to hold onto your old schedule like an anchor, something familiar to grip while everything else is changing.
After more than two decades of living in Spain, I've come to believe the best rhythm is your own. You don't have to keep the routine you left behind, and you don't have to fully adopt the one that's the local norm either. The sweet spot is somewhere in between: finding what genuinely suits you, and adapting it to where you now live.
But those late morning starts? They're a good reminder. Slowing down, and actually being present in the moment, is a gift, not an inconvenience.
