I‘ve seen some headlines and stories in my time, even written some pretty desperate ones myself, but there is one doing the rounds in the UK at the moment which, apart from being laughable, is an insult to British tourists. Well, I hope those who read it take it as one.
The big flap in the UK, and an issue tourists are being “warned about”, is “Spain and Italy holidaymakers urged to check the time each day to avoid closures”. This all because “a lot of shops and businesses across these countries will close for a period of hours in the afternoons for a nap - or a siesta as it’s usually called”.
Now, it’s not as if the siesta is new. In fact, apart from being one of the main attractions of a Mediterranean holiday, many expert studies indicate that those who nap have less risk of heart attacks. Hence why ‘power naps’, as they have become known in Northern European and the United States, are recommended and encouraged by some doctors and companies.
I can neither see the issue nor the need to go into overkill about the fact that we like a siesta, when possible, in Mallorca and the rest of the Mediterranean. However, fewer and fewer people are able to have quick naps because working habits have changed and the main high street shops don’t close at lunchtime any more. It might also be worth pointing out that it’s rather hot at this time of year and a siesta is a good way of avoiding the heat of the day.