How can we find an early dinner in Spain?
We have a trip to Spain and Portugal planned but we’ve noticed many restaurants don’t start serving evening meals until after 8pm. Is there any way of identifying places to eat a little earlier?
I can give you “surface level” good news here
– a great number of restaurants in touristy regions of the cities you’ll be visiting will open earlier than 8pm, with many opening at lunchtime and staying open well after midnight. Yet when I spoke with a food writer mate who travels to Spain regularly, he was adamant that no good could come of dining at these sorts of places. “If you find a restaurant in Spain that’s open at 6.30pm, you really don’t want to go there,” he snorted.
Embracing the Spanish lifestyle isn’t as difficult as it looks – here, it’s a small breakfast (desayuno) between 7am and 9am, a snack or light meal (almuerzo) from 10.30am to 12pm and then la comida. Traditionally served between 2pm and 4pm, this is the largest meal of the day and often involves several courses. A siesta and la merienda – a small snack of, say, pastries and a coffee between 5pm and
7pm – will tide you over until your 8pm dinner, which tends to be on the lighter side.
If you’re sure you can’t adapt to the local mealtimes, you can opt for tapas and pintxos since eateries serving these snacks tend to be open far earlier, but if you do a Google search for “Spanish restaurants that serve dinner early”
(or variations including the name of the city you’re visiting), you’ll find blogs and forums listing places that will happily serve dinner from 6pm or 6.30pm onwards.
I browsed some of the suggested restaurants around Madrid and Barcelona and found a significant number of places that remained open from noon onwards. Just remember that these places will cater largely to tourists rather than locals (think laminated menus in English and inflated prices), but if you’re not too fussed about that, you shouldn’t have any problem finding places to eat for your evening meal. Good luck!
I’m travelling to Kenya and Tanzania in July and I’m wondering what is the best way to manage money? How much money should I take and how much should I tip?
I remember the same conundrum when I first travelled to East Africa but I was pleasantly surprised to find ATMS – in local bank branches and in shopping malls – were readily available in cities and major towns. I should point out, however, that Visa is more widely accepted than Mastercard and I recommend taking a couple of different cards in case an ATM rejects your
card. I’ve never had that problem, but I’ve heard of it happening to others.
Many hotels, restaurants and attractions accept payment by card, but once you’re out of the cities, you’ll quickly discover things are pretty much cash only. For this reason, you’ll need to look closely at your itinerary to work out how much money you’ll need to cover meals, shopping, tips and other incidentals before you get to the next town. I would also withdraw another couple of hundred Australian dollars worth of Kenyan/tanzanian shillings.
Although tipping isn’t mandatory in Kenya and Tanzania, it is, of course, appreciated, and you should tip all service providers (including tour guides) at least 10 per cent (15 per cent for exceptional service).
Although it is tempting to rely on US dollars, local currency is best. The last thing you want is to give locals cash they can’t use without paying high fees on currency exchange. The key? Carry just enough money to cover your expenses so you don’t come home with currency that is useless to you once you leave the continent.
Researching the destinations you’re visiting – including the prices of meals and drinks at local restaurants – will help you arrive at a realistic figure. If you’re still unsure, contact the staff at the properties you’re staying in to get their advice on how much you’ll need.
Do you have any recommendations on cost-effective E-SIM cards for Japan please?
Two good options include Airalo Moshi Moshi (airalo.com), priced from $6.75 for
1GB over seven days, or B Mobile Visitor
Sim (bmobile.ne.jp), which offers 5GB over 10 days from just over $20. I went with the latter on my recent visit and purchased it at a BIC Camera store.
These are both data only but Wi-fi is everywhere you go and you can easily set up a Whatsapp group so you can stay in contact with your group.