Siesta

At this point I'm very hungry, and I make my way back to a sidewalk table near the Cathedral and order some tapas.  My food is very quickly prepared.  A squid dish that seems to be three whole and fairly large squid with an inked aioli and Seville's signature potato dish which is a bit like home fries with a spicy ketchup sauce.  Very good, but almost immediately as I start eating I notice the place starting to close around me.  It is almost 4pm, and apparently I am witnessing the beginning of Siesta.  As I learn, Siesta here is ~4-8pm and seems to apply to pretty much any business, but especially restaurants.  In fact the locals often eat dinner at 10 or 11pm and seemingly enforce this practice by closing their restaurants to prevent tourists from eating earlier.

Food is not the only area where Spain's clock seems to tick to its own beat.  Spain is due South of England, however has decided to use Central European time (like Germany), so the sun is still visible well after 9pm even now and there is light in the sky after 10pm.  Maybe somewhat explains the late meals . . . but not quite.  Even if the schedule is a bit unorthodox there's not much to complain about Spanish cuisine.  Varied and delicious.