Jason MoorePalma06/01/2019 20:33
TW

Some callers from Britain love the words "siesta" and "fiesta." Over the years I have taken many calls from people in Britain who have jokingly apologised for ringing just after lunch because they thought it was "siesta time". Others seem to think that we are on a permanent "fiesta". "I rang your offices and no one answered, so I thought it was a fiesta." This is something else I have heard too many times.

This joke can get rather boring. The assumption is that we have loads of siestas and fiestas unlike the hardworking Brits back in Britain. But the Brits in Britain do have their fair share of fiestas. I was watching a news report on Sky News this week which stated that the increase in rail fares had not really been noticed yet because the majority of Britons do not go back to work until 7 January. 7 January 7! That is a major festive fiesta with plenty of siestas in between. And before you all start reaching for the your telephones I do know that Majorca doesn't really return to work until Monday, but we have an excuse - the Three Kings, who arrived last night.

This is still a major event in Spain, but when was the last time you saw the Three Kings riding up a British high street? Never. Britain (or some in Britain) have just decided to take a nice long Christmas and New Year break. Good for them, enjoy, but don't then suggest that we are always on fiesta or siesta time because at the end of the day Britain has a fair number of Bank Holidays as well and nice long breaks. So there!

We are all in the same boat; perhaps Britain should consider introducing siesta time and then it could have a real fiesta.