Large, reasonably cheap, often excellent menu del dia (= not much choice) lunches, at three or four o’clock.

Groups of five or six young women walking down the street, all with long straight dark hair parted exactly in the middle.

Vale (“bah-ley – literally valid) used ten times and many different ways in one short exchange – Yup, I agree, OK sure, if you insist, so um like, anyway, but in my opinion …

Igualmente used in response to “I hope you have a nice meal / good day / thank you.”

Signs you struggle to read because you yet again started to read the Catalan / Valenciano text by mistake. ¡Bienvenguts!

Men at cafe tables, taking their first cortado at 8 in the morning with a copa of beer or a vaso of red wine.

Tomato puree on toast for breakfast in Spain. Cod liver oil on offer for breakfast in Iceland.

Delicious pastries. Pastries that look delicious but are really only sweet.

Vegetable salads that always have a half pound of tuna. Olive oil and vinegar on every table, but never salt and peper.

Cerveza tostada sin alcohol.

Quick mart foods. Unusual overprocessed junk, but mostly good stuff–pickled asparagus, 5 kinds of olive oil packed tuna, fresh boquerones, fresh produce and decent wine.

Smoking – everywhere. (It turns out that rates of smoking in Spain are lower than in France and at least 20 other countries, but we find this hard to believe.)

Bathrooms that lack an extractor fan. Hot shower? Walls dripping.

Scented everything. Laundry detergent you can smell for miles. Air freshener in every corner. Soaps that linger on your skin for hours.

Electric votive machines in churches. Votive candle vending machines.

The idea, universal among Spanish drivers, that a safe following distance is measured in centimeters.

Google maps. Mostly helpful, but occasionally downright scary. Wish there was a filter for roads to select that are actually driveable and not leftover medieval roads suitable for a single loaded donkey.

Roundabouts. Everywhere.

Unexpected animal crossing signs. A variety of walking men/women/people. Snow?

Gender neutral bathrooms. Everywhere. Each stall has a full door, and possibly its own sink inside.

Icelandic sayings. “The raisin at the end of the hot dog.” (A highlight or pleasant surprise.) “On with the butter.” (Carry on.) “I come from the mountains.” (I have no clue.)

Icelandic humor.