France and Spain are neighboring countries but have very different ideas about eating times. I’m on vacation in Spain and I took this photo while looking for somewhere to eat my mid-day meal. It was about 12h50, I had just passed another restaurant where they were putting the tables out on the sidewalk, and some others were showing signs of life. This one had not even started laying the tables. In France, where I live, lunch is eaten between 12h and 14h, arrive at a restaurant after 13h30 and you will likely be turned away. My daughter visiting from Norway usually gets up late and by the time she is ready to go out it is often too late to find a table in France. Fortunately we live near the border so she can go to Spain to eat at what she considers to be a civilized hour.
I love the French lunch routine, it took me a while…
My sons live in France and lunch is a big deal.