Spain is not a litigious society. Not yet. The first time I came here it took me about 15 minutes to figure out that I better watch where the heck I was stepping. There could be a gapinig hole in the sidewalk, a banana peel, or dog poo. Better yet, construction sites practically have a “Welcome!” sign on the outside. We walk right through them all the time. I’ve learned to walk with one eye constantly scanning for hazards.

For my husband, it’s a particularly big challenge. It’s not that he’s clumsy, he’s just so busy looking around for photo ops that he pretty much NEVER watches where he’s going. A couple of days ago I saw a little girl about 2 walking with her papa. She was gazing at the stars, waving at the passing scooters, and suddenly WHAM! She walked right into the side of a big trash dumpster. When she picked herself up and smiled, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Then I flashed on two thoughts: 1) That’s exactly what my honey looks like when he’s walking around in Spain (and yes, he has nearly fallen several times); and 2) If that had happened in the US an enraged parent would have raced into the store demanding to know why that damn trash can was out in the middle of the sidewalk — and what is your attorney’s name and number?

Spaniards are practical. They figure that if you’re dumb enough to step in a hole, or dog poop, it’s your own dang fault. And besides, I always wanted to see what the inside of a giant crane looked like anyway.