11 Things NOT to do in Barcelona - MUST SEE BEFORE YOU GO

Spanish culture is much more laid-back when compared to the rest of Europe, and maybe it's the afternoon siestas or their casual approach to day drinking, but something about it just gives the country a totally different pace than the rest of Europe, and makes it ideal if you're visiting as a tourist. That being said, there are a number of cultural differences and rules that you may not know before visiting. Here are 11 things not to do in the country of Spain. Number one, don't expect to eat early. As I said before, Spanish culture is very relaxed, and the same applies to time, where in some countries the restaurant will open exactly at 6 p.m., or the train will depart exactly when it says on your ticket. That's not necessarily the case here. There are more suggestions than actual start or end times. Case in point, a typical Spanish dinner won't even start till 10 or 11 p.m., and it'll last at least two or three hours, and they're just getting started. Number two, the siesta. As I said in the beginning, Spain is famous for afternoon siestas, where people will take a two or three hour lunch, go home and relax, and then come back to work in a couple hours. However, that's a much older tradition, and today that doesn't really happen anymore. You may find that some stores will close during this time in smaller towns, but the majority of the time you'll find everything is still open in the big cities. Number three, don't talk politics. There's a tremendous amount of regional pride in Spain, and people will become very animated if you bring up politics. You see, even though a map of Spain traditionally looks like this, in reality it should look more like this, because even though it's all one country, there are a number of regions within Spain, some of which even have their own secondary language, and people will sometimes identify as the region they came from as opposed to Spanish. Basically, if you bring up politics, you might get yourself into some deep water. Number four, dress appropriately. In most parts of Spain, there are very strict nudity laws. For example, in Barcelona, it is illegal for men to walk around bare-chested, or for a woman to only wear a bikini top, except at Barcelona's beaches and on the streets very close to the beach. In addition to this, if girls are wearing what's deemed as a revealing outfit or very short skirts, they might not be allowed to visit the Barcelona Cathedral in the Gothic area. Fines can be up to 500 euros for breaking the nudity code, so it's better to dress in the safe side. Number five, don't tip. Now, I should start by saying that you can tip while in Spain, but it's not customary. Tipping isn't a part of Spanish culture, and you'll rarely see anyone from the country doing it. Now, that being said, it's not like in Japan, where tipping is actually considered insulting. I'm sure your waiter would be very appreciative if you do. But basically, the bottom line is that tipping is not expected, so only do it if you want to. Don't feel like you have to. Number six, bullfighting. Bullfighting is a crucial tradition in Spanish culture, and there's been a ton of controversy surrounding it in recent years. Bullfighting was actually banned in Catalonia on July 28th in 2010, which includes the city of Barcelona. However, bull dodging, like in the videos you see here, remains lawful, as long as the bulls are not killed or harmed. However, in October of 2016, the ban on bullfighting was overturned by the Spanish Constitutional Court, which ruled that the autonomous region is not in a legal position to fully ban a fight. Now, that being said, even though the ban was overturned, bullfighting has not returned to Barcelona, and one of the last arenas still standing has been turned into a museum. So if you're going to Barcelona and looking to see a bullfight, you're going to have to travel some 200 miles away in the city of Zaragoza. Number seven, don't say adios. Adios is Spanish for goodbye, but it's very formal and rarely used when you're actually in Spain. Instead, you should use either hasta luego or ciao, both of which are the informal versions of adios, and they mean something around the lines of see you later. Of course, you can still say adios, but you won't hear many other people using it. Number eight, don't ask for a to-go box. Now, it may be surprising for some of you, but the practice of taking home your leftover food after eating in a restaurant hasn't made its way over to Spain yet. And although it's considered completely normal in places like America, you'll most likely get some confused looks if you try and ask for a bag in a Spanish restaurant. Number nine, don't forget about tapas. Now, that may seem like the most obvious statement in the world because tapas are such a big part of Spanish culture. But what a lot of people don't know, especially visiting the country for the first time, is that tapas are served at every bar you go to. Even if you just order one drink, they'll automatically bring out between three and six different tapas dishes for you to try. Sort of like a wine pairing, but the other way around. So if you're not feeling super hungry and don't want a full meal, just go to a restaurant or a bar and order a drink, and you'll get more than enough. Number 10, transportation. When you're traveling in Spain, don't think that taxis are your only option for getting around. While they are very common and easy to use, they might not necessarily be the fastest or the cheapest to get you from place to place. In Barcelona, for example, you can take the bus, tram, local train, or the metro, and all are cheaper options. The metro is by far the quickest and easiest way to get around the city, and all the metro lines operate from 5am till midnight Monday to Thursday, and they run non-stop on Saturday. I highly recommend picking up a refillable metro card, as this will make traveling around the city painless. Last but not least, number 11, superstitions. Now because superstitions aren't shared by everyone, I can't say that definitively you're going to run into this in Spain. But that being said, there are a few you should look out for. One is not passing the salt shaker from hand to hand. Instead, it must be placed on the table for the other person to pick up themselves. If you pass it directly from hand to hand, it's considered bad luck. In addition to this, Friday the 13th in America is considered unlucky. However, in Spain, it's Tuesday the 13th, not Friday. And the last one I'm really not sure about because it's pretty obscure, so if someone is actually from Spain, please correct me down below. But I had a friend tell me that a lighter shouldn't be shared among more than three people in a day. Meaning if you've used it twice before on the same day, you should use a different lighter or a friend's lighter the third time. Again, really not sure about that one, just thought it was kind of fun and interesting. Other than that, I hope you guys enjoyed the video. Let me know what you thought down below. I'm sure I messed up the pronunciation of a number of things. But go ahead and click the video on the top left to see what you should do while in Barcelona, and click the video on the bottom left to see what you shouldn't do while in Japan.