Return to Car Culture

If you haven’t been to Europe, you may not understand how life is lived there. It´s, in general, quite different than in the USA.  I will give you a short introduction to one aspect of life in our chosen country—Spain. We lived in Spain for 11 years and never owned a car. Far from being a handicap, being free from the car culture of the USA was a definite pleasure.

Most European cities were laid out many centuries ago, when everyone walked everywhere. People needed to have everything they required for living—groceries, pharmacies, etc. in easy walking distance of their home. As a result, there is a plethora of small shops selling a wide range of products in all the residential neighborhoods. For example, we last lived in Oviedo, a city in Asturias, in northern Spain. Our apartment was on the seventh floor (that would be the eighth floor in the USA, because Europeans consider the ground-level floor to be zero) of a building, just a block away from the cathedral.

If I needed a few groceries, I would take the elevator down to ground level and walk about 20 feet across the street to a tiny deli-fruit stand that carries most of the common items that people need to cook a meal and clean up afterwards: fruit, vegitables, bread, ham, cookies, etc. The shop was tiny and could hold only three or four customers at a time, but I generally could find what I needed or at least something that would do until I could visit a full-size supermarket.

If, on the other hand, I simply wanted a cup of coffee, there were a half-dozen cafés and bars close by. I also had a choice of a half-dozen restaurants within a block or two where I could get a “menú del día” for 15 to 18 euros. The “menú del día” is a fixed-price three- or four-course meal with an appetizer, one or two main courses, and a dessert, along with wine, water, and bread.

An important part of the lifestyle in Spain is the human contact that fills every day. As you walk, not drive, to your destination, you meet people you know on the streets and in the cafés, and you come to know the shopkeepers in the little stores you visit. At each meeting there is at least a greeting and sometimes a more extended conversation. The effusive Spanish style includes a kiss on each cheek or a handshake—a greeting, I´m sure, that has changed in this time of pandemic. By walking, we combined healthy exercise and social contact.

As you walk, not drive, you encounter street musicians playing 1940s and 1950s American popular songs, or the Russian accordion virtuoso ripping through “The Flight of the Bumblebee” at top speed. Local folk bands come marching through the streets, with the cry of the bagpipes and drums. The life on the streets of Oviedo was endlessly fascinating.

If we needed other supplies—cookware, hardware, cosmetics, etc., we could walk a few blocks and shop in a large chain store or an independently owned store and carry our purchases home. If they were too bulky or too heavy, we could walk out to a nearby taxi stand and be driven home for 5 euros. Consider how many taxi fares you could pay for with the cost of owning a car! When we wanted to travel, we had our choice of several forms of public transportation, including busses for short distances, trains for longer trips, and planes for long-distance travel. If we took a bus or train, we usually walked 15 minutes to the station. If we had luggage, we took a taxi. We also used a taxi to and from the nearby airport.

During the 11 years we were in Spain, we became quite adept at getting where we wanted to go without owning a car. It was cheaper and a great way to get exercise. Coming back to the USA has meant that we have had to own a car once again. In the suburban housing development we live in, we can’t shop without traveling several miles. As a result, we are firmly ensconced in the US car culture. The shift was shocking, and I still miss the comfort of walking everywhere and the exercise I got every day. We are getting used to this lifestyle again, and there are certainly conveniences of living here. If I want something, I can order it from Amazon with a few taps on the screen of my iPhone, and it will appear magically at my front  door in a few days. But only my fingers are getting any exercise shopping this way!