In this week’s Inside Spain we reflect on the solidarity displayed by Spaniards during the country’s biggest ever blackout, and we take a look at how Seville’s popular Santa Cruz neighbourhood is getting tough on overtourism.
People in Spain have witnessed their fair share of historical events over the past five years. There was the Covid-19 pandemic, the deadly floods in Valencia and, only five days ago, the biggest blackout in Spanish history.
Doomsdayers may have expected el gran apagón (the big blackout) to last more than a day, but it quickly became apparent that you don’t need more than a couple of hours without power for a country to be ground to a halt, especially if the outage is nationwide.
However, if any of you were out and about during this fateful Monday April 28th, you may have noticed that the mood was far from panicked.
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Despite the traffic lights not working, there was no chaos on the roads as Spaniards drove around carefully and gave way to pedestrians at crossings.
Many workers enjoyed a beer in the sun at their local bar terrace and watched the world go by, seemingly grateful for not having work.
Supermarkets such as Mercadona, Alcampo and Carrefour took advantage of their generators to allow hundreds of thousands of people to stock up on supplies.
Taxis offered to take struggling pedestrians for free or for the little cash they had them on them. People shared the news they got from battery-powered radios or offered up their phones to strangers for them to try to call loved ones.
Spain’s Interior Ministry deployed 30,000 police officers to handle the potential chaos, but later reported that there were “no notable incidents”, describing it as a “tranquil night”.
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Madrid’s mayor also praised the inhabitants of the Spanish capital by saying that they’d “shown the best of themselves in moments of difficulty” and that they’d “offered a lesson in civility, calmness and commitment”.
In other words, there was no burning and looting as is often depicted in end-of-world TV dramas, and as has sometimes happened in real life when the going gets tough.
It was a similar calmness that was seen in the very early stages of the pandemic before Spaniards realised how serious the virus was, and the same comradeship and obedience that Spain showed as a nation when it came to the lockdown, mask wearing and all the other rules.
Obviously, had the blackout lasted longer, panic may have set in a bit more as the ‘every man for himself’ mentality reared its head, but in general Spanish society displays far less of that than other more ‘individualistic’ nations.
In fact, a 2022 study found that Spaniards tend to have more of a ‘herd mentality’ rather than being free thinkers, with all the pros and cons that comes with that.
In times of crisis, thinking of others rather than just número uno is admirable, a form of nation building that Spain has and other countries should look up to.
In other news, Seville is continuing its fight against overtourism, especially the popular neighbourhood of Santa Cruz.
Therefore, an agreement has been reached with tour guide associations which promises to limit the size of tourist groups, reduce noise by using headsets rather than megaphones, and set the less intrusive routes to respect the rest of locals.
The deal also aims to promote local commerce and prevent activities that hinder public use of the space.
READ ALSO: ‘Respect locals’ – Seville puts up signs telling tourists how to behave
For several months now, signs have been posted around the Santa Cruz neighborhood urging tourists to comply with a series of rules. These signs already indicate that tour groups should not exceed 30 people and recommend not stopping in traffic areas.
This agreement reinforces these rules, especially as there will be City Council staff ensuring that these good practices are followed.
