Little spanish tradition

There is an odd tradition that I’ve noticed. Most late afternoons and early evenings there is a group of older people that sit outside on the benches lining the sidewalk diving the main street below our apartment. I’m not sure what they do (besides talk), but it is remarkable and I love it. In Spain it is untraditional to invite people other than family into your home, and this is why it is very common for people to go out a lot (either for drinks or small meals). So it also seems to reason that since they don’t invite friends in, one must go out, and I think that’s exactly what all these people are doing. And for me, it’s so very amusing. Maybe one day I’ll sit with them.