Trip Report: Clothing and other observations

In Andalucia and Madrid I saw:
-Lots of jeans, but almost all skinny jeans. And not as many jeans as here; there were more skinny pants of different fabrics. Only the older women wore loose pants.
-Leggings, but without tunic tops like here. Just regular shirts with leggings and it was not always pretty.
-Slightly loose but tapered to the ankle pants in (sometimes wild) prints. Is that an upcoming fashion trend that has not yet made it to Ohio?
We had read that men don’t wear shorts except at the beach, but that must be changing. We saw plenty of Spanish men wearing shorts in Seville when it got up in to the 90’s, even older men. Can’t comment on Madrid because it was chilly when we got there.
Also the cathedral in Seville had a dress code posted but it was not at all enforced. We saw shorts, spaghetti straps, and even bare midriffs. Kind of sad.
I quickly lost my concern about looking like a tourist because really there was no denying it when I was looking all around with my jaw dropped in amazement. But we found Spanish people to be more friendly and welcoming than those we encountered in France or Italy. Apparently we sometimes blended in, because we were asked for directions several times, and not in English.
Sometimes a person’s demeanor would completely change as soon as I started talking to them in Spanish, even though I am sure I was slaughtering it. A slightly annoyed expression would change to a delightful smile. So all that time I spent on Duolingo and Pimsleur tapes was worth it!
We ate anything we wanted including gelato daily, and wine or beer (tinto de verano for me) with every meal (and I rarely drink calories), and didn’t gain a pound because we walked 7-8 miles every day. Foods we especially liked were salmarejo (cold tomato-based soup similar to gazpacho but thicker and better), roasted goat cheese with honey, croquettes of all types, espinacas y garbanzos (spinach and garbanzos) in Sevile, recommended by our airbnb host as this was a comfort food his grandmother made when he was a child, olives (I don’t even really like olives, but I do there!), tortilla (delicious potato omelette), and some amazing venison in Toledo – we went back again it was so good. Also lots of good fish. A few times we got a plate of grilled veggies which was great because vegetables were often not on the menu.
We were glad we had an apartment with a washing machine halfway through the 2-week trip so we could get our laundry done. Also it was great to have a kitchen so we could buy lettuce and make a huge salad.
We had read Isabella of Castile: the first Renaissance queen by Nancy Rubin and another book about Spanish explorers, which made all the castles and cathedrals and other historic buildings come to life. Highly recommended!