# Dragging Furniture! ! !



## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

We live in a very nice apartment and have made friends with our neighbours which some are Spanish. 

Above our apartment is a holiday rental. Most of the time it's nice and quiet up there and the holidaymakers enjoy their time relaxing. 

Can anyone help us understand why it is when Spanish people are staying up there that they are obsessed with moving and dragging furniture about! There is always one person who walks from one end of the apartment to the other and moves furniture about along the way then does the same on the way back  They go out for a few hours then when they return they repeat the whole event .........nearly every day until they leave.

This happens nearly every time the are Spanish people are staying there. Is it something that all Spanish do as a pastime or are we that unfortunate that we get them all?

Steve


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## BobfromFrance (Aug 21, 2017)

Unfortunate or it is the same person and he/she/it has a wooden leg.


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## Juan C (Sep 4, 2017)

I had a similar probelm, I supplied the owner of the apartment above ours with some sticky felt pads which I helped him fix to the bottom of the chair legs etc. Solved our problem


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I have a friend who has a B&B. Apparently the Russians are the worst furniture-draggers. And they don't put it back when they leave ...


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## Tom1957 (May 1, 2016)

I think I know these people. They follow me around, even when I'm staying in a b&b they always seem to rent the adjacent apartment. Who shifts furniture around at 1am?


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## Townfanjon (Jan 2, 2016)

Yes I have had these people above us on many occasions, exept most of the furniture draggers I have experienced are Women with "heels " on .


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## desres (Oct 31, 2009)

You are not alone i have also had Spanish neighbours as holiday lets next door to me on both sides & above walking in heels, dragging the dining tables and they are so noisy in everything they do plus i had 2 barking dogs for the last 3 weeks oh boy its took everything in me not to go knocking only because i dont want to spoil their holiday .. when i asked the agent could she have a quiet word she said call the Police if its after 12 midnight ..& she is Spanish .. sorry not my style at all, but now they have gone except for 1 side until next year !!


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

Yes I agree with the 'heels' comments, they must know that it echoes throughout the floor area. Very inconsiderate of anyone who doesn't respect other people.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Seriously, I think the Spanish have very different attitudes to noise. Noise isn't regarded as a nuisance or an intrusion, it's just part of life. I've noticed this too many times for it to be coincidence - e.g. at 5 a.m. this morning two men were having a loud conversation outside my bedroom window while they were waiting for their lift to work, then when the van came all the doors were slammed. I've got used to it now but it's part of the culture shock for northern Europeans when they first arrive here.


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## MalagaMike (Aug 16, 2017)

Alcalaina you hit the nail on the head...its just part of life here. Some friends of ours bought an apartment 18 months ago and although they are top floor and don't suffer from sound from above the adjoining apartments either side are Spanish families and even with very thick concrete walls they say sometimes the banging, scrapping and general clattering about is deafening ...especially at 2 a.m......they seem to think that its necessary to wear heels indoors and only pop their slippers on to pop out to the shops. Still after 18 months they have not got used to it.....they say its tolerable in the day but after midnight any sound are pretty annoying. We stayed over a few times and yes its intrusive, but as you say a way of life here.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Whoever recently moved in above me seems to be bouncing a ball above my bedroom at all hours. 

Literally at all hours. I woke when it all when quiet when the disco móvil about 100m from my apartment finished at about 4am - it's fiesta time. The music no longer keeps me awake, I'm so used to them - but I do sometimes wake when they stop!

But that "·$%&/ ball bouncing above my head stopped me getting back to sleep!


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## Pazcat (Mar 24, 2010)

Could be something else that's bouncing.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

Alcalaina said:


> Seriously, I think the Spanish have very different attitudes to noise. Noise isn't regarded as a nuisance or an intrusion, it's just part of life. I've noticed this too many times for it to be coincidence - e.g. at 5 a.m. this morning two men were having a loud conversation outside my bedroom window while they were waiting for their lift to work, then when the van came all the doors were slammed. I've got used to it now but it's part of the culture shock for northern Europeans when they first arrive here.


I agree, except for one exception: siesta hours in summer!

At least in Madrid you will be met with quite a strong reaction if you, for example, try to do some DIY which involves drilling the walls between 15.00 and 17.00 in summer!!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Pazcat said:


> Could be something else that's bouncing.


nah... you know when a small ball bounces when dropped - one sort of 'bump' then several little bumpety bumps.... 

Then again...and again.... It's for sure something bouncing across the floor. 

The first time I heard it I thought it was a baby throwing something out of a cot.


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## Lynn R (Feb 21, 2014)

Alcalaina said:


> Seriously, I think the Spanish have very different attitudes to noise. Noise isn't regarded as a nuisance or an intrusion, it's just part of life. I've noticed this too many times for it to be coincidence - e.g. at 5 a.m. this morning two men were having a loud conversation outside my bedroom window while they were waiting for their lift to work, then when the van came all the doors were slammed. I've got used to it now but it's part of the culture shock for northern Europeans when they first arrive here.


When we first moved into our old house a young neighbour used to stand under our bedroom window every morning at 7.00 am and shout, repeatedly, up the street to his mate who gave him a lift to work. "Raoooool, Raoooool, Raooool", time after time. After about 3 mornings of this I got fed up and threw open the window and shouted (in what I thought was my best Spanish at the time, but which was probably gobbledegook) "if you want Raul, don't shout, go and knock on his door, we are sleeping". I got a blank look at the time, but he did stop doing it. Just standing outside their houses and shouting for whoever they wanted was the normal way of communicating, though, rather than walking a few yards to speak to them.

By the time we left it hardly ever happened, though, because nearly all the houses round about had become second homes unoccupied for most of the year, either Spanish or foreign owned, and I actually missed the life and the noise.

All these problems about people moving furniture about or walking about in heels overhead are why we were determined to move to an ático when we sold up. I'll do my best not to cause problems for the people underneath.


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

The noise tolerance thing seems to be Mediterranean not just Spanish. We live among Cypriots who when talking to each other you would swear they were fighting but they just like to be the one who talks the loudest. Dogs barking constantly are just ignored as perfectly normal. I don't know what they are like in apartments as we are in a villa but I know I would hate to find out.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Veronica said:


> The noise tolerance thing seems to be Mediterranean not just Spanish. We live among Cypriots who when talking to each other you would swear they were fighting but they just like to be the one who talks the loudest. Dogs barking constantly are just ignored as perfectly normal. I don't know what they are like in apartments as we are in a villa but I know I would hate to find out.


Yes I think you're right, especially about dogs.

Mind you I once translated some community rules that stated that owners

''....must prevent their dogs barking during community rest times of 15:00 - 17:00 & 22:00 - 10:00. ''


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## MalagaMike (Aug 16, 2017)

From experience of living in several apartments over the years in Spain you will always suffer from noise whether it be from above or below or if you are in a Spanish "sandwich". There is no escape, the worst in my opinion is if the street is narrow and there are local dogs outside, the noise is horrendous as it seems to amplify on the way up oh not forgetting the moto's lol. You just have to try your best to adapt to their way of living.....which as we all know is noisy. Personally I don't think I could do it again


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

MalagaMike said:


> From experience of living in several apartments over the years in Spain you will always suffer from noise whether it be from above or below or if you are in a Spanish "sandwich". There is no escape, the worst in my opinion is if the street is narrow and there are local dogs outside, the noise is horrendous as it seems to amplify on the way up oh not forgetting the moto's lol. You just have to try your best to adapt to their way of living.....which as we all know is noisy. Personally I don't think I could do it again


I think it is possible to adapt, but not if you look on it as "suffering" from noise in which case you will always be troubled by it I don't live in a flat but I am right on the street on one of the main roads into the village, with traffic and pedestrians day and night, not to mention the usual dogs, donkeys, motos, screech-owls, 5 a.m. rubbish collection truck every day. I genuinely don't notice these sounds any more. 

There are advantages to being in the thick of things. I'd hate to be on an urb that's only occupied half the year. I feel perfectly safe even when I'm on my own in the house, knowing my neighbours are just a shout away! But it's definitely something people need to be aware of when they choose their new home in Spain.


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## MalagaMike (Aug 16, 2017)

Alcalaina said:


> I think it is possible to adapt, but not if you look on it as "suffering" from noise in which case you will always be troubled by it .


Yes I agree "suffering" was the wrong word to use as it can be taken out of context.....Maybe a better choice would have been " _you will always *experience* some noise whether it be from above or below or if you are in a Spanish "sandwich_".


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## 95995 (May 16, 2010)

Lots of apartment building are poorly soundproofed in France, especially the floors, (recent builds tend to be better because regulations are now stricter). This is why the French generally prefer apartments on the top floor. 

Certainly, I get noise from above in my apartment, but it's not too bad as my past and new upstairs neighbours are considerate - of course, that might not last.

I can imagine it would be very difficult in a building with holiday lets.


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## MalagaMike (Aug 16, 2017)

Another thing that I could never get used to was during the summer months they would sit out on their little terraces with the sliding doors wide open and the TV on full blast and watching it from there


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## tebo53 (Sep 18, 2014)

Holiday lets should not be allowed in a residential building. I agree that holiday makers should fully enjoy themselves and make the absolute most of their hard earned break but.........when they get in at 3 or 4 in the morning they should respect the fact that there are elderly residents and younger people who are trying to sleep as they have to get up early for work


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## thrax (Nov 13, 2008)

My Spanish neighbour has three dogs all of whom bark all day and night if he isn't around which he usually isn't. We solved the problem by becoming friends with the dogs by giving them treats and then coaxing them to shut up especially at night. Now a quick but firm shhhhh does the trick and they stop barking with a wag of the tail. However, after four years of success our English neighbour who only comes out during school holidays brought his German Shepherd with him and the wretched dog barked non stop all day long every day for the 7 weeks they were here. And that dog set off the neighbours dogs. We visited them one evening and the dog was barking loudly and he got really angry with it telling us he couldn't stand the noise and he just wished the dog would stop barking. Did he tell it to stop? Not a bit of it. Ah well, they've all gone home now so no more barking until, we assume, next summer. Hey ho.


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## Shona may muir (Aug 10, 2021)

Alcalaina said:


> Seriously, I think the Spanish have very different attitudes to noise. Noise isn't regarded as a nuisance or an intrusion, it's just part of life. I've noticed this too many times for it to be coincidence - e.g. at 5 a.m. this morning two men were having a loud conversation outside my bedroom window while they were waiting for their lift to work, then when the van came all the doors were slammed. I've got used to it now but it's part of the culture shock for northern Europeans when they first arrive here.


Not true,,my partner is Spanish, he said he just cant understand it.
We of course are not on holiday, we live here.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Shona may muir said:


> Not true,,my partner is Spanish, he said he just cant understand it.
> We of course are not on holiday, we live here.


Well. you can't make a generalisation from the point of view of one individual.

According to this amusing video, the biggest complaint foreigners have about Spanish restaurants that everyone shouts. Surely your partner can't deny that!


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## Barriej (Jul 23, 2012)

We live in a 6 flat block and there are three lots of Brits. The ground floor has a Spanish family and next to them an Algerian couple, first floor is empty below us and a single British lady lives opposite. The walls are not that thin and we can hear the ones in the next block bouncing chairs around (I fitted felt pads to all ours within a week once we moved here)

All of the noise is from the Spanish family, banging the shutters, slamming the front door and I don't know how they manage to bang the block door as its on a self closer, the dad asked me the other day why we never go out?
But we do says I.. He then looks puzzled and says but we never hear you drop your shutters or close your front door...

Nuff said.

Im used to the slamming of front doors now, the dogs barking at nothing, the old people sitting outside shouting at each other (suppose they are deaf), chainsaws at 6am and the kids running around screaming till 1am and then the cars here that are built with about 20 doors (or so it seems).

Im getting to the point where Im ignoring it now and we heard a police siren the other day and rushed out to see if we could see it (never bothered me in London as it happened every couple of minutes)

I think its just that you have to get used to it, if you can't then maybe its time to find somewhere quieter.


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## Pokerexpat (May 3, 2021)

Living in Spain is hell on earth, biggest regret we ever had. We have moved apartments 4 times in the hope of a good nights sleep (thank god we never invested in property). 6 years later, I still have not had a full nights sleep, it has affected my health and work. The noise is 360% around you, upstairs, downstairs, next door both sides, on your balcony, in the toilet, kitchen, doors slamming, bin men, bars, Spanish people literally screaming when talking (even the local library you have to ask them to stop talking) kids jumping and screaming (where is the education?, scooters and bikes (yes inside the apartment) and the national sport of moving furniture. The town planners need shooting (do they even go to university or ever visit any other country? I now wake at 3.30am when there is some quiet until around 6am when it starts again. I even wear earplugs inside our apartment (how they live like this is beyond me). Luckily I have been able to warn as many people as I can and prevented at least 15 properties being bought. The local council do not give a toss about noise, they say it's normal for them. On a positive note we have just purchased a village house in Italy no neighbours. Can not wait to escape this hell .


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

I think the response to that has to be that if you'd bought the same in Spain you probably wouldn't be complaining as you are!

I hope your new life in Italy does turn out to be as peaceful and tranquil as you hope.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Spanish life is noisy. That is something that is, in a way, part of the culture. I used to live in Sweden where it was the opposite- had complaints about the sound of my cats walking around from downstairs neighbour. TbH you get used to the noise in Spain- I feel it makes you feel safe, that people are sociable and full of life. But anyway- each to their own


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