Girona, lifestyles of the healthy and happy

Editor's note... (me)
This was my last post LAST year, that I have discovered I never finished) I am going to publish it now, then have a follow up on what is happening in our life in Girona now.

What a wonderful month we have had in beautiful Girona (Gerona).  I will challenge Disneyland's claim of "The happiest place on earth" with life in this beautiful Catalan city.
Every afternoon, after bike riding or strolling the medieval city, we sit on the Rambla for a "canya" (small draft beer) and watch the world go by.  A few observations about the Spanish population.

1.  If you are a woman under 60, your jeans are skinny.  Your shoes are stylish.
2. A woman under 30, your jeans will have the obligatory ripped knees and your shoes will be platform.
3. Under 20, and this is going to come as very sad news to many of us, you are wearing jeans with a waist again and rolled up like those in Grease.  Ugh....  And shoes... who cares...anything goes!
4. Obesity does not exist in the Spanish lifestyle.  This is not to say everyone is skinny as a rail and perfect bodies, although most are slender, but you NEVER see a truly obese person here, unless they are a tourist from GB, Germany or US.  And believe me, it is not for lack of availability of everything delicious and accessible.  What you will not ever see in most of Europe, and especially here, is someone walking around with a large to go drink in their hands, giant sandwiches or massive amounts of junk food.  Just as a testament to their healthy lifestyle, Spain has the highest longevity rate of any European country, and second in the world only to Japan.
5. Cafe culture is the norm here.  Entertaining and socializing is mostly done in the many small cafes that inhabit the city.  And it goes on for many hours, but heavy drinking is rarely seen, and loud rowdy scenes don't exist.
6. The population is extremely polite and follow the rules. This is exhibited on the streets every day as pedestrians and cyclists interact with the drivers. No angry horns, no raised fists. 
7. The police force is mostly for gentle crowd control for the many festivals and events held in town.  We are in the heart of the city, and I think I have heard sirens about 5 times in the month we have been here.  And those may have been ambulances. 
8. All said, life is good in Spain.