Spanish woman living in London shares biggest differences – including 'dirty' people

She shared the biggest cultural differences she found (stock image) (Image: ArtistGNDphotography via Getty Images)

A Spanish expat has opened up on biggest culture shocks after swapping sunny Spain for the UK.

Minerva García, who posts on TikTok under her handle @minisgar24, opened up about the realities of living in London that took her by surprise.

She discussed her experience moving from Almeria to the UK's often gloomy capital. Though she said emjoyed British life, several local customs caught her off guard.

Tackling the less-than-sunny weather first, Minerva said: "The things you realise when you live in London: You appreciate the sun more when you don't have it every day."

And while do have occasional bursts of sunshine, it's we can't compete with Spain's southern coast climate-wise.

Pubs are a huge part of British culture (Image: John Rensten via Getty Images)

Minerva also described bin collections as another unexpected shockm saying: "The bin lorry passes twice a week. How dirty are these people?"

Further surprises awaited with food shopping, such as fruits and vegetables being priced per item instead of by weight, leaving her dismayed by their "tasteless" quality that likened to "frozen food" compared to Spain.

She was also surprised to find that she could get antibiotics from a pharmacy without a prescription.

Although this suggestion was met with resistance, with one person warning in reply: "If the pharmacist really gave you an antibiotic, tell her to be careful or she might lose her licence."

Maria also expressed difficulty in catering for her food intolerances and finding lactose-free cheese that wasn't cheddar.

She said: "Well, you have a lot of goat, but come on, lactose-free, I don't know what these people think I eat."

She also discussed other challenges that even Brits themselves find difficult, such as certain aspects of communication.

She noted that when people ask "Alright" or "How are you? that it's " it's "not a real question" and "they don't expect you to answer it".

Lastly, she touched on a common complaint among Londoners - the cost of alcohol. She said: "You go out for a beer and you end up paying for a house. Incredible! Beer is so expensive."