Paseo, the dictionary tells us, is to walk or stroll about the streets. Yah, right. And Picasso was a 20th century painter.
Sometimes definitions are simply inadequate. Spanish street life is pure theater. Walking into a small plaza, maybe just off the Rambla in Barcelona, is like stepping onto the stage of an opera. The Spanish seem to live life in the street, especially in the early evening. Men and women smile and talk, maybe exchange a piropo, stop at a sidewalk table for a glass of wine and a tapa, or just ramble about, doing the pasear la calle . Long ago, the paseo was a more formal affair. Hombres would walk in one direction, senoritas in another, all under the strict supervision of a maiden aunt who would see that nothing beyond a little light flirting took place. Today, it's more informal and relaxed. Oh, there's still room for flirting, but now if the senorita doesn't like you she may tell you to vete a paseo! Get lost!
