Spanish culture, where do I sign up?

The difference in culture in Spain was striking. As an American, I am so used to our isolation, go to work, go home, eat, etc. It takes real effort to get together with family and friends and some of the time, I don't summon the will to do it. It is easy for us to remain isolated, not knowing our neighbors, etc. Vilanova, where we stayed in Spain, was different. The city all but shut down from 12 or 1 until 4:30 or so, practically tumbleweeds going down the streets. With a hot summer day, this is understandable. I don't know if the schedule persists throughout the year. It seems the whole town comes out after 5 p.m. to stroll the ramblas and sit and eat/drink. I mean everyone from babies to young people to the elderly. Even if you didn't make plans, you would likely run into people. The drinking was casual. What was nice, was that you could get beer, wine, soda, tea, etc. all at the same place. We met a lot of people because of Bridget. We knew that she was a happy, outgoing kid, but Spain made it obvious. Bridget went up to people constantly with her adorable "hola" and the public nature of Spanish life suited her so well. When we went to playgrounds, invariably there would be a host of other kids, which she loved. She thrived in this atmosphere. It is depressing here in that nearly every playground is deserted and kids only get together in scheduled play dates. I miss the culture in Spain, would love to live there or similar country at some point, and look forward to returning.