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Five things I'll miss about Madrid (and four things I won't)
After six years of living part-time in Madrid, my family and I are moving to Santander, a port in northern Spain. Leaving a European capital of three million people for a regional city of less than 200,000 is going to be a big change.Santander is in Cantabria, part of the rainy northern part of the country commonly called Green Spain. Stay turned for articles about this often overlooked region and its amazing mountains and coastline. I'm especially looking forward to having a beach a short walk from my house. I've never lived by the sea before. . .New York City doesn't count!
Anytime I move, there's always mixed feelings. I'm a bit tired of Madrid, but there are many advantages to living there. Besides my friends, here are five things I'll miss:
Culture
With three major art museums, dozens of smaller ones, several Renaissance churches, and countless art galleries, Madrid is an art-lover's dream. Film lovers will want to check out the Cine Doré, an elegant old movie theater showing art films and old classics for only 2.50 euros ($3.50). It's a cheap and entertaining night out.
Nightlife
Madrid is one of the best places in the world for nightlife. When friend and fellow author Claudia Gray came to visit, she was blown away by the number and variety of bars, nightclubs, and late-night restaurants, and she's lived in NYC, New Orleans, and Chicago. I can't go out on a juerga (pub crawl) without finding at least one new place I want to visit again. Malasaña and Lavapiés are my two favorite barrios.
My mother-in-law's cooking
I lucked out in the mother-in-law department. She's never nosy, never bossy, and she's an awesome cook. Foodies say that home cooking is always the best, and I have to agree. I'll miss those Sunday lunches!
Hiking in the Sierra de Guadarrama
While the hiking in the Cantabrian Mountains with their green valleys, rugged peaks, and countless caves is going to be better than anything I've had in Madrid, I'll miss hiking with the folks at Hiking in the Community of Madrid. This organization was founded by two expats who have written a guidebook to the Guadarrama mountains near Madrid and other special spots. Their mixed Spanish/expat group outings are a great way for visitors to try something different and meet some locals.
Bar Bukowski
There are places that become your own. Sadly, the economic crisis has closed most of Madrid my favorites down. My favorite literary cafe, favorite bagel shop, favorite arthouse cinema, and favorite video store all shut in the past year. This makes it easier for me to leave. Yet I will miss Bar Bukowski, with their friendly staff, their readings every Wednesday and Sunday, their micropress of poetry and short story chapbooks, and their overly generous mixed drinks. There is only one Bar Bukowski, and it ain't in Santander.
Gallery: Madrid attractions
Not everything is rosy in the Spanish capital, however, and there are at least five things I won't miss at all.
Pijos
The nouveau riche of any country are annoying, and Madrid has a whole lot of them. They're the pijos and pijas, and they are ruining this country with their overspending, overbuilding, and risky speculation. Living in an ancient and rich culture, all these overly dressed idiots can talk about is perfume, handbags, manbags, and cars. And of course how much they spent on them. Growing up in the U.S. I developed a healthy disrespect for the aristocracy, but after several years in Europe I'll take a clueless, cultured blueblood over a grasping, superficial pijo any day.
My apartment
Because of the pijos, housing prices in Madrid have skyrocketed in the past few years. Despite being a two-income family with only one child, we can only afford a two-bedroom apartment. It's in a decent barrio, but it's a cramped, bunkerish little place. We'll be able to afford a much larger place in Santander. If we sold our Madrid apartment and moved to my part-time home of Columbia, Missouri, we could buy an antebellum brick house with more space than we need!
The dog shit minefield
Dogs have become trendy here in recent years, but cleaning up after them certainly hasn't. Walking in Madrid requires constant vigilance to avoid the regular droppings scattered across the sidewalk.
Urban living
There are a lot of pluses to living in a big city, and a hell of a lot of minuses. I want open space. I like living in a place I can walk out of. I don't want my son thinking trees grow from holes in the sidewalk. Santander is much closer to nature, with mountains and the sea in constant view. That's how we're meant to live.
Have you been to northern Spain? If you have any recommendations I'd love to hear about them in the comments section!
[Photo courtesy Greenwich Photography via flickr]
Pijos
The nouveau riche of any country are annoying, and Madrid has a whole lot of them. They're the pijos and pijas, and they are ruining this country with their overspending, overbuilding, and risky speculation. Living in an ancient and rich culture, all these overly dressed idiots can talk about is perfume, handbags, manbags, and cars. And of course how much they spent on them. Growing up in the U.S. I developed a healthy disrespect for the aristocracy, but after several years in Europe I'll take a clueless, cultured blueblood over a grasping, superficial pijo any day.
My apartment
Because of the pijos, housing prices in Madrid have skyrocketed in the past few years. Despite being a two-income family with only one child, we can only afford a two-bedroom apartment. It's in a decent barrio, but it's a cramped, bunkerish little place. We'll be able to afford a much larger place in Santander. If we sold our Madrid apartment and moved to my part-time home of Columbia, Missouri, we could buy an antebellum brick house with more space than we need!
The dog shit minefield
Dogs have become trendy here in recent years, but cleaning up after them certainly hasn't. Walking in Madrid requires constant vigilance to avoid the regular droppings scattered across the sidewalk.
Urban living
There are a lot of pluses to living in a big city, and a hell of a lot of minuses. I want open space. I like living in a place I can walk out of. I don't want my son thinking trees grow from holes in the sidewalk. Santander is much closer to nature, with mountains and the sea in constant view. That's how we're meant to live.
Have you been to northern Spain? If you have any recommendations I'd love to hear about them in the comments section!
[Photo courtesy Greenwich Photography via flickr]
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Hiking, History, Learning, Food and Drink, Europe, Spain, Nightlife
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Henrik Bjorne Sep 9th 2011 2:49PM
Great post and overall out look of Madrid - thanks for sharing!
and of course good luck in Santander - looking forward to seeing your write ups on Gadling
Michelle Sep 11th 2011 1:24PM
I've never understood why Madrid is so much more of a dog shit minefield than other large urban areas! Surely those pijas hate getting doggie doo doo on their pricey shoes; and yet, the phenomenon (which I first commented on 25 years ago) continues....
Miguel Sep 12th 2011 3:08AM
I subscribed to your feed when I read about your hike to the Rioja. Now you're going to live in my Tierruca! I always go back to La Montaña (now Cantabria) from Canada. Please put in your list *my* Valle de Iguña, Comillas, Santillana del Mar, Potes, Bárcenamayor. And take advantage of the narrow gauge railway from Bilbao to Oviedo to be really near to the coast *and* the mountains.
If you enjoy "una de calamares" ask for "una de rabas" and cheers!
Sean McLachlan Sep 12th 2011 7:25AM
Thanks for your suggestions, and thanks for subscribing to my feed! I'll be taking you on some hikes and into some caves pretty soon. Next month I'll be taking you to Amsterdam and Antwerp.
Charlie Sangster Sep 12th 2011 4:50AM
I am not absolutely sure that pijos are exclusively nouveau riche and fear that many of them are ancien riche or at least ancien-ish. Any ruling class that has only been capable of defending its interests by recourse to iron surgeons (and one particularly nasty one springs to mind) loses its self respect and talks about buying things and bought things, when one surely inherits them, dear boy (the exception: yachts, paintings and racehorses).
Sean McLachlan Sep 12th 2011 7:25AM
Old money acting like new money? What is this world coming to?
Koke Sep 16th 2011 8:49AM
I am one of the few "gatos" (third generation of madrileños), so I can say some things about this...
- After six years of living in Madrid you should know that it has more than 4 million people living in it, although the census is lower, many many people is not properly censed (were you?).
- You are totally wrong about pijos. They are not new richies, but sons or daughters of old rich families, most of the times. Of course there are new, but that is more a fashion on the coast (Marbella, e.g.). And I dont think they have anything to do with the housing prices.
-You are wrong again with the dogs. It is not a new trend, it was much much worse in the 80's and 90's. Now it has improved a bit... but it is really disgusting, yes!
I agree with most of the rest of the things you said, and I could add some pros and cons...
I like Santander, but Im quite sure you'll miss Madrid a lot...
simoninpalma Oct 15th 2011 4:22AM
I am tampoco living in Madrid or Santander, but I have been to both many times. I am a ESL/Bilingual/ Spanish teacher in the EE.UU. Santander is a wonderful place, I recommend Morucho for seafood, the Ventilador for drinks. the best trip you can make is to Picos de Europa