The Little Things…

Sometimes the things that stay with me and that I want to remember are the little things, the differences, the details that will fade into the background as I get used to my life in Spain. So here goes…

Routines

Here is a view of central Madrid from the top floor of the Matrix building where Puck works which is south of the center. You can see the tower of Madrid to the right. Puck´s been lucky to make a friend at work–Germán–who has shown him the ropes. People often go out for breakfast around 11 (coffee and a pastry) for about a half hour. Lunch is typically an hour sometime between 2-4 PM. They leave work around 6 PM at Matrix, but some places close for a lunch/siesta from 2 to 4 or 5 PM and then stay open until 8 PM. On Fridays, many places close early. Puck works at home those days because his office closes at 3 PM. Dinner is usually around 9-10 PM. In fact, many restaurants don’t open for dinner until 8 or 8:30 PM, and some stay open until midnight.

Menu of the Day

Most restaurants here have what they call the Menu of the Day which gives you the option of 2-3 things for the first plate, 2-3 things for the second plate, a drink, and then either coffee or dessert for a fixed price. It’s usually a pretty good deal. The first plate is often things like salad or soup, but sometimes it is also something like paella (rice dish). The second plate is some type of meat usually served with French Fries. French Fries are big here. They get served with all sorts of things.

Shopping

Shopping is interesting in Madrid. Back home it is easy to drive to a store, buy tons of groceries or other things, drop them in the car and keep on the go. When dependent on public transport (even with a car parking near a store is often an issue) and one’s own two feet, the way one thinks of purchases changes. We pick up many things from the small local convenience stores (alimentaciones and bazares) because they aren’t far away. When shopping at the larger stores, we’ve had to shop while keeping in mind how much we can (and want) to carry for the 10-15 minute walk home or on the metro. They also have bags on wheels which they use when shopping, and we just recently bought one. I’m looking forward to seeing how it expands my shopping possibilities. 🙂

The Metro

The metro is an interesting creature. It’s amazing to the think of the labrynth of tunnels extending throughout the city, descending deeper and deeper below the streets and apartments. The temperature is often cool on the platform, though there are some warm spots. When the trains are full it can be quite hot, but otherwise it’s a comfortable temperature. Now with the weather turning cold, it means wanting to wear layers to adjust to the changes or just bearing the warmth. Also, scarves are a big clothing item here–even when people don’t wear jackets, and now that the weather is turning I see more hats. Being on the metro, you start to notice shoes too. In the summer, the women wear lots of sandals and the younger generation wears sandals. Flats are pretty popular too. Now that it turned rainy and cold, the women are almost all out in boots–with or without heels. It’s interesting to see the styles change.

Listening to Music

Many people bring books to read on the metro, and there are lots of people with MP3 players too. I tried listening to music one day. It was a bit surreal–walking around to my own tune with the sounds of the city blocked out. I felt a bit disconnected from everything. It’s hard to imagine those youths who walk around all day–moving to their own beat, shut into their own acoustic world. Seeing everything going on around them but not hearing it.

Note added November 4, 2008.

Halloween

As for Halloween, it’s an American holiday. However, while we didn’t see any children dressed up in Madrid, there were teenagers in the metro and gathering at different spots in the city who did dress up. I also chatted with a friend in Argentina, and she says that there the teenagers often have a party or picnic (it’s summer there) and dress up for photos. Both people in Spain and Argentina mentioned that the Halloween presence has worked its way into society through globalization, mostly through TV and films.