A Midsummer Night’s Blog

The city of stone…

Filed as General on November 25, 2008

In September and October, I lived in Madrid which is a city of stone.  The central part of the city looks traditionally Spanish with tall 4-story buildings dating back to the 17th century (or even older). Most buildings are constructed of large stone blocks and the open spaces are typically paved courtyards lined with cafes.  There are green parts of the city, but they tend to be an exception rather than a rule where we live.

The little old ladies will stand out on the balconies to watch the people walking around below and occasionally scold them.   It’s an older and prettier part of the city and we’re right across from a police station so I’m guessing we’re pretty safe.  The apartment is near the Plaza de España which is a bustling part with lots of tourists.  (You can spot a touristy area easily by looking for a nearby Starbucks.)

To get a sense of Madrid, imagine moving to New York except that nobody speaks English.  The city is old and has spent a lot of money over the course of its history to build monuments and palaces.  It has statues, parks, and museums and all sorts of big and impressive things.  One of the most significant is their metro which at times feels like it continues to descend forever.  I have a 40 minute ride on it in the mornings to get to the Matrix office.  The crew working for Matrix is very friendly and they’ve been helping me with my Spanish and inviting me out to lunch.

Lunches and Cafe con Leche

Spanish lunches are big and different from what Yankees are used to.  They start at 2PM and typically have at least two courses with a desert.  The most interesting of these was probably the one I had with the little fish coiled up biting their own tails.  I’m not use to my lunch looking at me but I’m making do with it.

The Spanish coffee makes up for any number of slightly odd lunches.  Even the best Starbucks coffee is a mooncast shadow compared to what you get from any corner bar in Madrid.  That’s been the biggest culture shock returning to the United States.  American coffee bars can’t make anything but bitter coffee.  Spanish coffee is thick, strong, but also very smooth.  I have been religiously trying to find a coffee house in the U.S. that makes anything close but whenever I try to explain this to a barrista, I always end up disappointed.

I also found out a dirty secret.  While Starbucks may offer 98 million different coffee drinks on their menu, they all use the same bitter espresso beans.  That means if one of their coffees is bitter and yucky there won’t be any other drinks you can get that will be any better.  The worst part is that this is probably true for any place that serves espresso-based drinks.  You can coach your server 9 ways from Sunday, but the largest difference between good coffee and bad is the beans and the roasting technique.  I have to admit that this was a serious blow to me when I got back and I may have to give up drinking coffee from Starbucks and others of the same ilk.  I think the only real solution is to call up a specialized coffee distributor and get something I can make at the house.

The city goes crazy…

After Mary and I got to Madrid there was a big festival in Europe for the full moon and the city went a bit crazy with fireworks, street theater and all sorts of wild things.  Imagine walking around the city at 1 AM and the streets are packed with adults, kids, and even people pushing babies in strollers.   

The Royal Palace was lit pink by placing red gels over all the nearby street lights.   

They were projecting giant lips on the wall of one large building and playing loud kissing noises over the plaza. 

They filled the fountain of Poseidon with giant rubber ducks.

The world goes crazy…

The global economic collapse has meant that my work permit paperwork hit a brick wall.  In order to get a work visa, you need a work permit, proof that you aren’t a criminal, proof that you are healthy, proof that you aren’t a drug user, and enough organizational talent to leap through a series of bureaucratic hurdles that are intended to discourage anyone who isn’t seriously dedicated.

Unfortunately, Spain isn’t issuing any new work permits to foreign workers, is paying people to leave, and is one step away from just kicking foreign workers out.  That leaves me in a very strange position.  In California, I am homeless, wifeless, dog-less, and car-less.  I’ve been staying with friends who have been great and very sympathetic.

The rule is that a European Union “no questions asked” tourist visa is good for up to 90 days in any single 6 month period which is how I was in Spain for two months while I was waiting for the work permit to clear.  Now it looks like I’ll be doing a “3 months there, 3 months back” migration pattern.

The current plan is:

• United States — November 3, 2008 – February 3, 2009
• Spain — February 4, 2009 – May 5, 2009
• United States — May 6, 2009 – August 5, 2009
• Spain — August 6, 2009 – ??

That provides me with a 3 month break between visits which refreshes the tourist visa.  It is not great, but if this is my sob story from the Great Depression 2.0, I can live with it.  Mary and I are regularly chatting on Skype and while it sucks, we’re getting through things well enough.

I blame my enforced monastic lifestyle on George W. Bush and all the other Republicans that happily deregulated the banking industry.  The moment deregulation interfered with my marital relations, it became painfully local politics and if I wasn’t already a crazy liberal, this would have pushed me over the top for sure.  As it is, I train 5 nights a week for my fencing exam and I still feel the need to hit someone more often than not.

~P