My new home

Like sands through the hourglass, these are the days of our lives.

Madrid is a funny city.  Indeed, I have a feeling that it is not just Madrid, but all of Spain that I would feel this way about, if only I had seen all of Spain.  As it is, I have explored a fair amount of Madrid city, and some of the surrounding cities and towns when A and I take to the car for a weekend adventure.

There are things you just simply must, or cannot, do here in Madrid.  The Ten Commandments of Madrid, if you will.  Ahh to hell, I'll just say 'Spain' until I am proven otherwise.

For example.  A food related example, of course.

One must not eat a meal without a glass of wine, or beer (weather permitting).  I swear every time I eat out and order an agua con gas I get the strangest looks from waitstaff, and the occasional "vino? cereveza?"  and when I say "no, gracias" they shake their heads slightly and walk off muttering to themselves.  I get a similar response at the end of the meal, which leads me into my next Commandment...

One cannot possibly finish a meal without dessert, or at the very least, coffee.  For real.  More head shaking, more confusion, and most often - arguing with me that I should have dessert.  Explaining the dessert menu to me again, as if this will somehow change my mind and entice me to the dark, sugary side.  I understand lunch is the biggest meal of the day.  I also understand it is breaking their brains for me to pay for something I am not consuming (a typical menú del día is a set price for 3 courses plus drinks) but I am OK with that.  It is still a bargain, as far as I'm concerned, to have two courses plus drinks for around €10.

More examples...

One must not ever be overly polite and/or outwardly enthusiastic or joyful about life.  Seriously. Don't smile too much at people or you'll be treated like a leper with women pulling their small children out of your reach and others blatantly giving you the suspicious stink-eye.  Similarly, using phrases such as 'thank you very much' or 'please' or hell even too many words will garner you suspicious looks from waitstaff, in particular.  The Spanish tend to bark their orders as opposed to convey them.  In Australia: "I'll have a glass of the Printhe Riesling, please".  In Spain: "vino blanco". I say to hell with that, and usually add "por favour", because, well, I wasn't raised in a fucking barn.  It does, however, make it fairly easy for non-Spanish speakers to be able to effectively communicate their needs without learning too many words.

I really have warmed to my new home though, despite the weather doing the opposite, and find I don't really miss Brisbane that much.  I miss some things of course, the convenience of having several brands of an item available without any real searching; my parents, my cat, my mates.  But A and I have created a new life together, a new family, and I have started making new friends and enjoying Madrid for all its quirks and hidden secrets.  It is humbling and fascinating to be living in a city that is practically ancient by Australian standards; brimming with history - testaments to which can be seen in nearly every village you drive through (or visit!) in the form of 800 year old churches, thousand year old stone walls.. Europe is so old it can make your teeth hurt when you think about it long enough.  I feel I will never discover enough of her secrets, but I am content at the pace in which A and I explore the countryside, gently getting to know small village after small village.  It is a very different life to the one I left behind, but not at all one I'm unhappy about. I do love my new life, my new home, my new family.

Till next time,
M x