I’m not going to lie, I’m a country boy.
I was brought up in a village with no more than 3,000 souls. The biggest place I’ve ever lived in is Norwich, which despite its cuteness can’t really be described as a vibrant cosmopolitan hub!
So moving to Madrid was a massive step for me. Not only it
was in a different country, it also had more than 5 million people living in it
and it was the capital city of said country! With it, it brings a whole range or
characteristics, some good, some I’d rather live without.
Let’s get the cons quickly out of the way, so we can concentrate on the positives later. First of all, it’s noisy. It doesn’t matter what time of the day or night, there will be people out and about and they won’t care if you’re trying to sleep! Last night someone started to scream down my road: I thought she was being attacked or something, but she was simply angry at someone (and possibly slightly high…). Then there’s the pollution: it’s there and, unless you live next to a park, you feel it. If you have free time then you go to a park or catch a train out to the countryside for a breath of fresh air, but when you have to commute every day for work then you spend most of your time in the middle of it all. Which brings me to my final point: the speed of everything. While at the beginning I enjoyed the buzzing activity of life around me, after a few months I found myself tired, drained of all energy. I feel like I spend my time running everywhere, and I never stop from when I wake up to when I go back to bed. Often I think “I need to get out of here, I need some time off!”
So that was that. Now for the good stuff!
Madrid is an amazing city. Everyone who has been here will
tell you how beautiful everything is: from its stately buildings, to its wide
avenues, to its pleasant gardens and parks. Everything carefully mixed with the wonderful
attitude typical of the Spaniards, which gives you a pleasant, fun and sociable
environment. But let’s turn our attention to the fact it’s the capital. What
does it mean?
First of all, you will find everything you need. From shops,
to services, to entertainment everything will never be more than half an hour
away from you at any time. Even the most peculiar needs (I’m an organic-obsessed
vegetarian, not the easiest combination in Spain…) will be met, provided you
know where to look. So that’s definitely ticked under the column of positive aspects!
Another element is the efficiency of (almost) everything. Transport
works, it’s on time and reliable; the various services, being those bureaucracy,
banks of whatever, are friendly and fairly well-organised. In other words, it
is never difficult to obtain what you need.
Carrying on with transport, the capital city is connected to
every other place in the country. Add the fact that Madrid is bang in the
middle of it, and within 2.5 hours by train or 1 hour flying you can be
anywhere you want in the country! The amount of travelling I did this year,
exploring Spain, cannot be compared in any way to any other country I’ve ever
lived in!
Finally, if you’re interested in music like I am, the
capital is the perfect choice for you. Not only the offer available caters to
every taste, but when major artists plan their tours, this will always be the
first place they come to (see further down who I managed to see)! That also applies to sport: whatever the interest,
you will find it and on a major international level!
So this is all I wanted to say. Here you can find some
videos of what I managed to get up to in the past few weeks while living in Madrid.
Trip to Ibiza
Pentatonix In Concert
So what can I say to conclude? I’m not sure I am made for
the city. I miss the country, I miss going UPSTAIRS to bed (instead of down the
corridor), I miss having a garden. I think I see myself living in a tiny
village somewhere in the UK. However, that village could be within easy reach of
a city, so if needed I can take advantage of the offer that comes from it!
Other than that, speak soon!
Keep smiling! :)
