Un Mes en Madrid

June 28, 2013

Sitting at a café in España you would never guess that the country was in the midst of a devastating financial crisis.  Over fifty percent youth unemployment and twenty percent in the general population, higher crime, and the constant admonishment of the EU, Spain is supposed to be in bad shape.  Yet the streets are bustling with life and commerce.  Almost all restaurants and cafés are full during meal hours.  The only stores that I see closed are those temporarily shut down because the owners are on vacation.  Very few ‘se aquila’ or ‘se vende’ (for rent or for sale) signs are seen. 

So where is the crisis?  Ask the locals and they will tell you times are tough.  Jobs are difficult to find.  Those who have them are working longer hours.  Deep austerity measures have been enforced by government without concern for the protests of citizens. 

Spain could be similar to the US in this respect though.  The recession supposedly hit us hard.  Yet most of us still had our cellphones, cable and game systems.  We still enjoyed a night out at the movie or restaurant or wherever.  We still owned a car or two.  And how many of us actually starved?

The situation appears the same here.  Times may be tough, and I’m sure that as in the US, some feel it more than others, but honestly, how bad off is a society that can enjoy the materialistic pleasures of life like good food and drink and entertainment?  But then again, I see only the surface of things.  I am not a citizen nor have I lived here for a significant amount of time.  I just call it as I see it. 

Since I have written this entry I have talked to a few Spaniards.  One in particular explained that the Spanish socialize differently than we do in the states.  For example, often we invite our friends to our homes and have cook outs and such.  The Spanish, on the other hand, usually socialize outside of the home.  They meet in public spaces like cafes and parks and such.  While it might appear as if they are out drinking and enjoyed meals, they might buy one beer and sip it until they go home or even share meals (which is common anyway).  Interesting.  

Un Mes en Madrid

June 27

As most people might expect and parents surely know, traveling with children is much different.  Plans have to be made around naps, potty time and all those other irritations that parents endure for their children.  The ordinarily fast paced attempt to see as many sites around the city as possible becomes instead the experiences of areas that we might never visit otherwise – the zoo, the public pools, the playgrounds and more. 

   

And believe it or not the extra down time provides an incomparable opportunity.  Most importantly it gives time to bond with family; eating together on the balcony, playing hide and seek and learning to read.  As an adult I also have time to catch up on reading and writing, time for meditation or self-reflection, and a good run in the morning. 

Madrid has numerous parks scattered across the large city of almost 3.5 million.  They get utilized very well.  Already we have been to three playgrounds and always there are children there.  The parks are well maintained with plenty of trees to provide shade from the blistering Madrid sun.  Hundreds of species of plants and flowers run along the paths made for the runners and those strolling aimlessly around.  People everywhere of all ages find some excuse to spend time in the parks.

Yesterday we visited Retiro, the largest and most unique of the parks.  Once upon a time, on my first visit to España nearly 15 years ago, this is where we spent most of our time.  All day and into the night the African immigrants beat bongo drums and smoked hash.  Street performers like mimes and wanna be Michael Jacksons earned a living honing their eccentric talents.  We didn’t get the opportunity to see any of this yesterday, but Sofiah and Kaia finally met Abril and Vera, the daughters of two friends of ours who live in Madrid.  Chasing pigeons and playing in the sand kept them happy.  Meanwhile, the adults watched, munching on tapas and drinking horchata.  Life has changed in the last fifteen years, but it’s still a blast.

Un Mes en Madrid

June 26

Yeah, that didn’t work.  It’s 4am and we have all been up for an hour at least.  Since I did not sleep on the plane I could have easily slept in this morning until daylight.  The girls, stretched across our laps on the plane ride, slept like babies.  If only I could sleep as easily as a child.

By 9am the little one got cranky.  It was easy to get her to nap.  The other, as she does often, wanted to stay up and play with her dolls.  Niki and I laid down as well, and it never fails that Sofiah climbs in bed and wakes us up as soon as we nod off. 

A couple of hours later we opened the blinds and made a bit of noise to wake the girls.  They didn’t budge.  Their bodies are trying to tell us they need the sleep so we let them although Niki and I are ready to go exploring.

The fridge is empty.  After a trip to the grocery yesterday we bought all we could carry and though it is only a few blocks away it’s heavy.  And so we stop for lunch again at one of the many restaurants with tables along the sidewalk with free tapas, potatoes with a cheese sauce this time, delicious.  We make up a good story or call the new food something we call it at home to get the girls to try it.  So far they love Fanta and the powdered chocolate.  I hope they expand their horizons a bit, either that or go hungry.

A park, Canal de Isabel, was within walking distance.  Two playgrounds with plenty of other kids, perfect for the girls.  We spent at least a couple of hours there.  Niki and I sat in the shade mostly while the girls played in the heat, but a dry heat, much more tolerable than the heavy, humid heat of Mississippi. The best part was watching the kids interact.  At this age, language is a small barrier.  They played with the other kids and seemed to listen to them intently.  Sofiah even used her small vocabulary when she yelled, “Para! to get the little boys to stop the tilt-a-whirl (whatever you call that thing that is similar to the Tea Cups at Disneyland).

The walk home isn’t so much fun.  The girls are tired, hungry, and not used to walking so far.  We cook spaghetti at the apartment and eat around the dinner table to add a sense of normalcy for the first time since we left.  They eat the best they have so far and by dark (11pm) they are pooped and fall fast asleep.

Un Mes en Madrid

June 25

At last, after months of planning and wondering if spending our full income tax check for plane tickets is worth it, here we are in España.  Our baggage was waiting and so was a long line of taxistas ready to take us to our destination.  An older man, a huge Real Madrid fan who had only recently become a driver after retiring from another job, chatted along the way and offered advice.  A driver’s disposition can often set the tone when arriving to a place.

Once we picked up the keys and arrived to our new apartment the girls made themselves at home quickly, running around and exploring.  They went in and out onto the balcony, claimed their own rooms, and turned the lights on and off because they could actually reach them. 

After settling in a bit we walked Calle de Santa Engracia to see what was available nearby.  The area seemed quiet and most of the shops were closed, many for vacacciones.  The sun sat alone and heavy in the sky but a cool breeze made the day perfect, especially when our first stop entailed free tapas and cerveza.  The girls surprised us again by being intrigued not with the traffic of the city and the African who approached us playing a bongo and wanted to sell us his trinkets, but by the pigeons.  What a waste of a good tapa!

10pm on our first day in Madrid.  We try to stay awake so that maybe, just maybe, our sleep schedule will become adjusted quickly.  It’s so much harder though when the sun is still up outside.  After a short nap this afternoon it may be even tougher.  Luckily for us the light does not penetrate the blinds and once we close them it might as will be dark.  Buenas noches.

Un Mes en Madrid

June 24, 2013

You would think that the plane ride would be the most fascinating part of a journey to children, especially the first one ever.  I mean, even as an adult I love the plane, watching the landscape beneath me get smaller.  The cars, buildings, interstates, rivers, ponds and trees become tiny specks until they mesh into one and then we reach the clouds and finally fly above them.  And yes, my children enjoyed it, but not as much as I expected.  The smaller one with her vivid imagination kept asking, “What if we fall from the sky?” and when we were over the ocean, “What if we fall and sharks eat us?”  She refused to look out of the window.  The other was focused on her electronics as most children (and even adults) are these days.  More exciting to them was the moving sidewalks and escalators at the airport.  With a five hour layover I bet my oldest daughter and I (and Rainbow Dash, her favorite My Little Pony) rode the same one near our departure gate twenty times.  Still, my girls traveled surprisingly well and I was proud.