So what's it like...updated

One of the reasons I started writing this was to share our experiences living in Madrid as many of our friends and family were curious about our experiences. So I wrote this piece back in ‘21. I promised further updates… and yes it’s been quite a while! So, along with this republished post, some further thoughts and observations.

We got here the old fashioned way, accidentally on purpose. For about 3+ years I was commuting to Europe from LA and Montecito monthly sometimes basing here in Madrid and often going on from here to points East. It was fun, exhausting and unsustainable for this old married couple…So in ‘18 we decided to call Madrid home base…with every intention of returning to Montecito and SoCal… at some point. When that project ended and new one began, which only happened because we were already here, we decided to “just say yes” to what the universe was throwing our way and stick around for a bit. That was4 years ago.

For Californians Spain is like family, maybe an ancestral Auntie, given the State’s Spanish and Mexican roots. It also mirrors a lot of the climate and geography that makes a lot of people want to live in both places: Gorgeous coast lines and beaches, mountains looming in the distance skiable in the winter, dryer than dry desserts, lush greenery, wine country…you get the picture. The differences are rooted in their histories and the centuries of “civilization” that separates them. Spain looks at the US and its 245 year history and says “Kid I’ve got socks older than you are”. After all Columbus got staked for his cruise in the 1490’s and the roots to all of that go back to the Romans and Greeks. So yeah, really old.

That history comes alive in everything. Architecture, Art, language, food, religion; every aspect of family life and day to day living is colored by traditions and history. It all really comes alive in a place like Madrid. Most Americans I know who fancy a trip to Spain start with Barcelona, likely because of the Mediterranean location. In my humble opinion, as lovely as that City is, you’re missing the mark if you don’t target Madrid as a “must experience”. History, beauty, scale (enough of everything and not too much of anything), food, natural beauty, golf (!), and of course commerce. The Spanish Capital’s lifeblood is business and the media business, the vineyard where I have toiled for 4+ decades is right here too. Much of what makes anyplace a great to be is what you get to do there, especially if that’s something that feeds your soul and this work still feeds mine.

And of course, there’s the cost side of things. Wages here are low relative to the US and most of Europe and so prices are in synch with that reality. For US expats not dependent upon a local paycheck, the value equation is beyond favorable. Rents, leisure, food, clothes and luxury goods…all at prices that would astound, particularly those from the places I’m from, both East and West US Coasts. My Club membership here with 4 Jack Nicklaus Golf Courses costs me a little more than my bar bill at an LA Club.

And then there’s the language…It’s beautiful and complicated, like so many other earthly treasures. There are more verb forms than dog hairs on dark carpet. For people who love grammar and are good at the “sight reading” part of learning there’s a bunch to dig into. But for jazz fans like me, those details are mind numbing and it all comes down to listening and repeating often enough that it begins to sound musical and right. My teacher, who teaches at a University in Valencia and works with on Skype is endlessly patient and encouraging. The best part I think is that when you’re in the “immersive” learning opportunity you really need to pay attention to the person speaking to you. It’s a refreshing antidote to the inattentive listening that becomes so much of our day to day habit with attention on screens and other distractions while ostensibly in conversation with another person. When you’re struggling to understand and be understood you make eye contact, you listen carefully and pay attention to gestures…and then you look for reactions as you attempt to respond. It’s so much more human and personal while at the same time somewhat exhausting.

Being a peninsula, Spain offers coastal environments of every imaginable type. Andalusia in the South is somewhat reminiscent of Southern California with dry almost desert like conditions and mountains that nearly run into the sea. It’s warm and temperate nearly all year long and a haven for Northern European retirees and Madrilleños eager to get out of the summer heat or winter chill. Further North and East the rocky coast line of of the Costa Brava is reminiscent of the Northern California and Oregon costs and further North in San Sebastián, Galicia and Asturias there are unique charms with great cities and verdant green farmlands and cuisine to die for. A great friend from LA came to visit and we did an abbreviated (115k) version of the Camino del Santiago de Compostela and had an amazing time discovering Galicia on foot, an adventure I highly recommend.

And of course, there’s access to the rest of Europe from a nearby super modern international airport where just about everywhere you might want to go is within 2-3 hours of travel. In our “Bucket list”years we will try to take as much advantage as possible to get to the places that we’ve wanted to but never been. So, especially for the part or full time retiree lots of places to go and visit all fairly nearby.

While all of this might sound like I’m describing a paradise, be assured that there are plenty of problems here as well as “back home”. Partisan politics has empowered the extremes, left and right, to have more power than most citizens would prefer… but for the centrist left and right parties which together represent the overwhelming majority of the population, they are necessary partners in order to have a governing majority so tensions arise and people take to the streets…but thankfully without resorting to violence. The economy is still somewhat fragile, still dealing with the aftershocks of the ‘08-’09 crash. The banks that survived it are very difficult to deal with in comparison to our working relationships in the US, all as a result of either correcting or over correcting from earlier looser practices. Europe lags in tech in comparison with the US and Asia and Spain is a laggard in Europe. All of this results in the younger educated leaving to build careers, many with the hope of returning once they’ve established their earning potential.

So yes, a lot to love and learn from…which at any stage of life is a gift, and at this stage of the game, for those of us of a certain age, in that undefinable, unknowable part of the home stretch, even more so. Since I originally published this we resettled in Montecito where we spend the other half of the year. The combination of the two suits us well as the lifestyles are so different and it allows me to help create a bridge for opportunities for business partners in both ends which helps me to feel like I’m still making a contribution. All reasons to remain extremely grateful…and we are!