I think we're in Spain now...

Our first dinner out in Madrid: fried sardines and grilled vegetables

Lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood spots 

For those of you who know I Think We're Alone Now by Tommy James & The Shondells, this song has been stuck in my head since we landed in Madrid, only with the chorus as "I Think We're in Spain Now."  For those who don't know it, have a listen here.  It's really not a great parallel for our experience other than the fact that socially, we are actually quite alone now compared with the strong ties we have in the Bay Area.  All that to say, we are trying to get out and meet more people and blogging inside, alone has been less of a priority.

In no particular order, here are some things that have caught our attention in these first weeks in Madrid that make us pause and say, "Huh, I think we're in Spain now."

1. Churros and Chocolate (of course!)

Karen with a porra

Churros and chocolate are a way of life here. Fun fact: at most places, you can either order 4 churros or 2 porras, which are thicker, but otherwise identical.  Our favorite chocolate, the beverage, is sold by a chain called Valor, which also makes its own chocolate bars.  Their dark sipping chocolate is quite rich, and we prefer it over the more standard Jell-O pudding-like chocolate most all other places sell.  Churros and chocolate are everywhere including at stalls that line a riverside park near our apartment, so even if you are not looking for them you will inevitably consume them unless you are actively avoiding them.  

Example #1: I went to an evening boardgame Meetup at a bar. The event started at 6:30 PM and ended at 10:30 PM. Around 9:30 PM, I became unignorably hungry although nobody else really seemed bothered (more on that later).  When I asked others at my table about food options, they suggested I order takeout and bring it to the bar. That seemed like a lot of work, so I just ordered a chocolate from the bar instead since I had seen several others sipping on the rich, pudding-like treat. That was enough to tide me over for a proper dinner at 11 PM... especially considering the fact that someone else knocked over their iced tea and the glass broke and some pieces fell into my original cup of mostly-finished chocolate. The bar kindly replaced it with another complete cup of chocolate! (Don't worry, I did not finish all of it.)

Example #2: Our AirBnb came stocked with a fiber-chocolate powder (with no added sugar!).  I have inevitably been adding some to my morning coffee daily.

2. Mini-vehicles

The Mini-Bus!!!

Okay, so we are not sure if these mini-vehicles are really unique to Madrid, but we have spotted 2 types! The M3 and 002 bus lines utilize van-sized buses that look like normal buses hit with a shrink ray. They are so cute! We haven't had the chance to take one yet but are excited to.

The mini bus next to a "normal" sized bus for scale

Also, on a day trip, we spotted this truck hauling a normal-sized shipping container, and a mini, identical version just behind too!

3."Sensitive Skin" Does Not Mean Fragrance Free

Karen's "Sensitive Skin" (but perfumed) Collection

I have pretty much failed at finding fragrance-free soaps, laundry detergent, and lotion. Most stores, however do usually stock one "sensitive-skin" flavor of an item. During my first few go arounds of buying these products, it was always shocking to be met with a STRONG, usually perfumy smell. My skin seems fine though, so at least it's not irritating. I haven't noticed people smelling any worse or better than in the US :-)  I guess I will have to bring my critical fragrance free items from abroad.

4. Architecture

The view from the top of the El Corte Ingles department store in downtown Madrid

We are on the hunt for a longer-term rental and getting more familiar with Spanish-style architecture, which is based on interior courtyards, or patios, enclosed by 4 or so apartment building walls.  While perusing listings on Idealista (like Craigslist), we have noticed that each one includes whether it's windows are interior (courtyard) or exterior (street)-facing. We are not sure if one is universally more favorable than the other. You might think, Wow! everyone must get so much sunlight... but that isn't a given. While that's true for lots of places, our first apartment here was on the ground floor of about 5 stories and interior-facing. Unfortunately, the patio was quite small, maybe 6' x 30', so all the light we got was whatever made it through that vertical tunnel.

Our current apartment forms a patio with the neighboring building

The courtyard our window faces

5. Laundry

If the video isn't working, you can view it HERE

We've seen plenty of laundry clotheslines running along building walls outside. Now, it's our turn to give this a shot! There's something kind of funny about stuffing our bedsheets through a tiny kitchen window to hang them on our apartment's clothesline, but I love it!… This strategy is a real space-saver, especially since many apartments are relatively tiny (375 sq ft) and don't have a balcony. Dryers are not really popular, probably because of cost and size. If you really want to use one, there's always the laundromat. Madrid's dry climate lends itself particularly well to air-drying clothes. Even though it's winter, most of our clothes are dry within 8 hours and towels take a full day. We've been using clothespins liberally and even bought an extra pack and so far we haven't had anything fall far down to the ground… Fingers crossed!

6. Bottlecap Tabs

In both Spain and Portugal (and maybe all of Europe for all we know), plastic bottles come with a tab between the cap and the original attachment ring so that the cap cannot separate from the bottle. Handy! The first time I came across this was on our flight here, and I kept twisting the cap to try to remove it, thinking the piece was defective.

7. Battery Recycling

Many bus stops here have integrated battery recycling receptacles. I really appreciate how easy it will be to dispose of batteries correctly!

8. How long do Spaniards take to drink a cup of coffee?

It depends! I recently went to an exhibit featuring the fashion designer Lorenzo Caprille with a group of Spaniards (the video in the link is interesting if you want to practice some Spanish!). It was held in a picturesque, renovated water-tower.  We spent about an hour there, and afterwards, one suggested we get a cup of coffee. I, naïvely, assumed we would be there for about an hour so I nursed my drink slowly. I felt a little silly when I saw everyone else chug there is down in less than 20 minutes. I thought people took their time here! 

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…fast-forward 3.5 hours and 0 coffees later, and we left the café. :0

Some pics from the outing