Madrid is overrated
My dear friend Adam has just returned from Madrid and wrote this travel report:
Madrid, Spain, with its mix of the old world and the new, its rich cultural history, and its economic prowess, is touted as a jewel of southern Europe. Considered to be one of the top ten most livable cities in the world, and the most visitor-friendly in Spain, Madrid is a tourist mecca, and the fourth most visited city on the European continent.
With all that it has going for it in terms of cultural events, monuments of note, and beautiful scenery, one would think that it would be an ideal location for a summer holiday. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Speaking from recent experience, there are a few things about Madrid that make it a rather difficult place to vacation.
Retiro Park
#1 Infrastructure Issues
“Infrastructure issues” is a polite way of saying that nothing works… pretty much ever. If you are accustomed to arriving at the train station, then buying a ticket, then waiting for the next train to arrive, the getting on it and going to your destination, get over that sequence of events right now. That will only happen about 50% of the time in Madrid. The rest of the time, expect to wait a long time to buy a ticket. Then cross your fingers that the train comes when it is supposed to and goes where it actually says it will. Ditto for bus travel, courses at educational institutions, and business transactions.
#2 Kindness is an Option
Having traveled a great deal, I have met some simply wonderful people and had some amazing experiences. In general, I do my best to learn at least the basics of the language of the country in which I am traveling. This is just common courtesy. My efforts to speak the native language have always been met with friendship and encouragement by those around me, and someone in the community who speaks English has always made an effort to help me out as well if my vocabulary failed me. Not so in Madrid. If you do not speak Spanish, you are pretty much out of luck. Learn the language or be prepared to stumble around on your own.
#3 The Economy is Tanking
Historically, when any country’s economy is failing, the people of that country have always done two things, looked for someone to blame and scammed anyone who came within their easy reach. The latter seems to be quite prevalent in Madrid at the moment. Speak with an accent, and that four Euro snack the man in front of you just bought, will suddenly double in price. This manner of doing business exists everywhere from the corner store to the boardroom.
Feel free to ask a question or leave a reply!
