Two Weeks in Madrid

It’s different when you live in a place, in contrast to visiting and being a tourist. As streets, landmarks, stores and transportation become familiar – for me, somewhere in the second week -- the place begins to lose its mystery and fascination and take on the comforting sense of familiarity.

I know how to find my flat through the maze of streets, from any direction. I know how to use the Metro to get anywhere, and smartly buy the 10-trip ticket which saves 3 euros over individual ones. I’ve visited the major tourist sites, had coffee or wine in all the famous squares and many historic tavernas. I’ve eaten my share of tortillas papas and bolillo sandwiches. I’ve shopped in small oriental-owned groceries, cheese shops, panaderias (bread stores) and druggias (where you buy shampoo). I have walked and walked, which is what you do. I have a local mobile phone with 8 people in my contact list.

I’ve been to the Prado and stood before masterpieces by Titan, El Greco, Velazques, Goya, Ribera and Bosch. I’ve even been to the movies with a local woman and her 83-year-old mother to see Woody Allen’s “Vicky, Christina, Barcelona” in Spanish, as everything is dubbed here. I will go to the Reina Sophia museum and Retiro Park (Madrid’s Central Park) before I leave.

The initial awe and luster gives way to some observations of annoyance. For example, men are not gentlemanly – no one gives up a seat on the Metro for anyone; people push past without a “perdon”. Questions are answered courteously enough, but no one offers additional or better information that, you later discover, could have saved a lot of time and aggravation.
Even the sound of the accordion, which delighted me my first night, upon hearing it from the sidewalk below, has become commonplace; along with the violin and flute and baritone singers which make music in the streets or plazas at all hours.

Madrid is a big, busy, dirty, noisy city, and the most late-night in Europe, with dinner commonly eaten after 10 p.m. Its habitants are remarkably friendly and helpful once you strike up a conversation or are introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Its old parts, where I have stayed, are full of narrow winding cobblestone streets, pedestrian streets inlaid with quotes in bronze from poets and statesmen, beautiful residential buildings with wrought-iron balconies, and impressive monumental buildings.

It is a place teeming with human activity that shuts down mid-day for the civilized tradition of a large meal and siesta. It is a city that has grown and sprawled in the post-Franco years, swelled with campesinos, immigrants and ex-pats, and now complains of the downside of being a melting pot.

I am pleased to have explored so thoroughly although, indeed, there is always much more. But, for now, I feel satisfied with my knowing Madrid and having been warmly received by a number of interesting Madrileños, mostly transplants.

The peace and quiet of Santa Fe will pose a real contrast to Madrid. No doubt, for a week or two I will experience a heightened sense of curiosity and appreciation that resides specifically in newness. I will see with fresh eyes. And then, as routine slowly erodes the edge of adventure, idealized notions of another thrilling locale will draw me toward my next escapade, where the unknown becomes known, in the inevitable cycles of Life.

Creative Santa Fe

We know that Santa Fe is renowned internationally for its "arts and culture" -- OK, also for its history, architecture, culinary scene, healthy environment, quality of life, quality of light, multiculturalism and more -- but I am continually amazed by the remarkable diversity of creative interests among my fellow Santa Feans. 

On any given day of the year, the calendars of local newspapers, websites and radio stations are filled with offerings for events, classes, seminars, workshops and happenings related to music, fine arts, literature, cinema, theater, dance, sports and recreation, crafts, support groups of all sorts, spiritual practices of all kinds, community issues and opportunities to volunteer at one of nearly 5,000 non-profit organizations in northern New Mexico. If Santa Fe can pride itself on a singular thing, it could well be its vehement commitment to self-growth through creative expression.

In 2004, the city hired a Texas-based firm to assess Santa Fe's strengths, and weaknesses. After many interviews with the citizenry and its leaders, town hall-style public meetings and months of deliberation, the report (Angelou Economics Strategic Plan) was issued to a full-house at the Lensic Theater one weekday morning: Santa Fe should position itself as a design center, a center of creativity. Essentially, the compilers of the report encouraged Santa Feans to see the city and themselves for what it and they already were, or had aspired to be for at least the past few decades: incredibly unique, conscious, amazing -- the City Different!*

Confidence is a mighty power, and being inspired by the obvious findings of this formal report gave the participating citizenry a rally point: celebrate our creativity! Capitalize upon it. And why not? What could be more invigorating, more civilized, more fun, than expressing our creativity in all its marvelous forms! To this end, a volunteer group (yes, another non-profit organization) was formed -- Creative Santa Fe

Its goal: to encourage, support and promote the growth of the creative community that makes Santa Fe the first UNESCO-designated Creative City in the US. The Creative Santa Fe website gives a sense of the impressive and vast diversity of the "creative economy" that drives and supports Santa Fe. Check it out.

* The Report also identified the need to address such other real issues as  affordable housing, mass transit, bike lanes, improved pedestrian areas downtown, historic preservation, etc.

 

The Most Glorious Sunset

The last sunset I witnessed is always the most glorious. Living in Santa Fe, famous for the quality of its light, almost every sunset is "great" but about once a week there is one that is "spectacular".

While I am fortunate to live in an elevated site where sun can be seen setting behind the Jemez Mountains to the west, the entire sky is often filled with wild, neon shades of peach, apricot, lavender, rose, eggplant purple...colors that would be difficult to imagine if not seen first hand.

Often, for such a breath-taking moments, which can stretch into an hour or more, we take a glass of wine or margarita to the upstairs round deck, sit on high stools and allow ourselves to be wowed by such magnificence, as the earth turns and night falls.