8 Ways Living in Madrid Has Ruined Me for Life

After almost three years of living in Madrid, I still get heart sparkles wandering through the streets of Spain's capital. Despite the ups and downs of expat life, Spanish culture has effectively seduced, indulged and transformed me.
From the captivating lifestyle to the ability to travel extensively through Europe, Spain has spoiled me in countless ways. My years in Madrid have undoubtedly been the best of my life, and quite frankly, I'm worried that none of my future endeavors will ever compare.

But my time here must unfortunately come to an end, and in just four months I will be tossed back into the cruel reality of adulthood in the USA. Spain's enviable way of life has ruined me for good, and I'm not quite sure how I'll be able to readjust to American mediocrity (and expensive wine).

So, what's so special about life in Madrid?  Take a peek at what I'm making a conscious effort to savor these next few months:


1. Tapas, tapas, tapas

Heaven is a gooey slice of Spanish tortilla

The best way to satisfy an indecisive palate is by sharing a variety of small plates and sampling bites of all the different treats. The ultimate solution for culinary commitment-phobes, tapas solve the problem of having to commit to just one dish. They're also known for being delightfully cheap, or in some cases, even free.

Although Granada is best known for its heaping plates of complimentary appetizers, there are also a few bars in Madrid that generously dole out free tapas when you order a drink. Even if you aren't served a legitimate tapa, you'll at least be given a small dish of olives or potato chips to snack on.

To score free food in the center of Madrid, check out La Petisqueira, La Blanca Paloma and El Respiro. Otherwise, head outside the center to more residential neighborhoods. In the neighborhood that I work in, Carabanchel Alto, all of the bars spoil me with overflowing plates of free huevos rotos, cocido or tortilla  when I order a glass of wine to cope with the stress of teaching preschool.


2. Phenomenal wine for unbelievably low prices

It's always wine o'clock somewhere in Spain

Every time I visit the USA, I die a little inside every time I have to pay $14 for a glass of Chardonnay. I know it's my own damn fault that I'm a wine snob I have good taste, but seriously, fourteen bucks? ¡Qué va! 

The going rate for a glass of wine in Madrid is anywhere between 1.50-2.50€, while a particularly high quality glass can cost you 3.50€ (at the most). Not only are the prices delightfully low, but the selection of native Spanish wines is positively delicious. Rioja, Ribera, Toro, Somontano, Albariño... I'll take a glass (or five) of each, por favor.

Looking for great wine in Madrid? Check out De Vinos, Vinoteca Vides, Stop Madrid or Casa Gerardo (Almacén de Vinos) for carefully curated selections of decently priced wine.


3. Unparalleled nightlife

¡Salud!

It took me two years to learn how to keep up with Spaniards after dark. In Madrid, the locals start heading to the bars or pre-gaming at home around midnight, and finally roll up to the club around 3 am. After dancing the night away, they slowly make their way home once the discotecas close between 6 and 7 am.

During my first two years as an expat in Madrid, I could only handle this exhausting ritual once every two months. Even when I did make it out until 6, I could hardly function the next week. But now that I'm on Year Three and feel casi madrileña, if I don't do this at least once a week, I feel like I'm doing something wrong. It's not a successful weekend in Madrid unless I dance 'til sunrise and sleep past 1 pm the next day.

Considering that bars back home close before 2 am, I don't know how I'm going to adjust to the pathetic lack of nightlife in Seattle. Clubbing isn't exactly popular in my hipster hometown, so who knows how I'm going to get my groove on after hours. I'm not trying to fly to Vegas every time I want a proper fiesta.


4. Efficient public transportation

Madrid has surely spoiled me with a remarkably efficient public transportation system. While I adore the ability to walk everywhere in Madrid, I can also get to any given destination by metro, bus or train. The system here is well-connected, affordable and relatively idiot-proof.

Given that Spain isn't exactly known for its efficiency, I appreciate their flawless transportation system even more. As someone who harbors an irrational fear of driving, this is the main thing I wish I could bring back to the USA with me.


5. The Spanish dining experience

Federal Café: great restaurant, terrible service. Just the way I like it.

Six years ago when I studied abroad in Cádiz, I positively abhorred the meal schedule, the slow service, and the aloof waiters whose attention you could never seem to grab. And what was that sobremesa business all about? Sitting around the table, just talking for hours after a meal? Who's got time for that?

But after almost three years in Madrid, gone are the days of wanting to eat dinner at 6 o'clock, pining for free refills of ice water and appreciating quality customer service. Now, I live for the late night dinners and the delightfully slow meals. Bringing the check with the food is an unforgivable offense, and I find myself unreasonably put off when friends aren't in the mood to sobremesa.

After getting accustomed to Spain's slow service, I feel irrationally annoyed by American customer service norms. I don't want to be bothered or checked in on, especially when it means that I'm therefore obligated to tip 20%. Please take my order, then leave me alone and let me eat in peace!

The Spanish dining experience is not only more pleasant because I can enjoy my meal without being bothered or rushed out to have my table turned, but also because the food here is decidedly sublime. In Spanish cuisine, less is more. The traditional gastronomy focuses on fresh, high quality ingredients, rendering it all the more savory in its simplicity.

Hungry yet? Here's a list of my favorite places to eat in Madrid.


6. A slower pace of life

The makings of a good morning

Perhaps the most refreshing thing about the Spanish lifestyle is its relaxed pace and no pasa nada attitude. Spaniards work to live, not live to work. They're not becoming workaholics or multi-tasking themselves to death. Instead, they're focusing on enjoying life. The people of Spain take joy in life's simple pleasures: savoring a caña in the sunshine with friends, engaging in long conversations after meals, and making family their number one priority.

Though most madrileños don't actually nap during the post-lunch siesta hours, I secretly relish when some of the shops close and life temporarily slows down. On the weekends when the city is dead until 11 am, I savor my leisurely morning ritual of grabbing a café con leche at Toma Café, feasting upon some homemade pan con tomate, and slowly getting ready until it's time to grab a vermouth and a bite to eat with friends.


7. The lower cost of living

The view from my bedroom's balcony

My rent in Madrid is on the higher side, mostly because I chose to live in a recently remodeled apartment in a rather trendy neighborhood. (I also picked a bedroom with two balconies and an unbelievably picturesque view.) But while I consider my rent to be pricier than the norm, in reality, it's still insanely cheap. In fact, it's half the price of an apartment in Seattle. That's right, a full 50% cheaper than rent in the USA. (And that's not even taking into consideration the utilities and cleaning services that are included in my rent here!)

Not only is housing reasonably priced, but groceries are also remarkably cheap. On average, I only spend 30-40€ on weekly groceries (not including my specialty gluten-free goods that are usually more expensive). I score the best deals at local fruterías, which are neighborhood grocers that only sell fresh fruits and vegetables.


8. Being fully immersed in an extraordinary culture

Spain exemplifies beauty unlike any other country I've visited. Between the friendly locals, vibrant customs and seductive language, the Spanish culture is decidedly electric. Vivacious, dynamic and unpretentious, Spaniards truly know how to live. Whether it's at the dinner table or on the streets, their love for life is positively contagious.

Being surrounded by such an effervescent culture has made me appreciate life in a new way. Whether it be savoring a steaming cortado at my favorite neighborhood bar before work, taking a short siesta in the sunshine on my lunch break, or eavesdropping on the musical inflections of a Spanish conversation (and relishing the fact that I can understand most of it), life in Spain has taught me to find joy in the relatively mundane.

It will surely break my heart to part ways with a culture that constantly excites me and brings me to life. Though I will try to find ways to bring the Spanish lifestyle back to the USA with me, right now I have to soak up as much magic as I can during my last few months here.

Have you ever lived abroad?

How did it "ruin" you for life?

Skydive Interlaken: The Best Thing I've Done Abroad

For as long as I can remember, skydiving had always been at the top of my bucket list. Last summer when I was back in Seattle to get a new visa, I convinced my mom to jump out a plane with me for my 25th birthday. Seeing my home from such a drastically different perspective made me appreciate the beauty of Seattle in a much deeper way. Furthermore, free falling from 14,000 feet made me positively euphoric. I immediately knew I was hooked.

While my mom touted that once was more than enough, I could only respond with a smirk. I quietly suspected that my next jump was imminent. So when I stumbled upon Travel Channel's list of the world's best places to go skydiving (with Seattle ranking as #4!!), I looked up flights to Switzerland on a whim. When I unearthed a ridiculously cheap flight to Basel, I immediately booked my next skydiving adventure in Interlaken.

Except this time, I chose to switch it up. Because why jump out of a plane when you can jump out of a helicopter?

There are about a thousand reasons why I shouldn't have gone to Switzerland. Of my many flaws, my impulsivity seems to be the one that gets me into the most trouble... while also allowing me to make the best memories. Spontaneously booking a skydiving pilgrimage to Switzerland was the best bad decision I've ever made. 

Financially, it completely screwed me over. People always talk about how expensive Switzerland is, and good lord, they're not lying.

Jumping out of a helicopter costs roughly the same amount as my rent, which alone is more than half of my monthly paycheck. So if you do the math, you'll realize that this immediately puts me in the red. While I also teach private English lessons after school and earn a few bucks here and there from blogging, freelance projects and photography gigs, it's not nearly enough to fund skydiving and a social life. Needless to say, I've been staying in and eating a lot of canned soups and spaghetti this month.

When I developed a nasty sinus infection a few days before my trip, I started to wonder if draining my bank account while simultaneously making myself sicker would be worth it in the end. In all honestly, it was still worth every penny. Here's why:

Experiencing such an unparalleled adrenaline rush while surrounded by breathtaking scenery was positively surreal. While skydiving in Seattle was epic in its own right, jumping out of a helicopter in Interlaken was on a completely different level. 

Without the fear and anxiety that accompanied my first jump, I was able to fully appreciate the jaw-dropping views of the Swiss Alps. Admiring the majestic mountainscapes while falling from the sky was an overwhelmingly sublime experience. After the free fall, my veins were pulsing with adrenaline, exhilaration, and an incomprehensible amount of joy. I was buzzing with euphoria. I couldn't stop smiling all day long.

Sure, I had to say no to other adventures in Switzerland and forgo experiencing the local cuisine in lieu of cheap sandwiches made from stolen hostel goodies. And unsurprisingly, I got a lot sicker and was out of commission for two weeks afterwards. The rest of February has been spent scrounging cheap tapas, cutting back on the Spanish nightlife, and obsessively pinching pennies until my next paycheck. But without a doubt in my mind, the sacrifices were 100% worth it. Skydiving out of a helicopter in Interlaken was by far the most memorable thing I've done abroad, and surely one of the best experiences of my entire life. 

Have you ever gone skydiving?
What's the most memorable thing you've done abroad?



This is not a sponsored post, but I genuinely can't recommend Skydive Interlaken enough.
They were friendly, professional, and made me feel safe throughout the entire adventure.

Eating Gluten-Free in Florence

In lieu of celebrating my third expat Thanksgiving in Spain with a roasted turkey, I had a hankering for pizza. Pillowy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, tart arugula and buttery prosciutto. I could almost taste the tangy bliss. But the last time I went to Italy, things didn't go so smoothly.

Pizza, pasta and pain

A month before I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2010, I ventured to Rome to Eat, Pray, Love  my way through the Eternal City. In between gooey pizzas and heaping plates of spaghetti, I spent my time running to the bathroom, keeling over in abdominal pain, and fighting fatigue and soreness throughout my entire body. Trying to keep up with the fast pace of sightseeing was positively grueling.

At the time, I couldn't connect my pain to what I was putting in my body. I just figured it was normal to get sick after two beers or a bowl of pasta. After all, doctors had been giving me various nonsensical explanations for the past 11 years. From, "You're not eating right for your blood type" to, "You're just drinking too much coffee", no doctor ever pegged gluten as the culprit. So neither did I.

Fast forward six years, and I now have the common sense (as well as the diagnosis) to know that, no, it's not normal to get sick after every meal. Furthermore, it's not normal to visit Italy and suffer through constant pain the entire trip.

Thankfully, it's surprisingly easy to navigate Italy as a Celiac. In fact, I've found Florence to be the easiest place to eat gluten-free throughout all my travels. Italians are incredibly well-informed about Celiac disease, and knowing how to deal with gluten-free needs is common knowledge in restaurants.

Why are Italians winning the gluten-free game?

According to the Associazione Italiana Celiachia (AIC), about 1% of Italians have Celiac disease. Though that may sound high, this statistic is roughly the same in the USA and across Europe. But with gluten as the cornerstone of Italian gastronomy, the need to accommodate Celiacs is significantly greater.

To understand why so many gluten-free options abound in the land of pizza and pasta, let's contemplate the Italian culture of cuisine. Of the many things that Italians are known for, perhaps their most notable qualities are their social nature and deeply ingrained love of food. Life happens at the dinner table, so to deliberately leave someone out of the mealtime merriment would be simply preposterous.

In a culture that places the utmost importance on enjoying food, eating gluten-free isn't a fad, it's an ailment that needs to be dealt with. That's probably why the AIC recognizes over 4,000 gluten-free restaurants in Italy. The Italian government even gives Celiacs a stipend of up to 140€/month to cover additional food costs. So... when can I move there?!

Art, architecture and accommodating intolerances are just a few things that Italians do right

Senza glutine, per favore

With a myriad of gluten-free options and an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards accommodating Celiacs, eating gluten-free in Florence shouldn't be a considerable challenge. The following restaurants have my favorite senza glutine (gluten-free) menus in Florence, so prepare your tastebuds for a gluten-free feast of Italian treats.

Just in case, print out a gluten-free Italian restaurant card to show your waiters if you have any doubts about a dish's ingredients.

Ristorante Ciro & Sons

Via del Giglio, 28/r

I began my feast at Ciro & Sons with the gluten-free bruschetta topped with succulent tomatoes, fresh arugula and a light drizzle of olive oil. The refreshing combination of flavors invigorated my tastebuds and helped tide me over until my pizza finished cooking to perfection.

Next, I devoured the decadent gluten-free Vesuvius pizza with prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, truffle, arugula and tomatoes. The gooey mozzarella melted in my mouth, while the fluffy crust actually made me ask the waiter, "Are you sure this is gluten-free?"

I washed it all down with a gluten-free Peroni beer, which was the first Celiac-friendly beer I've truly enjoyed in months. While I was extremely tempted by the dessert menu, I passed it up in favor of more gelato. (When in Rome Florence, right?)

Ciro & Sons boasts an extensive gluten-free menu, although some dishes can be on the pricier side. Their claim to fame is winning first place in the World Championship for Gluten-Free Pizza and the World Championship for Organic Pizza. (Side note: what's a girl gotta do to be a judge in these competitions?) They even sell boxes of their famed gluten-free crust at the restaurant.

Gluten-free bruschetta? That's amore.

Note that reservations are required if you plan on ordering their gluten-free pizza.

Da Garibardi

Piazza del Mercato Centrale, 38/r

Nestled next to Florence's Central Market, Da Garibardi is packed with lively locals rather than hungry tourists looking for their next quick bite. As the only native English speaker (and solo diner) in the joint, I surely stuck out like a sore thumb. Granted, that made the restaurant feel all the more genuine.

Unabashedly loud families and overly-affectionate couples surrounded me, and I had to admire how quintessentially Italian it all felt. Then there was me, seated in the corner, alone on a hot date with a colossal bowl of gnocchi. Elizabeth Gilbert would have been proud.

Picking just two dishes from the vast gluten-free menu was a difficult feat, but I eventually settled on the crostone cavolo nero e fagioli: gluten-free toast with Tuscan beans, cabbage, olive oil and garlic. Once again, the bread was so crispy and delectable that I had to double check if it was really senza glutine. The hearty combination of beans and cabbage made for the ultimate winter treat, and I could have easily indulged on more if I hadn't also ordered the gnocchi al pesto di cavolo nero e pancetta croccante: gluten-free potato gnocchi with pesto and crispy pancetta.

The gnocchi effortlessly achieved the perfect level of creaminess, while the pancetta added an extra savory punch. I sipped on a glass of Chianti as I relished my meal, and predictably skipped the gluten-free dessert menu in lieu of more gelato.

More Tuscan beans, please

La Luna

Via Gioberti Vincenzo, 93

Cozy and unpretentious, La Luna is the neighborhood pizza joint you'd take your family to on a typical Friday night. This mom & pop eatery is tucked away in a residential neighborhood, so you're bound to be the only foreigner in the joint. Though this hole in the wall could easily be missed, its simple charm and authenticity make it well worth the trek.

The staff's English was rusty, but after a few smiles, per favore's and grazie's, I was happily devouring my meal. I started with the fried mozzarella, which wasn't particularly extraordinary other than the fact that I hadn't eaten mozzarella sticks in over six years.

Next, I gorged upon the gluten-free Margherita pizza draped in buttery mozzarella, tangy tomatoes and pungent basil. As this was my first meal of the trip, I made the mistake of trying to eat my pizza with my hands, American-style. I watched in horror as the molten cheese promptly slid into my lap. Feeling publicly shamed, I took an inconspicuous peek at the other diners and noticed that they were all eating pizza with forks and knives. Duly noted.

I topped off my feast with the gluten-free tiramisu, which left me positively satisfied (and desperately in need of someone to roll me back to my hostel).

Salute, Firenze!

Starbene Gold

Via dei Neri, 13/r

As Florence's only gluten-free bakery, Starbene is unquestionably Celiac Heaven. Just a five minute walk from the central Piazza della Signoria, this quaint pastry shop was one of the best stops on my gluten-free pilgrimage. The owners are remarkably friendly and were eager to recommend their favorite specialties to me.

When I asked what their favorite Florentine treat was, they pointed me to a gluten-free cream puff saturated with rich pistachio filling. Fluffy and oozing with flavor, I savored each bite as if it were my last meal on earth. I also picked up a creamy chocolate tart to take back to the hostel with me (with the intention of saving it for breakfast, but you can only imagine how successful that was).

Grazie, gluten-free dessert gods

Grom

Via del Campanile, 2

This popular chain crafts their scoops of high-quality gelato from organic ingredients and fresh seasonal fruit. Focused on sustainability, Grom also utilizes biodegradable spoons and cups. The staff were well-informed about which flavors were gluten-free, making sure to steer me away from any scoops that weren't Celiac-friendly. I've heard they're also pretty careful about avoiding cross-contamination, but I was too busy flirting with the cute gelato scooper to notice any of that.

On my first venture to Grom, I paired caramel and Himalayan salt with hazelnut gelato. It was the ultimate trifecta of sweet, salty and savory. The next morning I tried a seasonal scoop of persimmon gelato, because who says you can't have gelato for breakfast?

The breakfast of champions

Gelateria Edoardo

Piazza del Duomo, 45/r

In the shadow of the iconic Duomo, Gelateria Edoardo is best known for their whimsical flavors made from all organic ingredients. Though located in the heart of touristlandia, you will only find the purest and highest quality ingredients here. Their gelato is free of preservatives, additives and artificial flavors - so you can eat as much as you want without feeling guilty... right?

While there were plenty of gluten-free options to choose from, I landed on cinnamon paired with honey and poppyseed gelato. The cinnamon was exceptionally creamy, while the smooth honey and poppyseed was packed with flavor. With such unique and decadent flavors, it's no wonder Edoardo is rising to the top of Florence's artisan gelato scene.

The near freezing temperatures outside had nothing on this view

For more gluten-free options in Florence, check out the top floor of Terracafè next to the Santa Maria Novella train station for snacks, light meals and other sweet treats. Le Botteghe di Donatello in the Piazza del Duomo also has a tempting gluten-free menu featuring a delectable assortment of pasta, pizza and meat dishes.

Do you have any food allergies or intolerances?

If so, how do you deal with them on the road?
Have you had a similar experience in Italy?