About Spain: August 2009 Archives

It was an odd morning this Saturday morning. I got up late, had breakfast, showered, and went out to do the morning shopping at around noon. I first went to the pollería (chicken shop) and found it oddly closed. They're always open on Saturday mornings until 2pm but maybe they closed for summer vacation as so many shops do.

Next, went to Juteco, a shop which sells toiletries, perfumes, kitchen items, etcetera. It was closed too and with the protective metal blinds pulled to the bottom. HUH! They are usually open until 2pm. Vacation? A chain store like this?

So I went to one of the markets. Closed. Vacation? The other market was closed too. Also on vacation? Shouldn't they coordinate their closings to accommodate the neighborhood people?? Hmmm.. I even went to TWO supermarkets and found them closed as well, shuttered and fortified. This is getting weird.

What am I going to have for lunch? My idea to make chicken flew out the window like a wounded duck. And how am I going to shower? I don't have enough shower gel to get me through the weekend and the stores are all closed tomorrow too. Will I die here sweaty and starved? What gives?

Answer: Today, Saturday 15 August is Madrid's Virgen's Day, la Virgen de la Paloma, and so everything is closed. DUH! I knew that but, as I've mentioned before, many Spanish holidays don't dawn on me until something like today happens.

Everything is closed except: Chinese food restaurants, Kebop Restaurants, and Chinese convenience stores. So I got Chinese food for lunch - and will likely have the same thing tomorrow unless I decide on a TelePizza.

The annual August Fiestas de la Paloma takes place in the area of downtown Madrid known as "Madrid de los Austrias", and more specifically around the Plaza de la Paja, Las Vistillas with views of the Almudena Cathedral, the Calle de la Paloma, and, of course, the Paloma Church. "La Paloma" is Madrid's "Virgin".

It's a weeklong affair with its high-point on Saturday, August  15th with the Virgen de La Paloma procession starting at the (Church) Iglesia de la Paloma, taking the following path: Iglesia de la Virgen de La Paloma, Gran Vía de San Francisco, Puerta de Toledo, Calle Toledo, Plaza de la Cebada, Carrera de San Francisco, Puerta de Moros, Carrera de San Francisco, Calle Calatrava, Calle Paloma, Iglesia de la Virgen de La Paloma.
Acompañamiento Musical a cargo de las Bandas Sinfónicas "Unión Musical de Pozuelo de Alarcón" y " Tempo Allegro".

Many of Madrid's older folks, young children, and just a few others dress totally "Castizo" - in traditional Madrid costume. The kids are adorable as are the the older folks, the only ones left who know how to dance the "Chotis", make for an interesting, eye-catching display along the streets of Madrid.

Tonight I was in the Plaza de la Paja for the judging of 4 Spanish fans. All four were many years old; 50 years old in one case, and all beautifully hand painted. The four were presented by their owners, 2 of which were dressed as "Chalupas" - traditional female castiza costume. Oddly enough to me, the results won't be revealed until tomorrow night at, of all hours, 11pm (!!) in the same Plaza de la Paja. Ooooookay! I'll be sure to be downtown for THAT! Uh-huh. Somewhat sadly, there were only about 50 people onhand for the event.

I also made my way over to Las Vistillas for the beginning of the a number of dances performed by "chulapos" and "chulapas" (men and women dressed in traditional Madrid "castizo" costume). The first song to which they danced the "el chotis" was, OF COURSE, "Madrid, Madrid, Madrid" - see video below!!



Views of the Sierra de Guadarrama Mountains and the Almudena Cathedral was really breathtaking at sunset. I sat on the fencing which bordered the slope down to the Calle de Segovia for a good look. Although it was quite warm, lots of people were lounging on the green, grassy slope, taking in the sunset, doing a little smooching with their couple, and others were just drinking a few beers.

Things really just start heating up by 10pm in "Las Vistillas" for the "Verbena" (party) - about the time I left!

When you approach "Las Vistillas" you almost think you're at a typical county fair in small town USA but you're not, you're in the heart of Madrid, Spain. But instead of funnel cakes, hot dogs, and cotton candy, they mobile stands are selling churros and porras, as well as paella, chorizo, patatas bravas, calamares, chopitos, and on and on - typical Spanish cuisine but the mobile stands looks the same!

Las Fiestas de la Paloma are a VERY Spanish festival - few non-Spaniards attend except for the Latin Americans which seem to love such events and turn out in full force. But the majority of the spectators are Spanish. VERY few tourists are even aware of it and fewer venture outside of the Puerta del Sol-Plaza Mayor zones and into the "fringe" Madrid de los Austrias anyway.

Tomorrow, I hope to TRY to see the procession of La Paloma but it's usually so darn crowded that you can't see anything. I did go a few years ago with one of our message board members and were actually able to enter the La Paloma Church just before the procession started to see the virgin.

Many of the world's more conservative, aged, or otherwise homophobic people may say that "Men were not intended to carry bags. Purses are for women." These words are most often spoken by those in the non-European world. Isn't Spain still considered a "macho" country? Maybe or maybe not. I don't know anymore but I hope not. But regardless, many men, both young and old, do carry "Man Bags".

The bags in the photo at right are rarely seen anymore. These are modern bags similar to those carried by (only) older Spanish men. I still see these things from time to time on the street They usually only have a wrist strap and would carry a mobile phone, keys, wallet, sun glasses, prescription glasses, medication, and whatever else.

Jerry Seinfeld referred to these in 1998 as Carry-Alls in "The Reverse Peephole" episode. He was carrying an in-hand, strapless bag which looks like a palm-sized briefcase which, in Spain, is/was called a "mariconera" - a term I really hate because it suggests - not too subtly - that only gays carry them. An offensive and not-too-rough translation would be "fag bag". This term, although it still exists commonly, does little to describe today's mobile European male.


Today, the much more popular "Man Bag" is the over-the-shoulder, across-the-body bag shown in the photo at left. THIS is the kind I carry the the kind most common with today's youth to middle aged men. Sometimes they really are very fashionable, sometimes leather and very expensive. But most often they're somewhat sporty, carrying athletic brand names like Puma or Adidas and usually made out of nylon. Some of these bags, as you can see in the photo at left, also has an external mobile phone pocket. Mine had one of these too but I recently cut it off because my PDA wouldn't fit into it.

Many photos of me here in Spain show me wearing mine. I don't even take it off at the terrazas or at the movies because it's so comfortable. But I've been "warned" not to take/wear/carry it to the Opera or to any well-dressed affair because, well, they're just not appropriate. But really, these things are great. I love mine and it's usually packed full of stuff.

Now, when I re-watch the "The Reverse Peephole" episode I have to laugh even louder because of the following scene:

Keri (Jerry's girlfriend) putting her things into Jerry's carryall.

Keri: Nice carryall.

Jerry: It's European.

Keri: Do you still have my lipstick?

Jerry: Uh, yeah, I think I do. I can never find anything in here. Ah, here it is.

HOW TRUE! The more space you have the more stuff you can put into it - kind of like the size of your closet, attic, or garage. It tends to be the end-point to a lot of things you want to keep just-in-case you may need it later - but then you can never find when you want it.

Back in the 1980s (?) there was a craze where people were wearing "Fanny Bags" (or "Fanny Packs") in their everyday lives. Even I owned one! They soon became the icon of the typical American tourist when traveling abroad. NO ONE WEARS THESE ANYMORE anywhere. From time to time you might see a MUCH older American person wearing one.

The truth is, Fanny Packs or Fanny Bags just aren't safe even if they are convenient. They're usually fastened behind the waist by a plastic clip which could easily be pressed, released, and pulled away from the body in one fell swoop. Shoulder bags are much safer. Sure, one could use a knife to cut through the nylon strap but this would take more effort and more time. And, for those ever pick-pocketed in Spain or Europe, they KNOW NOT to carry a wallet in their back pockets - and carrying it in the front pocket just hurts! And have you ever seen those guys with 4 pieces of electronics attached to their belts?!? Now THAT'S funny!!

The male shoulder-bag industry is booming and, of course, the production cost of these things is very low for those made of nylon, costing between 10 and 20 Euros each and easily bought in "Los Chinos" budget stores. All of the department and luggage stores carry them as well as high fashion chains. My next "Man Bag" carryall will likely be leather because they so much nicer and more "manly" - if that's important - but also much more expensive, costing around 100 Euros each. But my only fear is it'll make my hip sweat in warmer weather since I'm such a hot body.

Shoulder bags, whether for men or women, serve a valuable purpose. I can't imagine walking the streets without mine anymore. It's close to my body, it's in view, it's safe, and it carries all the stuff I wouldn't want to pack into my pockets. Who wants to carry their cell phone in their hand all the time? Or worse, in their pockets! "Is that a cellphone in your pocket or..."

UPDATE: the next morning after writing the above blog entry, by chance I found another blog entry made by FashionHerald.org called "The Man Bag" - although it was written 1.5 hours before mine with a New York City perspective. I wondered if two great minds were thinking alike at the same time or maybe someone had read the already existing message board thread, "Man Bag: Do you know what that is?", which I'd started about 3 hours earlier. No matter, it's an interesting - if not controversial - topic.

I have a dream to someday own a flat here in Madrid City. It wouldn't have to be in the Old downtown - although that'd be nice in concept. But where would you park if you own a car? Nor would my would-be house have to be within the M30 inner circular city highway loop. But it would be in the city of Madrid itself and not in the suburbs. Afterall, HOW could I maintain my MadridMan persona if I didn't live IN the city of Madrid?? (okay, now's not the time to ask me now about BarcelonaMan or GranadaMan, okay?)

First, let me clarify for those not familiar to what "houses" are in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Athens, and the like because it causes a lot of confusion with Americans with whom I talk on this topic. Because when they hear "house", they think a single structure home with four sides, one to three floors, a driveway & garage, maybe a porch or deck, and a yard. In these big European cities - much like in New York City - THESE kinds of "houses" don't really exist except for the richest of the rich.

"Houses" in European cities are "flats" or as called by many of my American friends back home, these are "apartments". But the word "apartments", to me, is deceiving because they're not always rental properties which, to me, are what apartments are. "Houses" here are one unit within a multi-level, multi-unit building where residents enter their residences through one door on a floor where there may be several other doors leading to neighbors' residences. These residences may have 1, 2, 3, or more bedrooms, 1 or 2 or more bathrooms, sometimes a basement garage (but they're rare, except in the newly built buildings), sometimes a balcony or suspended terrace, sometimes there are elevators but not always, and oftentimes your out-the-window view is that of the wall of the building from across the street. THIS is a "house" here in Europe. Stand-alone "houses" as we know them in America are called "Chalets", a word in many parts of the world refer to a kind of "Swiss Chalet" or a house in the country.

So anyway, for the last year or so I've been following the posted flats on Idealista.com, bookmarking flats which fall into my amenity and price range. Each month I check on those bookmarked flats to see if they're still available and/or if their prices has changed.

In about half of the cases, the prices fall monthly as owners find their homes are not selling at all or the market value is dropping below the asking price for the house. Sometimes prices fall only 5,000 Euros but in some cases they fall by 10 or 20,000 Euros! That's incredible!!

This is the result of the housing crisis in Madrid, in Spain, in Europe, and throughout the world. I love finding a house online, bookmarking it, and then, 6 months later, seeing that its price has dropped by 50,000 Euros!! And the prices keep dropping. Sure, there's a bottom to this economic crisis. But "the end" will not likely parallel the recovery of the housing market. There will be significant delay. So even if the economy hits bottom and beings to improve tomorrow, the house price will likely continue to drop for a considerable period of time. Am I too optimistic? If so, please do tell me so.

Just today I toured a house for sale, a very nice house, but clearly out of my price range. I wanted to know how the house looked now and will ask the owner in 6 months time if they have dropped their price. I am nearly sure they won't be able to sell it at their asking price but some people still think they're living "in times of old" where you could ask nearly any price in Madrid and get it because the prices were rising so fast and a lot of people made a lot of money. Now the opposite is true. The house prices are dropping like stones and no one is buying because A) potential buyers have lost their jobs, B) banks won't lend the necessary amounts, C) buyers are waiting for the prices to drop even lower, and D) potential buyers can buy a new house until they sell their old house - which they can't do unless they drop the asking price below what THEY paid for the same house just a few years before, and no one wants to do this.

So is the end in sight? Not yet, I don't think. Those who have cash ready to spend - and/or those who have banks ready to lend - are going to get some real bargains. But are they really "bargains" or are they merely a stabilization to fair pricing within the market itself? For years house prices were so unnaturally inflated and houses were still being snatched up by speculators and investors. Not anymore. Now those speculators are stuck, filing for bankruptcy, or just waiting for the next housing boom.

Are you ready to buy? What's stopping you?

Most Spaniards know not to call friends, relatives, or even businesses during the lunch-siesta hours between 2pm and 5pm - but foreigners do not because they don't carry the custom of siesta.

During weekdays, everyone knows that businesses are closed during these hours so they don't bother to call.

On the weekends, when the majority of people don't have to work, those hours at home after a big lunch are precious to relax, to read, to sleep. Sure, I'm not Spanish, but I do follow these unwritten rules. And when someone calls me, even at 4:30pm, it annoys me.

For example, today (and he's probably reading this now) a good friend called me at 4:30pm - while I was in bed taking an after-lunch siesta. He's a good friend, and a non-Spaniard so I forgive him, but he inevitably calls me around this time on either weekdays or weekends and I don't have the heart to tell him to kindly wait until 5pm. And inevitably, even on weekdays, he catches me napping.

Sometimes people call here at 10pm, the hour that most Spaniards are having their dinner, and I think, "Who could be calling at this hour? Don't they know it's dinnertime? How rude!" Spaniards do call late in the evenings but they usually will wait until 10:30 or 11pm so as not to interrupt the evening meal. Of course, in the USA, if you call anyone after, say, 9pm, it's considered too late to call. Not here in Spain, baby!

Who wouldn't like an excuse to take a nap after having lunch? I love the siesta custom even though the vast majority of Spaniards don't have time or horizontal access to actually sleep, they do use this time for a slow and easy lunch, relax, maybe read a book under a tree. Of course other corporate or professional positions have drastically shortened the lunch hour to become more productive and more in-line with the rest of Europe and the world. But in many other professions; store owners and workers, laborers, and, of course, the self-employed (like me!!!), do still enjoy a mid-day break to disconnect, deflate, or to just take a nap. And while doing such, who wants to be bothered by a phone call?