Makingthemove

I have only posted a few times, but have read through quite a lot of old threads to prepare ourselves for the move.

From what I have read, I feel a bit more prepared to spend a lot of time navigating spanish bureaucracy, finding a job will be next to impossible (I have a cunning plan to test my current employer's 'working from home' policy), plan to buy an old banger so I don't need to worry about 'parking skills' and am not that bothered about being able to get English TV. (I prefer Spanish footie which seems to be available in most bars).

So for those of you who have gone before me, what was the biggest surprise or shock for you?

I am following the 5Ps rule here - proper preparation prevents p*ss-poor performance!

So please be honest - you all seem a good-humoured bunch - I look forward to your replies!

Cheers/Salud!

rachelk

The cold in winter. Seriously.

steviedeluxe

What a good idea for a thread!

Here's what surprised me most from my time living in Madrid (no longer there unfortunately)

i) The amount of rain. Ok, so it may rain on more days in the UK, but when it rains in Madrid it really rains.

ii) The amount of money some people have. Obviously there are poor people, beggars etc., but you can find in a lot of bars guys who can put 50 Euros in the fruit machine nightly, people who shop at OpenCor, people with holiday homes on the coast as well as an apartment in Madrid.

iii) How quickly it is to get served (if you follow the correct etiquette), how hard it is to pay the bill!

iv) How the Spanish regard the Brits in Madrid - we're seen as fairly intelligent folk but with a soft spot for alcohol (they may be right !). They also think however we're all from landed gentry with lots of money. If only...

v) The proportion of bar staff (and bar owners) who come from Russia, Phillipines, Rumania, Columbia etc

vi) The number of public holidays, especially the "bridge" days that seem to accumulate next to them. If you're going to be self-employed or paid by the day, budget for these holidays.

vii) Property prices. I remember looking at buying a flat back in 99 / 2000 and being told that I'd need at least £100k. If only I had the means to do it at that time...

viii) Not so much the cold - I'd been to Madrid in colder months before - but how certain buildings (and the lack of proper heating) made it feel cold. There again some places over-compensated with the heating.

viv) How much sea-food is available in Madrid. In some bars they even give prawns as a free tapa with beer. Believe me, you will get sick of pig products or tortilla at some stage!

General things
If you're learning the language, be prepared to spend longer than you anticipate too!
Each region tends to differ to others. You may even find different words for a glass of beer or a tapa in the north than in the south. Everyone will tell you that their home region or town is the best (they often translate mi pueblo as my village, but I think Home town sounds better in English, especially as they often come from a big place)! They may be right - but try sampling different areas.

Makingthemove

Cheers!

So I will have to let my sisters know they won't be having my winter coats or hot water bottles.

I love the seafood (OH not so keen) but am amazed by the price here in the UK compared with Spain - not to mention quality.

We seem to pay well over the odds for any type of seafood, in the UK (despite being an island!) so when I go to Spain it seems rude not to have sardines for 5 euros!

My daughter is a vegetarian - she does struggle when we visit and manages to exist on tortillas francescas. We did order a 'plain' pizza for her once - it came with ham on, so I get the pig thing!

My friend has a 'pool table/gambling machine' business up in Galicia and seems to make a good living, I have personally watched guys spend all evening on the slots in the bars, and yeah, seems a waste of money to me, but if you have the money, why not?

Thanks again

chulo

Well its a 7P rule, you stated 5 and wrote 6, you missed Planning.

Makingthemove

Counted a hyphenated word as one word!

JLFS

Our experience of seafood when we go back to the UK, is the "Iceland prawn ring" with a little sachet of sauce in the dimple.

A few are always bought by our friends when we visit them, just to make us feel at home................if only they knew........it is like eating yesterdays news paper, no taste whatsoever.

I hope none of them read this forum.....cos they would know me by my initials...........

cricketman

What surprised me is just how diverse Spain is. In terms of geography, language, food, people, incomes etc. All the regions are very different and the people have their own ways of doing things and are very proud of them.

While in Britian we greet people by passing comment on the weather with people we dont know, Spanish people will often ask about the region someone is from and then say something nice about that region so they can start to bond.

Also I find the really good things in Spain are not advertised. You need to seek them out. Talk to locals, read books about the region, ask at the town halls. I find Spanish people only want to share the really good stuff with their close friends and family e.g. the best cheap restaurants, hot thermal springs that dont appear in any tour guide, where to go for a walk on a Sunday etc

So choose your region carefully!

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

Without doubt, the biggest surprise for me was how cold it gets in the winter!!! Not only is it cold outside, especially at night, but the houses, in general arent geared for the cold. Lots of cool tiles, no damp courses, insulation, central heating. I was scraping ice off my car windscreen last winter, which I hadnt expected!

Jo xxxx

Hillybilly

I echo the above posts...how cold it gets in winter (esp INSIDE) was the biggest shock!

Rosemary

I knew that we would be cold in the winter but did not realise just how cold it could get in the house. Surprised that when we go out in the winter we take a layer of clothes off because it is warmer outside than it is in the house.

Had no prior knowlege or understanding at all of how welcoming, helpful, accepting, friendly and inclusive the people are in our area.

Also very pleasantly surprised at how quickly and thoroughly we felt "at home" in a different country.

Rosemary

HBG

When I first came over, all the Spanish people I met worked in the service industry, hotel staff, waiters etc, and all spoke some English. It was quite a while before I met ‘real’ Spanish people, in my case it was neighbours in a predominantly Spanish town.

It didn’t bother me that they didn’t speak a word of English, and my Spanish was at an early stage, but I was surprised to find that they were so ‘normal’. I don’t know what I expected and hadn’t ever thought it through, I just expected them to be different, somehow.

As my Spanish improved and I got to know more of them, I realised that apart from talking with a lisp, they are no different to people from the UK. It took me ages to learn that lisp.

chulo

Still wrong though.

Madridboy

Pretty much a lot of what has already been said but just like to add the lack of carpets as well. This is actualy a good thing as anyone with a dog will know how difficult it is to keep carpets clean, tiled or parque floor just brush and mop daily and no need to spend money on a vaccum cleaner.

jojojojojojojojojojojojo

hhhmmm, double edged sword that one - or maybe I'm a slob, but I found it far easier hoovering up dog hairs etc from a carpet than having to sweep them up with a dust pan and brush and then mop the floor everyday. I actually have a hoover here for doing the corners and places the broom cant reach, but its useless trying to hoover the tiled floors cos it blows the dust etc away!!

Actually that was another "surprise", well not so much of a surprise, but an annoyance, the ammount of dust!

Jo xxx