As I write this, I’m sitting in my apartment in the middle of Madrid, Spain. Ah, Madrid; it’s become something of my second home over the past few years, as I spend a big chunk of time teaching for a different university in their summer abroad program. I’ve written about that before, here’s what it looks like.
Madrid is such a unique place, even among large European cities. Are there tons of people? Sure, currently there are about 3.3 million residents here. Is it a tourist destination? Yep. In fact, Spain is one of the European countries that routinely takes in as many or more tourists as the size of its national population each year. Other than Barcelona, Madrid ranks towards the top of tourist destinations. Is it busy? Sure, everyone has something they’re doing or someplace to be, just like anywhere else. Is there a mix of modern and ancient? Yes, and the same is true for many European cities (I’d include American cities, but ‘ancient’ doesn’t seem an appropriate descriptor for much in the US). It’s also hot…very hot. This week we won’t see temperatures below 38°C (about 100° Fahrenheit). So in that sense, it’s similar to other places.
Still, Madrid is a city that doesn’t feel like any other. This isn’t something I say for most large cities. For example, I think Glasgow (Scotland) and London (England) feel very similar to New York City. For me, Paris (France) seems like a slightly more European version of our Washington, D. C. (Tasha can give you the nerdy details on why this is). But Madrid? I’ve got no comparisons. I look out my window and see an ocean of terracotta roofs, with a few larger buildings popping up in the distance. Out the main window in my living room is one of the many green spaces (yes, I said green) built into the planning of the city (this one happens to be the Templo de Debod – that’s right DeBode Temple *wink*), with the Sistema Central mountains vaguely visible behind them through the haze of the day.
But that’s not why I’m writing this.
As is true for much of the rest of Europe, we’re approaching the peak of the tourism season. That means there’s more people wandering around than usual. Also true is the fact that, just like back in the US, restaurants and other people-facing services are struggling to find people to work. That adds up to somewhat longer wait times at restaurants, and that’s…okay.
Case in point. This morning, I went for a walk and thought a coffee sounded good, so I stopped into one of the many cafes lining the street. It didn’t look busy, but I noticed there were several tables with other guests, so I walked up to the counter to place my order: a frappe.
Just for a second, I need to talk about this. Have you heard of the frappe before?! Where has this been all my life? The description was a double espresso with ice, but this sorely downplays the magic I was soon to experience. I had mine plain: just espresso and ice. No sugar, milk, flavorings, etc. My theory: if the person selecting and making your coffee knows what they’re doing, there’s no need for anything else. And so it came: double espresso with ice. Except, it was so much more than this. They blended it. Did you read that? Blended. Think of a Slurpee from 7-11 or an ice slush from one of the other convenience stores. But a little thicker Or, maybe think of a thick milkshake, just without the milk. Espresso (two of them) + ice + blender. That’s it. This might be the answer to literally everything. It has caffeine to get you going and ice to cool you down. Somehow, the ice or blending also downplays the bitterness that’s so characteristic of espresso. Mine had melted some when I got it, so the straw they gave me came in handy. For the rest, I had to ask for a spoon, which clearly wasn’t the appropriate way to consume the drink, if the incredulous stares from the other people meant anything. It was fantastic. Why this isn’t advertised on every building in Madrid is beyond me.
In any case, that’s also not why I’m writing this, even though it was the best part of my day. As I placed my order, the very nice lady behind the counter said, ‘Yes, I can make that for you, but you’ll have to wait.’ I said that was fine and took a seat. Honestly, I was a little confused: why wouldn’t I have to wait? I wasn’t the only one there. Weird. But I soon got my answer. As I sat, I people-watched (because that’s what I do; also, Madrid is great for this). Just as I did, other people walked up to place an order. And just like me, she kindly said yes, but there was a wait. The number of people who refused to wait shocked me. No? What? It wasn’t a long wait; she just couldn’t get to them immediately since she was also taking other orders. Truly, by the time they walked somewhere else and…waited…for their order, they’d have already had their order here. Person after person, they refused to wait a few minutes. She apologized, they looked irritated, and then left. Repeat, repeat, repeat. It was unlike anything I’d seen before; maybe I just haven’t been paying attention. Some of the people were nice, just to the point. Others were visibly irritated with the answer they got and made a more dramatic exit.
After I was done, I walked up to the counter to pay for the small glass of Heaven she’d made for me and…waited. She was standing at the register, but a male colleague, whom I can only assume was in a manager sort of position, kept stepping in front of her to take care of other things. When that happened, she’d look at me, smile/laugh, and apologize. I told her I wasn’t in a hurry and to take her time. Finally, he left, and she rang up my bill. ‘6€, please,’ she said. I handed her a 20€ note and waited for her to make the 14€ in change, which was good because I needed coins for tips later in the day. The drawer popped open, and she paused and then handed me a 10€ and a 5€ note. I told her she gave me too much change, and she said they’d run out of 1€ and 2€ coins, so she couldn’t make correct change. I told her I’d take the 10€ and she could just keep the rest for her tip. She looked shocked, I assume because of the multiple times I had to wait (also, this is a pretty big tip by European standards). She asked if I was serious. I said yes, and to have a great day.
It isn’t often that I don’t have somewhere else to be or something else going on. Even when we’re on vacation, we have busy days. Still, the whole point of vacation (and, increasingly, life in general) is to enjoy what you’re doing. Often, that means slowing down and rolling with what comes. It’s easy to get frustrated when things don’t happen when or how you want, but I find it’s helpful to stop for a second and consider things from their perspective before getting upset. If she’d been sitting there staring at her phone and still made me wait, I might have had a different reaction. But this wasn’t that; she was clearly busy and trying to get everything done, mostly by herself.
The takeaway: In a world where you can be anything, remember to be kind. It really does make life better for you and everyone else.
