On our way...

So, this post has been a long time in coming, but no one's reading it yet, so who cares.

In the past month we've interviewed for our visas, purchased plane tickets, and reviewed whatever we could to find an area of Madrid that's safe, convenient, and affordable. We've also met with a few folks from the city itself. The summary:

1. Buying the tix: Easy and rather cheap. I think because we're arriving during a total dead season.

2. Areas of Madrid where we can live: La Latina seems to be the best place to set up shop. It's an area in the Southwestern portion of the city, close to the train station, the royal palace, tapas bars, the Plaza Mayor, and so forth. Rent is looking to be about $1000 per month for a two bedroom.

3. Meeting the locals: Set up by one of my clients, we had dinner with two guys from Madrid in their late 30s/early 40s. What we took away...

a. Everyone in Europe hates the British.
b. No one speaks English in Madrid. They either don't learn it as kids, or they do and the teachers suck.
c. What you experience as a tourist -- late nights; eating, drinking, and being merry; the "kindness of strangers" -- is apparently business as usual in Madrid. People simply enjoy their lives. This is why the economy is so brutal.
d. Spaniards -- even software engineers -- hate visiting the Silicon Valley because of how much people are worked.

4. The visa process: I have no idea how we got through this. We had a million questions to ask before going in, and everyone at the Consulate must have been in the witness protection program that week. I was able to speak with someone only after office hours, when my call was magically routed to the right department.

Regardless, we arrived early, had our documents together, and Clare went in first. Her meeting was a success. Once she exited, a family from Montana was called in. The father of the family was going to Spain on his sabbatical, the mom was tagging along, and the kid (and her friend) were to attend school for a semester in the country. Mom, dad, and kid go in....and come out 15 minutes later empty-handed; the family brought no notarized proof of marriage between the parents, so the dad's statement of financial support was immaterial. They dropped the plans on the spot, rather than scheduling another appointment a month later.

At this point, I'm a bit freaked and I'm called in. Everything was going fine, and then my processor does a double-take with my FBI documents. "Lucky you came in today," he said. I asked why. "Because your paperwork is exactly three months old; if you waited until tomorrow, you would have had to start the process over."

By the way, I scheduled the appointment on a whim, having no idea how old the paperwork was. Thank you serendipity!