play_arrow

keyboard_arrow_right

Listeners:

Top listeners:

skip_previous play_arrow skip_next
00:00 00:00
chevron_left
chevron_left
  • cover play_arrow

    RADIO ROXI TIMELESS TUNES

Traffic & Travel News

Expat in Spain shares biggest cons about living in Madrid as ‘silly’ mistakes can result in fines

today17/04/2024

Background
share close


Most Britons highly recommend moving to Spain because the country offers perks they can’t find at home.

But like any country, the country has its downside. One expat has shared her first impressions of the laid-back nation after moving to its capital city of Madrid.


According to Dani Moves, the siesta culture, late-night culture, and driving limitations were three of the biggest cons she experienced after the move.

She spoke of her experience on YouTube, where she routinely documents her life abroad.

People dining out in madrid with headshot of dani

Spain’s late-night culture can come as a shock to newcomers

GETTY / DANI MOVES / YOUTUBE

Driving in Madrid

“Traffic and pollution,” was one of the first cons the expat shared, saying: “Everyone that I know that drives in Madrid has told me that driving in Madrid is terrible.

“There are so many rules, the police have cameras all over the city, so if you do something that you shouldn’t have done by accident, you’ll just get a bill to your house for €200 for something super silly.

“You really need to know the rules to drive in Madrid, it’s not easy to be a driver here. Also, some streets are small, you have to know where [the parkings] are.”

She added: “It’s a bit complicated to drive in the city. If you need to get a licence here the exams are long.”

Siesta culture

Another downside, according to Dani, is the siesta culture, which causes shops nationwide to close for several hours a day.

She said: “I have nothing against this anymore but in the beginning, I used to complain a lot. As a newcomer, you’re going to struggle to adjust to this.

“I don’t even know clearly what are siesta hours but I think [it’s] from 2pm to 5, sometimes 6pm”.

Late night culture

Many nights in Spain kick off several hours after nightfall. While many appreciate the seemingly endless days, others may struggle to adapt socially.

“People go out here in Spain at 9pm, sometimes you’re asked to meet at 10pm, I find it crazy,” warned Dani.

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS

Madrid

The expat said driving in Madrid can be difficult

GETTY IMAGES

The content creator pointed out that the nightlife is so drastically different to other cultures. She explained: “I just think the late-night culture is a bummer.”

It comes as another expat who moved to Spain years ago warned prospective expats of the different ways “touristification” is changing the country.

“When I moved to Spain I fell in love […] with Madrid,” James declared in the clip shared on the YouTube channel Spain Revealed. Over time, however, the expat’s admiration has given way to frustration.

“In short what I loved was Madrid’s idiosyncrasy, but over the years I’ve watched as that idiosyncrasy has been eroded,” he explained. “A lot of chains and franchises have moved in and a lot of [….] neighbourhood shops have been pushed out.”



Source link

Written by: radioroxi

Rate it

Post comments (0)

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

0%