Postcard from...Madrid

13 November 2009

This is true. I have only been living and working in Madrid for two months, and I am completely comfortable in this great city.  Madrid combines all the charm of an ancient European capital with the vibe and feeling of the Latin culture, which can be observed in how the Madrileños work, socialise and live.

When I first arrived to Madrid, I was impressed by how all the lawyers at Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira treated everybody as equals—no matter what the lawyer’s category—and by the good and close-knit work atmosphere, where relations are strictly professional. In other words, we work hard, but we also play hard.

Our schedule might sound surprising in other jurisdictions, but it can be a big sacrifice to  arrive at the office at 9.30 am,  when you went out for a drink (copa) after leaving the firm late the night before. That is why a two-hour lunch break is the best thing for us lawyers.  Some lawyers make the most out of those two hours and even take a nap, the typical Spanish siesta. I normally have lunch with my friends and colleagues at a typical tapas restaurant, then I go to the gym (to avoid the tapas being added to my waistline) or run some errands in Madrid’s most fashionable neighborhood the Barrio de Salamanca, where the firm has its headquarters.

In other parts of Spain, I have found some apprehension towards my “sweet” Venezuelan accent. However, in Madrid people do not seem to care; some even find it interesting, while trying to understand the terrible situation of my homeland. It is hard to find a 100 per cent Madrileño so  maybe that is why people are so open and respectful with others. Perhaps, I have been very lucky, but up to now people in Madrid have been wonderful. 

 After a long week of hard work, I can hardly wait to leave the 19^th century palace that houses our offices and enjoy the weekend in Madrid. There’s so much to do, it is just a matter of deciding. At weekends you can take a walk through the old part of Madrid, go shopping at El Corte Inglés (Spain’s most traditional department store), visit Picasso’s Guernica or Velazquez’s Meninas at the city’s museums, enjoy the sun in the Retiro Park or simply go to a local plaza and hear the laughter of children playing or people having a drink in a side walk café. Life is full of surprises, and for me living in Madrid and working for Cuatrecasas has been a great one.

As I go back to my house, the subway stops at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Thousands of people cheer and laugh: Real Madrid Football Club has won again. I join their cheer: Viva Madrid!!! Viva Madrid!!!

Krystle Baptista Serna is an associate in the Madrid office Cuatrecasas Gonçalves Pereira.