December 18th, 2003 | The lowdown by Marion Wise

The Spanish Way of Life.

This is it. This is Spanish life in Alcalá de Henares, an historic city 35 kilometers east of Madrid. Public transportation, including the bus I am on, is ridiculously convenient, well organized, and inexpensive. Why don't the states have something like this?

I have been in Alcalá for just over one week now, and I am already in love with the Spanish way of life. The pace is much slower than in the states; people are more relaxed and less worried.

Spaniards enjoy a café con leche with friends in the morning, close up shop from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. for a siesta, and then casually stroll the cobblestone streets with friends in the evening before hitting up a tapas bar. It is not about inhaling food, rushing from one place to a next, and getting drunk in the evenings, a sight so common in the cities back home.

My American friends and I hop off the bus, and within two blocks we are at the train station. We will be in central Madrid in about thirty minutes. The ride is pleasant enough, though the man in front of us keeps turning around to look at us when we speak English. We can usually hold our own in conversations with Spaniards, yet right now, we still speak to each other in English.

Once in Madrid, we head north on the Paseo del Prado, past the Botanical Gardens and the Prado Museum. On our first trip to Madrid, our friend, who has lived in Spain before, continually had to remind us to slow our pace to a stroll, but this time we remember. We are in no hurry to get anywhere, so we just enjoy each other's company and the scenic tree-lined calles (roads).

We pass the Plaza de Neptune, with the gorgeous Neptune Fountain, and head west toward the Puerta del Sol, the main shopping district downtown, which is busier than most parts of Madrid - except during siesta. We clutch our bags close to ourselves, fearful of the 'professional thieves' that roam the area.

We take a less crowded side street down to our destination, Plaza Mayor. The square in front of us is attractive and vibrant, but it retains the relaxed atmosphere that Spain seems to embody. My friend and I sit down on the cobblestone, which is surprisingly comfortable, despite its uneven appearance.

Most people seem to stroll around the Plaza or sit down at a café, and we hope we are not offending anyone by sitting on the ground, but the atmosphere is so chill that I cannot imagine the Madrileños care. We don't talk much, but just take in the sights and sounds of the Plaza, absorbing the culture and spirit of the city.

We discuss the Mexican mariachi band performing in front of the statue of Felipe III. What must it be like for a Latin American person to visit Spain? The Spanish originally shaped much of Latin American culture, but the two cultures are so very different now.

As the sun begins to set we decide it's time to head back to the train station, and I am perfectly content. When I stop to think about it, we did not do anything extravagant or even particularly exciting today. But we did not need to. I have not been this relaxed in quite a while, and it is nice just to spend time with friends and absorb Madrid. I could get used to this way of life very easily.