[lskdfjldsf]

Hey everyone,

I know there are threads specific to London and Madrid, but having read through both, I'd appreciate some info beyond just nightlife locations.

As my article on ROK may have suggested (here), I'm sick of living in Germany. Too cold (both weather and people) and an awful work culture. I currently have two separate job offers - one in Madrid, one in London - and have less than two weeks to decide which I take.

Here are the pros and cons from my perspective:

Madrid
Pros: Hot girls, warm weather, relaxed culture
Cons: Learning Spanish (I despise Americans that move abroad without learning the local language), lower pay

London:
Pros: Same language, easy to game and meet people, better career outlook
Cons: Expensive, girls are meh, London itself is a packed sardine can

Any "big picture" information on culture, standard of living, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

[nordlicht]

(08-06-2013 07:21 AM)Blick Mang Wrote:  

Hey everyone,

I know there are threads specific to London and Madrid, but having read through both, I'd appreciate some info beyond just nightlife locations.

As my article on ROK may have suggested (here), I'm sick of living in Germany. Too cold (both weather and people) and an awful work culture. I currently have two separate job offers - one in Madrid, one in London - and have less than two weeks to decide which I take.

Here are the pros and cons from my perspective:

Madrid
Pros: Hot girls, warm weather, relaxed culture
Cons: Learning Spanish (I despise Americans that move abroad without learning the local language), lower pay

London:
Pros: Same language, easy to game and meet people, better career outlook
Cons: Expensive, girls are meh, London itself is a packed sardine can

Any "big picture" information on culture, standard of living, etc. would be greatly appreciated!

I guess if you despise the German work culture, you should not be going to London... unless you have enough money to just don't do anything all day, that is

[fkexpat]

I think if you want a much more relaxed work culture, Madrid is a better option than London. Plus, there's a greater diversity in food, culture, etc...

[TopPanda]

London is great on a hot Summers day. But it just cost so darned much to have a decent night out.

Spanish is pretty easy to learn - my University class in China had a few South American girls, and I could pretty much tell what they were saying, even though I've never learned any Spanish.

[Vendetta]

"I'm sick of living in Germany. Too cold (both weather and people) and an awful work culture."

Those are the reasons I left London.


But... I am from London. As an American, you will have a lot of fun there. People who are not from London absolutely love it and often don't want to leave.

I want somewhere hot and sunny. LA would be ideal - Bangkok is where I came. Medellin looked tempting.

Spain is fucked economically right now, almost as bad as Greece. Madrid was a happening/hip city in the 80s/90s but now, it is not very interesting. It is land locked and also rains there a lot I found out when I visited!

It felt like a mini London to me strangely.

If I were to live in Spain, I would live in Barcelona. Problem there, the language is Catalan, not Castilian (although most understand Castilian)

Anyway, Spanish is an easy language to learn and if you are from America, I believe there are now more Spanish speakers than English speakers in the States so good for you to learn it anyway!

Hope this was of some use.

[Que enspastic]

I'm moving to London in September. So come hang out with me yo.

[Julio]

Hey Blick Mang,

Just my two cents since I live in Madrid and I know well London since I travel there for work. You will have a way more relaxed life here than in London, the weather is just 10x better and you can live very well earning a decent salary (by decent I mean above 40-50k eur).

London is more cosmopolitan than Madrid and the nightlife is maybe better although you can't compare it due to cultural differences. But at what price. In Madrid you can buy bottles in top Clubs for 100-150eur, impossible in London. You can have a blast in Madrid for 100EUR / night if you go out with a group of friends.

You also have a lot of girls from Latam in Madrid which is a good thing if you are into it.

I wouldn't say learning spanish is a con, it may open you opportunities in the near future. Also 6 months in Madrid and you'll be fluent, spanish isn't that hard.

I would personally move to London only for work. If they offer me at least 2.5 times what I make here, and if the job represents a big jump for my career. But leaving the weather, the easiness to leave the city to go to Marbella or Barcelona for a weekend and the spanish culture would not be easy.

[Vendetta]

Hola Julio

"You also have a lot of girls from Latam in Madrid which is a good thing if you are into it."

What is Latam?

[Hispanic_Reasoning]

(08-07-2013 12:22 AM)Vendetta Wrote:  

Hola Julio

"You also have a lot of girls from Latam in Madrid which is a good thing if you are into it."

What is Latam?

latin-american.

[lskdfjldsf]

Thanks for all the info - big help! I'm leaning towards Madrid.

How difficult/expensive is it to rent an apartment? In Hamburg, apartment visitations usually have a line that stretches out the door, and 3 months rent are due up front as a deposit.

Same in Spain?

[Julio]

Here it's not really difficult to find an appartment. There are a lot of offers, just have a look for example at idealista.com

The prices depend on the area where you want to live. The most expensive part is Salamanca district where you would pay around 900eur-950eur/month for a 1 bedroom appartment.
If you look at Chamberi district (Metro stations: Bilbao, San Bernardo, Arguelles), you can find the same for 700-850eur.
The cheaper would be 500-600eur but away from the center.


Regarding deposits, people usually ask for 1 month or 2 months deposit. Not more. Some ask you to leave on a certain bank account the equivalent of 6 month of rents, but avoid that.

People also ask for minimum 6 month contract and you leave before they can keep the deposit.

If you go forward with your research, use either:
idealista.com
fotocasa.es
segundamano.es

Hope it helps!

[Nom_De_Guerre]

As an ex-pat in Madrid, here are my thoughts:

PROS: Life is very chill. People do not work hard. There is an expectation of long lunches. People arrive late (they "rush" to get there at 10 AM). People leave at 6 PM on the dot.

Cost of living is very reasonable if you have a job. Great wine is dirt cheap. A very good bottle witll set you back 10 euro. Apartments are very reasonable (although they usually are older). Restaurants are very inexpensive. I have lunch out every day and spend like 10-12 euro.

There are lots and lots of bars and clubs. La Latina is super fun on Sunday. The clubs like Kapital and are super fun if you are into that. If not, there are tons and tons of rock clubs and shot bars in Malasana.

The city is small and livable. There are chinese shops everywhere to buy groceries and fresh fruit and bread. You can walk everywhere. Even going from Salamanca to La Latina won't take you more than 45 minutes.

It is super safe. I have never heard of any sort of violent crime. However, pick-pocketing is quite common.

The city is beautiful. From Parque del Retiro to Sol through the rest of the city, the architecture is amazing. Walking down Gran Via towards el Prado is amazingly beautiful. I've done it a dozen times and I still love it.

CONS:

The women are just terrible. I mean, really, really, REALLY awful. They are not pretty. They are generally thin but not fit. They never work out. They have a ton of awful tattoos and piercings. And even the ones that are ok always have something that is just a little off with them that makes them unattractive. Their eyes are off, or their nose is too long, or something. They have awful style. They put almost no effort into looking good. Often when they go out they look like they got their clothes from a thrift shop. High heels are almost verboten. The ones that don't have freakish haircuts have the flat bangs look (that I can't stand). When they do go out, they pack on WAY too much makeup to cover for their bad skin.

And their attitudes are even worse. They will not make eye contact. They will not talk to strangers on the street or in malls, etc. Day game is miserable. Even girls that I would never even think of approaching in Miami or Latin America have the highest bitch shields. I've approached over a hundred women in the street in Madrid. The best I ever got was a 10 minute talk, and then leaving. Usually, they just run away. By comparison, I got an insta-date the first girl I approached on the street in Poland.

They are very cliquey and exclusive. If you are not part of their social circle, good luck breaking in.

They usually don't know about any other cultures and don't care to. Being foreign, having traveled, being educated, speaking foreign languages, etc., seem to have no value for them.

They are stupid. Not stupid in the way of having low IQs. But stupid in being ignorant and thinking that they are smart. One girl once told me that her father invented la Movida Madrilena. This was a social movement that occurred in Spain in the 80s, where the sexual revolution of the 60s, the drug revolution of the 70s, and Rock & Roll of the 80s all came to Spain at one time with the death of Franco. And her dad "invented" it. Because he owned a house where some people got stoned and recited poetry. I have other stories of similar stupidity from idiot Spanish girls.

People in Madrid speak very little English. I don't care, because I speak fluent Spanish. But for other ex-pats I know, it's a big problem.

Madrid is one of the gayest cities in Europe. Before moving here, I had seen two dudes make out once in my life. Here, I see it once a week. A few days ago, I had to leave a coffee shop, during the middle of the day, because two gay guys were going at it, and I just couldn't stand to be there anymore. Just really awful.

In short, this is my honest assessment after living in Madrid for a year. I am basically saying all the things that I wish someone had told me before I made the decision to move here.

[chinadawg]

(08-06-2013 07:53 AM)fkexpat Wrote:  

I think if you want a much more relaxed work culture, Madrid is a better option than London. Plus, there's a greater diversity in food, culture, etc...

Totally disagree about the greater diversity in Madrid. With over 300 languages spoken in London, you can be pretty sure those people brought at least some of their food and culture with them. Its easily the most diverse city I've been to.

[Vendetta]

Blick Mang, is there a reason you only have those cities as your choices? What about Barcelona? Or somewhere else?

[ero]

It is matter of personal taste and choice.

I would go for London hands down. Been to both cities and I liked London more.

London is more international city and there are girls from all kind of backgrounds.

By the way, I wouldn't make the choice based on weather. Soon winter is gonna start and it won't matter if you stay in UK or London. Both will be freezing.

I also had some bad experiences in Spain but I won't be sharing those since I don't want to come off bias.

[BCZalgyris]

(08-06-2013 09:21 AM)Vendetta Wrote:  

"I'm sick of living in Germany. Too cold (both weather and people) and an awful work culture."

Those are the reasons I left London.


But... I am from London. As an American, you will have a lot of fun there. People who are not from London absolutely love it and often don't want to leave.

I want somewhere hot and sunny. LA would be ideal - Bangkok is where I came. Medellin looked tempting.

Spain is fucked economically right now, almost as bad as Greece. Madrid was a happening/hip city in the 80s/90s but now, it is not very interesting. It is land locked and also rains there a lot I found out when I visited!

It felt like a mini London to me strangely.

If I were to live in Spain, I would live in Barcelona. Problem there, the language is Catalan, not Castilian (although most understand Castilian)

Anyway, Spanish is an easy language to learn and if you are from America, I believe there are now more Spanish speakers than English speakers in the States so good for you to learn it anyway!

Hope this was of some use.

Seems like Vendetta rarely visits USA or must be a Cali/Texas guy to make such a ridiculous statement. If you are talking about North America and combine Central America then yes there are more Spanish speakers however in USA no more than 30% of the US population speaks Spanish (that % includes illegal immigrants) and the non Hispanic kids who took Spanish in middle school/high school forget it as soon as they reach adulthood since the educational system is so poor around here and most jobs don't require it. If you go to the mid-west states, north eastern states (with few exceptions) and even the deep south (Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, etc.) no one there speaks Spanish.

[Vendetta]

You are probably right, it was just something I heard. But there is no denying that Spanish is on the rise in North America and it's the world's 3rd most widely spoken language and covers all of South America, bar Brazil, so is well worth learning.

Interesting reading:

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/06/15/u-...de-mexico/

"Except for Mexico, that is more Spanish-speakers than in any country of Latin America, and projections are that the figure will triple by 2050, when one of every three people in the US will be of Latino origin."

[Cattle Rustler]

(08-09-2013 01:13 AM)Vendetta Wrote:  

"Except for Mexico, that is more Spanish-speakers than in any country of Latin America, and projections are that the figure will triple by 2050, when one of every three people in the US will be of Latino origin."

The problem is how "spanish-speaker" is defined. Sure, some people speak Spanish. But are they fluent or able to use it in some real-life manner?

Most chicanos/pochos can have conversations with family members but are unable to use their Spanish for a job as they don't know:

1 - Accents
2 - How to use it properly (not using: hicistes, vistes, asina, pa')
3 - Extended Vocabulary

As someone who has worked as an interpreter in Mexico, Mexican execs often mock Chicanos for their Spanish in private and in cases have to use English for business.

[aguirre]

(08-07-2013 07:38 AM)Nom_De_Guerre Wrote:  

As an ex-pat in Madrid, here are my thoughts:

PROS: Life is very chill. People do not work hard. There is an expectation of long lunches. People arrive late (they "rush" to get there at 10 AM). People leave at 6 PM on the dot.

Cost of living is very reasonable if you have a job. Great wine is dirt cheap. A very good bottle witll set you back 10 euro. Apartments are very reasonable (although they usually are older). Restaurants are very inexpensive. I have lunch out every day and spend like 10-12 euro.

There are lots and lots of bars and clubs. La Latina is super fun on Sunday. The clubs like Kapital and are super fun if you are into that. If not, there are tons and tons of rock clubs and shot bars in Malasana.

The city is small and livable. There are chinese shops everywhere to buy groceries and fresh fruit and bread. You can walk everywhere. Even going from Salamanca to La Latina won't take you more than 45 minutes.

It is super safe. I have never heard of any sort of violent crime. However, pick-pocketing is quite common.

The city is beautiful. From Parque del Retiro to Sol through the rest of the city, the architecture is amazing. Walking down Gran Via towards el Prado is amazingly beautiful. I've done it a dozen times and I still love it.

CONS:

The women are just terrible. I mean, really, really, REALLY awful. They are not pretty. They are generally thin but not fit. They never work out. They have a ton of awful tattoos and piercings. And even the ones that are ok always have something that is just a little off with them that makes them unattractive. Their eyes are off, or their nose is too long, or something. They have awful style. They put almost no effort into looking good. Often when they go out they look like they got their clothes from a thrift shop. High heels are almost verboten. The ones that don't have freakish haircuts have the flat bangs look (that I can't stand). When they do go out, they pack on WAY too much makeup to cover for their bad skin.

And their attitudes are even worse. They will not make eye contact. They will not talk to strangers on the street or in malls, etc. Day game is miserable. Even girls that I would never even think of approaching in Miami or Latin America have the highest bitch shields. I've approached over a hundred women in the street in Madrid. The best I ever got was a 10 minute talk, and then leaving. Usually, they just run away. By comparison, I got an insta-date the first girl I approached on the street in Poland.

They are very cliquey and exclusive. If you are not part of their social circle, good luck breaking in.

They usually don't know about any other cultures and don't care to. Being foreign, having traveled, being educated, speaking foreign languages, etc., seem to have no value for them.

They are stupid. Not stupid in the way of having low IQs. But stupid in being ignorant and thinking that they are smart. One girl once told me that her father invented la Movida Madrilena. This was a social movement that occurred in Spain in the 80s, where the sexual revolution of the 60s, the drug revolution of the 70s, and Rock & Roll of the 80s all came to Spain at one time with the death of Franco. And her dad "invented" it. Because he owned a house where some people got stoned and recited poetry. I have other stories of similar stupidity from idiot Spanish girls.

People in Madrid speak very little English. I don't care, because I speak fluent Spanish. But for other ex-pats I know, it's a big problem.

Madrid is one of the gayest cities in Europe. Before moving here, I had seen two dudes make out once in my life. Here, I see it once a week. A few days ago, I had to leave a coffee shop, during the middle of the day, because two gay guys were going at it, and I just couldn't stand to be there anymore. Just really awful.

In short, this is my honest assessment after living in Madrid for a year. I am basically saying all the things that I wish someone had told me before I made the decision to move here.

lol

I'd like to know more about where did you came from,so I can have an idea of "why" your image about Madrid was so awful(speaking about girls).

Guys who do best in Madrid seems to be those from Western Europe,the rest..seem to just have bad luck or have to work very hard to get some pussy.(also,don't make it as an excuse,first thing is your attitude )

which countries did you visit?

Madrid is a city of 3.3 million of inhabitants,and in total there are nearly 7 million inhabitants if you have into consideration the population of the suburbs,who usually go very often to the city to walk around,do the shopping etc..

Also,you have to add the floating population,students,erasmus,au pairs,tourists,expats..

I think it depends how you see it,most of the people think Madrid is a city with endless options and opportunities(speaking about pussy),you can find absolutely wathever you want.

[YOS]

(08-06-2013 09:07 AM)TopPanda Wrote:  

London is great on a hot Summers day. But it just cost so darned much to have a decent night out.

Spanish is pretty easy to learn - my University class in China had a few South American girls, and I could pretty much tell what they were saying, even though I've never learned any Spanish.

Its hard to tell if you actually knew what people were saying, when you don't speak the language. Theres a lot of words that are similar to English, but most of what you just seem to get is often body language, intonation, and what would make sense in a particular situation.

[JJ Roberts]

London hands down.

London is of the world's very few world class cities.

In terms of girls it's a non issue because it feels like pretty much ever nationality in the world is there.

I lived in london for best part of 20 years and always ended up with foreign girlfriends (I think I literally had maybe 2 english girlfriends there in all that time). If you are going through an Italian girl phase which I did, London is full of Italian girls if you know where to go.

During my Italian girl phase I had mutliple Italian girlfriends at the same time. If you are into Brazilian girls, there is a huge Brazilian community in London. If you are into black girls, there are lots of black British girls (and foreign ones too).

If you are in your rice fever phase, London is full of Japanese and Korean tourists.

If you like Polish girls, Polish girls teemed to London once it became legal for them to work there (at one point at least 50% of barmaids in London pubs were Polish or so it seemed).

You get the picture.

I lived there best part of 20 years and never even saw all that London has to offer. There are still parts of London that I have never even been to. It's a huge city and there is nothing to touch it on the planet. There is no end to the depth and different levels and cultures and sub cultures that London has.

Forget Madrid.

If you can't forget Madrid, well you can fly there for parties for the weekend. Budget airlines flight straight there in just a few hours for maybe 30 or 40 pounds.

Come to think of it London is the number one airline hub for the whole of europe. You can party in Amsterdam one weekend, Prague the next, the Canary Islands just off the coast of N.Africa (which is where I am right now) the next weekend and (as long as you book in advance) the flights are dirt cheap.

You dont even need to book that far in advance come to think of it.

These are the countries you can fly to from London in the month of Feb (in other words in the next 5 days only) for your weekend trips.

http://www.skyscanner.es/transport/fligh...e&oym=1502

One way price examples
---------------
Germany 17 pounds
Ireland 17 pounds
Poland 20 pounds
France 22 pounds
Sweden 27 pounds
Italy 28 pounds

But there is a good chance you would not want to leave. London is the single most cosmopolitan city in the world right now.

[GlockTrigga]

London is under siege by feminists, Madrid will soon follow. Unfortunately London is where your money is. May I suggest working in London but perhaps traveling to France on the weekends or every 2 weeks to pick up Women?

Madrid's economy is in the toilet. And a lot of the Women are bat shit insane and spoiled. Try and learn some French because that's your best bet in terms of finding a decent Woman in the region.

[Brosemite]

Great insights JJ and Aguire. Love both cities for different reasons as you guys explained!

[JJ Roberts]

(02-23-2015 01:59 PM)GlockTrigga Wrote:  

London is under siege by feminists

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

In almost 20 years of living there I have never met a woman that said to me that she is a feminist.

Not in any social situation. Pub, club, house party, friend of a friend, random stranger at the bus stop - NEVER.

Not saying they ain't there (I dont hang out at uni campuses that teach sexual politics) but your comment is really total bollocks.

If you think I have not been there recently BTW I was there most recently in Jan 2015.

[GlockTrigga]

I'd read the news if I were you JJ. Apparently you guys are going to have to prove consensual sex for every encounter with a Woman if the PM caves in on this latest rape legislation.

Also I wasn't aware that all feminists reveal themselves in public. Do you believe they would knowing that it is viewed in a more negative light lately?