Arrived in Madrid, a friend of mine picked me up at the airport, and we went directly for dinner together. Long time no see, and I’m therefore excited to talk again.
Then I headed to my accommodation for the month, a residential block for digital nomads and expats, a bit outside of Madrid. I was looking for a place to stay for a full month on a budget. Usually, I look for places to stay via Airbnb. But Madrid had just crazy-expensive Airbnbs/hotels, or very small and shitty ones. So that wasn’t an option. Then I looked for digital nomad-specific solutions and found this company, which has a couple of more locations in other cities. In Madrid, the minimum stay was 1 month, which was great for me.
Settling for the month
The residence was very new and had great facilities like a gym, swimming pool, co-working space, rooftop, hangout areas, restaurant and even a game room. So it was very convenient and modern on top. It’s located within walking distance of a larger mall, but 20-30 minutes outside the city, already in an area that isn’t served by Madrid public transportation. First, I wasn’t that comfortable with it being that far outside, but later I figured out which bus line to take to reach the centre and how to pay, so it was fine. I also rented a scooter for a month, which made going around even easier. So I could go to a park for a walk easily after work or during a break. Or also head to meet friends. So total flexibility. I like to ride scooters around cities. You’re fast and flexible, and you can park easily.
Establishing a daily routine
I really wanted to focus this month on work and push some of my projects while also doing my regular work. This meant I chose the perfect accommodation. High-speed internet, not central and therefore fewer distractions, a great co-working space that was open 24/7, and facilities to stay active and not just sit all day long. I also went on daily walks around my area or in a nearby park. The temperature was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold and sunny. So the environment was set, and I leveraged it as well. I had a very focused work session and was very happy.
Weekend activities
On the weekends, I headed out with my friend to do different things. Once, just chilling in the park, going to the cinema or having food together. I like Tapas and therefore was happy to sometimes drive into the centre to try different places. My friend was quite new to Madrid for studying and wasn’t familiar with Spanish food, so I showed her some. Also, Churros for breakfast were on the list.
We went once to the cinema. It wasn’t that easy to find an English movie in Madrid. There were some, but very limited. The English once were usually in quite luxurious cinemas where they had kind of bed seats – very comfortable. I never had such a cinema experience, so it was time to try that. Definitely very nice. Not good if the movie is boring, because it’s very easy to fall asleep.
I never left the city during that month. Usually on the weekends I do some trips, but this time I really wasn’t in the mood to explore much. I just wanted to enjoy the vibe in Madrid, have a relaxed start to the weekend and work on my side projects.