My favorite Madrid blog (in Spanish, of course, since you already know my fave in English) has published an interview avec moi! Check it out.
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Madrid more authentic? Do you feel that Barcelona is a particularly false or superficial place? I don’t know Madrid but I’ve never heard anyone deny Barcelona’s authenticity. In fact, you previously wrote that Barcelona is ‘more dirty, more earthy’, which many would take for signs of true authenticity. Also, Barcelona is considerably older.
Anyway, Madrid is very much a capital of empire, like Paris and London. Barcelona probably punches above its weight in the sense that it only has 4 points on the world city grade (half of Madrid’s).
I reckon that Madrid is becoming a far more popular place for young foreigners to live in and that it’ll soon overtake Barcelona… after all, it’s already regarded as being cooler. Barcelona is probably more laid back and certainly dirtier… but less authentic?
this would be even more awesome if I could read Spanish.
Hi Tom. I like Barcelona quite a bit, as you’ve seen in previous posts. Yes, it’s dirtier and earthier. In no way was I saying Barcelona is a lesser city because my personal opinion is that Madrid is more “authentic.” My idea stems from the fact that I’ve found Madrid to still be a very traditional place where typical Spanish businesses line the streets in many neighborhoods–I think this is what I’m getting at in terms of “authenticity.” I perceive Barcelona as more attractive to travelers and foreign students, and that perhaps in some ways it caters more to these people than Madrid does. This is only my idea, and clearly neither of us knows the other’s city well enough to be a true judge of this.
Great interview! You are going to be the most famosa bloguera de Madrid soon!
You already are!
Katie – I know what you mean. I’m actually looking forward to a time when there are fewer tourists here (typical ex-pat that I am!) because I reckon it’ll force the Ajuntament to focus more on residents’ needs.
Sorry if I sounded a teeny bit over-defencive of Barcelona :-)