The Return of Scos in Spain

The Topic

After a brief hiatus to decide my own life direction as well as this blogs’ – Scos in Spain is back!

3 Euros = 20 Different Varieties of Tortilla

The Meat

Originally, Scos in Spain was designed to give people a feel for what it is like for an American to live abroad, specifically in Madrid, Spain. Along the blogging journey, I realized what is the most useful information I can give readers: tips on maximizing your fun in a city, while minimizing the expense!

Many blogs give tidbits on the best restaurants, nicest clubs, and ritziest bars – an inside to the “good life”. But what daily life? Daily life is not always 5-star restaurants and $10 cocktails. Daily life can be about your local dive bar or the best eating value for your money.

In the vein of bringing a slice of daily life to my readers, I am committing this blog to providing insider tips on the best finds in a given city for the right price. The Daily Life of Frugal Friedman, if you will. The blog will have tidbits of the best for the least in Madrid for the next month, and then continue to give tips for the city I am  currently in (e.g., Denver, DC, NYC, etc.)

The Takeaway

I may not be a fine dining expert, but I promise, I am very good at finding a good adventure at an even better price!

Spanish Style Grocery Shopping

The Topic

Grocery shopping in Madrid.

The Meat

Just came back from a visit to my local grocery store Día – a super-sized version of the Best World, RIP Best Way – in Mt. Pleasant. For all you sheltered DC folk:

The following observations were made:

1.  Self-checkout doesn’t exist in Madrid. Period. You could have a candy bar and wait in-line behind 8 people, all whom have no less than 10 loaves of bread, 9 bottles of beer, various kinds of pork, and laundry detergent. For example, i had one grocery purchase and in a separate line was a man with only oranges and pork tenderloins – I have come to a point I do not question grocery decisions such as this in Spain.

This was the perfect case for an express line or self-checkout! Not. False.

2. The man in front of me in line purchased a package of breakfast pastries, batteries, laundry softener, and a few other questionable items for 7:30 PM on a Tuesday. He also carefully examined the batteries in line as if he was purchasing a new home. He then whipped out a wad of 50′s as if to show off his hard-earned drug money.

Suspect. I think so.

3. The couple next to me who had no less than (10) 40′s of Mahou in their cart. Once again, am I surprised by this non-Tuesday-esque behavior? I wish I was. BUT, alas they surprised me in the top of the ninth with their purchase of light chips. This could possibly be the first time I have seen a Spaniard anywhere near the words “fat-free”, “light”, etc. Granted, this is like ordering a Diet Coke with your Value Meal.

But still, I consider it a small victory for the health of Spanish people.

4. It totally makes sense to have to ride up an escalator, walk through the expansive liquor section, walk down a flight of stairs, trip over the lady selling baguettes, and stroll through a section of diapers in order to get to the yogurt section. It makes even more sense to not put the pasta sauce and pasta next to each other. That is comparable to putting beer next to baby diapers.

5. They have lockers at the grocery store, in addition to plaid-colored mail carrier style bags for people to transport their groceries home. While this makes total sense from a sustainable level, I find it plain amusing to watch people play bumper card with their wheeled grocery bags. And a locker? Do people have to lock their cigarettes away because the grocery store is the one place smoking is not allowed?

The Takeaway

I miss you, Harris Teeter. I miss your well organized store. Your delicious samples. Your People magazine that gives me something to do so I don’t have so much free time to observe the above things..

Spanish Puppy Owner Advice

The Topic

Puppies!

The Meat

I see dogs everywhere in Madrid – on the metro, in restaurants, bars, parks, the list can go on and on. As some of you know, I am a bit obsessed with dogs, often calling all dogs “puppies”. As a dog lover, and future proud owner of one – when I have enough money  to eat only pasta and drink 1 euro wine – I have found myself stopping in the street for 10 minutes at a time observing puppies.

Weird and awkward, some might say. I consider it doing my civic duty while in Madrid. Last night, I tracked an adorable little pupster that resembled this dog:

I don't think it is weird I spent more of my time hanging out with this puppy, than talking to people that night - do you?

On Calle Mayor, one of the busiest streets in Madrid, this pup was bouncing along without a leash while his owner would look back every five minutes to make sure he was still there. For a fleeting moment, I almost considered borrowing the dog, taking him home, and seeing if the owner would notice.

The most popular dog owner behavior among Spaniards is not washing their dogs. They prefer to use their dog cleaning money to buy cañas.

Back-center. Small, 12 oz. beer that is preferred over al beverage choices by Spaniards - even more than water.

I will make it my mission to photograph as many Spanish dogs as I can to give my readers a taste of the animal life here in Spain.

The Takeaway

Spanish dog owners should frequent Daily Puppy and check out Huck and Willow and learn all they can about dog cleaning!

Midnight Train to Kebab

Tastes Better than the Name..

Doesn’t taste like alpo…tastes like carnivore heaven. A snack here after a night out in Malasaña makes any night a success!

Roma, Always Hungry For More – Part 1

The Topic

Rome – the city everyone says is so beautiful, historical, and architecturally amazing that nobody leaves not loving it. You think, well who doesn’t love some  good pasta, but retain enough cynicism to not give into the hype. But, oh wait, once in awhile something lives up to its press.

The Meat

I arrived in Rome not knowing what to expect except excitement because gelato is a mouth gift from the gods, pesto is superior to many other sauces, and I had successfully made it there. Rome’s reputation had spoken for itself. Let’s just say their PR person is either a genius or they just don’t have one because word-of-mouth is so amazing.

First snow in Rome since 1986..

First suggestion above all else: fly into Ciampino. It is a user-friendly, comfortable scene to be your first impression of Rome. Fiumcino, on the other hand, was a disorganized mess of an airport that allowed me to breeze through security sipping my water with my shoes on. Apparently, the security disaster of Amsterdam is already a distant 2009 memory.

I easily make it to my hostel as the main station in Rome, Termini is a traveler’s dream. Maps! Food! Buses! Trains! Metro! Drugstore! All good stuff for those of us whose comprehension of the Italian language is Frank Sinatra songs playing as background music at the Olive Garden.

Arriving at my hostel, I am slightly surprised when taken across the street. Does this hostel have separate wings and such? Am I VIP? Nope. My hostel, Papaya Hostel, had maintenance problems and Il Papavero across the street was where the Papaya guests would be staying.

Exciting photo of hostel room...most beautiful spot in rome clearly..

Thank you hostelbookers.com (I am purposely not linking their site for this oversight). Everyone in my room of 5 females scratched their heads as the photos had promised a kitchen, a computer room, and a common room. New locale included none of these clutch features.

Alas, it worked out as my room was warm and friendly.  And I didn’t have to have the top bunk which always leads to some kinda of pain! My room of included great people, everyone from Vivian who was originally from Brazil on her way to Tanzania to volunteer at an orphanage to Robbin, a New Yorker recently transplanted to Italy to write a book on slow food.

Good to know my eyes still close in photos when alcohol is involved.

The Takeaway

Good to go into traveling open-minded, prepared for anything. AND. any kind of weather.

It’s Raining Blog Updates

The Topic

I’ve returned from Roma – Facebook photos will be up soon – and am hitting the blogsphere harder than ever! So take a break from figure skating, and check out Scos in Spain!

The Meat

After not updating regularly over the past month or two, I will be posting an update or photo every day for the remainder of my time in Spain.

The Takeaway

Get excited, clearly. And as always, all post ideas and post feedback is greatly appreciated!

SPAINpocalypse 2010

The Topic

Change of plans – staying in Spain through the end of June. Let me take my readers down a stroll of what I have been up to, settling into my new apartment in La Latina!

The Meat

So we don’t have 24 inches of snow here in Spain, and its no Saintsmania or snOMG, but still, not too shabby..

The Most Unhappy Bartender Ever - Tempranillo, amazing wine bar in my new hood!

Delicious seafood meal at Puerto del Vigo

New apartment - yes, the kitchen is in the living room

A window in your room in a cheaper apartment in Madrid is very hard to come by!

When I walk to the right coming out of my apartment...

Ojos Negros - My Building's Bar

Ojos Negros has a sweet, emo name and a cool vibe – not to mention it is attached to me building. The only thing problem is the prices. I would rather walk 2 minutes down the street for a cheaper caña!

The New Hood

Walking through Plaza Mayor to get to work..

Plaza Mayor Art Festival

Taking photos of art is much more affordable..

Tourists actually think it is cool to get their photo taken with the Spanish version of Spidey

Nothing says Sunday like an extra-large Funfetti cupcake.

The Takeaway

Events beginning with the letter S seem to be so 2010.

Eat, Pray, Love Version 2.0

The Topic

Armed with a Eurorail pass, a spot of spontaneity, my gameboy, and a pair of super comfortable laceless Converses, Scos is taking it to the road!

The Meat

In two weeks, I will be trading in the sun-kissed, smoke-filled streets of Madrid to travel for 6 weeks. My travels will hopefully  culminate in a week-long trip through France. I say hopefully because this is my first time ever traveling alone – pretty much anything can happen.

This is a rather large jump off the high dive for moi. I consider a risk classified as going to a different Asian deli for my weekly supply of wine. The first hostel I have ever stayed in was last summer in San Francisco, and that is only because I am excessively frugal. I don’t think I have even really attempted to make new friends or acquaintances in over six years.

In addition, I will be traveling sans iPhone and can barely speak my own native tongue let alone German, Italian, et. al. Thanks to my father considering going on Expedia a hobby, I don’t think I have booked my own flight ticket in 3-5 years. I have never lived alone and am the type of person who can pretty much talk about anything to avoid gaps of silence.

Of course, I will bring my extra large jar to save money:

Let’s pray it doesn’t end up like this:

And, I would LOVE to get here safe and sound:

The Takeaway

Should be interesting. Stay tuned – I will post pics/posts  from Madrid and from the road.

Check out Scos in Spain on MAP Magazine!

Starting this week Scos in Spain will be writing restaurant, concert, and bar reviews and event listings on MAP Magazine. This week read about the Dropkick Murphy’s coming to Madrid!

Welcome Back, Welcome Back

The Topic

Welcome Back Readers! Scos is back in Spain and I invite you to cozy up to your warm computer this winter with my first weekend back – almost getting run over by a car!

The Meat

The return began like this….

And quickly escalated into this…

The culprit? R-U-M. Normally my nose is in the air regarding rum as I am an avid believer the only rum one should intake is Flor de Cana. But alas, when in Madrid, your choices are limited and the cheapest brand – the one where you taste the hangover before you even feel drunk – was chosen for the first Friday night back.

This rum shall remain nameless as it is too evil for any kind of blog shout-out. This rum was also responsible for your favorite Scos in Spain to almost be run over by a car. By have no fear, people in Madrid don’t have road rage. The people in the car not only did not run me over, they proceeded to start calling numbers in my phone to find help – talk about roadside service. Take that AAA.

They ultimately called the police to ensure my safety. Who was the one person to pick up their phone at 2 AM? Oh, my landlord, clearly. The police escorted me home to my landlord who tucked me safely in bed. BEST. LANDLORD.EVER.

I’ll be sticking to Mahou this semester…

The Takeaway

My apartment complex in the US made me wait in the lobby for two hours when I was locked out on Halloween. Spanish landlords are pretty much ridiculously amazing.

Does anyone have ideas of a thank-you give for my landlord that says “thanks for ensuring I did not die my first weekend back in Madrid from getting run over by a car”? Somehow, I feel Hallmark makes no such cards.