Shopping Well Read Gringa in Madrid

I will have you know that when I went to the Bull Fighting Ring I ran into a little racial profiling. I couldn't find the entrance and wandered around the back which turned out to be the exit. There were 2 girls in the shop, and no one else. when one of the girls saw me she looked at her co worker, said "Gringa" and walked away. I was a bit stunned. It was very clear what she said. I thought about saying something but didn't.
I felt a bit of an undercurrent of this in Spain. I didn't think I was that much different from the people there, but to them, I guess so.

I did notice that there was a real problem with language at times. People just did not want to help you and would turn their back on you. I don't feel this at all anywhere in Italy. I feel that the people are reachable and helpful even if they don't speak English. In Spain, it felt like my lack of Spanish put me in a category with some people. I could feel the many many layers away I was from ever communicating with them. It was strange.

Is it different than what people feel about the French and non French speakers?  One of the 30 somethings that was on the Tapas tour  had spent a few days in Nice before meeting his friends in Madrid. I heard him saying that he didn't even attempt to say Merci...he wouldn't talk at all as he felt so
intimidated.


-I did not notice any problem with being a woman alone as I have in other countries.

In Madrid, I saw many many people reading, books and Kindles. They were in cafe's on the bus, on the metro. It seems like a very literate city.

There is a department store called El Corte Ingles. They have them in every Spanish city. They are so much a part of life in Spain that you never have to go to any other store. It's not one big store like Macy's, It's all over the place. Every corner you turn it seems as though there is one...men's clothes in one place, groceries in another place, kids clothes down the block and on and on.
Big Sales were going on.

I went in search for the post office ( as I do in every place I go) and it turns out that it's in the basement of the main building of Corte Ingles. It took me a long time to find it cause I couldn't imagine it could be so. It's in the parking garage. You can imagine how much help I got with finding it. No one at the hotel knew where there was a postoffice. I do have to say that they were very efficient.

Post  Office