Nomads in Madrid: One Blackout, Two Flat Whites, and a Siesta

Here you will find the story of our month-long stay as modern nomads in Madrid. For a guide to all the things to do in Madrid, visit our post here (coming soon).

Fitness as nomads in Madrid

Having just wrapped up our last cycling class in a Spanish-speaking country, it feels like the right time to reflect on the absolute chaos it was. In this final class, Jesús—our instructor (in fitness, not faith)—spent an hour shouting commands in Spanish, often in complete darkness, leaving us with absolutely no idea what was happening.

It’ll be interesting to see how the classes in Italy compare. Could they possibly be more chaotic? Maybe they’ll toss in some animated hand gestures and a side of spaghetti for good measure.

Our Madrid story ended in chaos. But it began with pandemonium.

en route to the Prado

The great Iberian blackout

Charlotte arrived in Madrid solo (Doug would follow a few days later) just in time for the great Iberian blackout. Mayhem! Anarchy! More like a collective shrug and another round of vino blanco. She had planned to see the Prado that day, but the Prado said, “Nah.”

The Spaniards took it in stride, using the outage as an excuse to linger a little longer, chatting away the afternoon at a sunny café table in the plaza. Enjoying the endless daylight (Spain’s time zone is… wrong, with a 9:30 PM sunset in May), a tapa, and a cerveza. Which, frankly, they were going to do anyway.

Cash is king

That is, as long as you had cash. Luckily, Charlotte had hit the ATM just minutes before the power went out. Western Union had its first moment in the sun since… ever, as people lined up in search of paper money. Ice cream was flying out of the freezer, and barkeeps were forced to remember how to count back change—no small feat under pressure.

Sure, you could have been stuck in an elevator or snarled in traffic—and that would’ve sucked. But you might’ve also ended up on a rooftop under the stars with zero light pollution, like our niece, Emma, did in Granada, soaking in the rare, quiet magic of a night completely off the grid.

searching for blackout clues

No comprendo

Back in Madrid, with no internet, no clue what was happening, but a strong feeling of being in it together, a crowd huddled outside the one apartment playing an emergency radio, speculation ran wild. Terrorist attack? Russian cyber strike? Spain being Spain?

Charlotte listened intently, but it quickly became clear that Spanish in Spain is even harder to understand than Mexican Spanish—and no matter how hard she tried, no comprendo. But after a spirited chorus of the Spanish catch-all phrase “¡Vale, vale, vale!” (which suspiciously sounded like “ballet, ballet, ballet”), it was clear we were all going to make it out alive.

Charlotte briefly considered stocking up on toilet paper, bottled water, and batteries for the flashlight her Airbnb definitely didn’t have. Instead, she wisely invested in a bottle of wine and a chocolate bar—and spent the evening wandering sun-drenched streets, soaking in the easygoing chaos with her unbothered, beautifully under-reacting neighbors.

In the end, it was less apocalypse and more aperitivo—a perfectly Spanish way to handle an unexpected plot twist.

wandering Madrid during the “blackout”

Having an explore

With nothing to do but wander, day one was spent getting the lay of the land.

Not long ago, we would’ve sworn this kind of modern nomad adventure was impossible without Google Maps—Charlotte would have wandered off, never to be seen again. But surprisingly, her phone reduced to a useless brick, she navigated the winding streets of Malasaña (and beyond) with only minimal confusion. And did, in fact, find her way home before dark.

Malasaña madrid, plaza del dos de mayo, Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes

Church of San Antonio de los Alemanes, yoga at Plaza del Dos de Mayo, strolling Malasaña

So much to see

Compared to sprawling Mexico City, Madrid feels compact and concentrated. The streets and alleys meander, but somehow they make sense. And there’s something of interest to see on every block—plazas, churches, cafés, museums, boutiques, and bars use up every available meter of space.

History clings to every corner of Madrid. One block throws a Baroque church built in the 18th century at you; the next reveals a quiet plaza where Spaniards rose up against Napoleon’s troops on May 2, 1808.

Turn another corner, and you’re at a tapas bar that’s been serving wine since 1725 (that’s Botín, by the way—officially the oldest restaurant in the world). Oh, and those ancient-looking ruins tucked behind the park? That’s the Temple of Debod, a 2,200-year-old Egyptian temple gifted to Spain in the 1960s.

Malasaña Airbnb

Airbnb for nomads in Madrid

We loved our spot in the heart of bustling Malasaña. A tidy, ground-level apartment, with a spare bedroom for the visitors we knew were coming. It was an oasis of calm, so quiet inside you’d think the entire neighborhood was in a deep siesta. Then we’d step outside and—hello!—full hustle and bustle at nearly any hour. After the constant soundtrack of our apartment in CDMX, the quiet was a welcome relief.

On the plus side, the Wi-Fi hummed, Doug scored an actual dining table for his office (no cardboard-box desk this time), and he breezed in after the great blackout like it never happened. On the minus side, we were back to line-drying our laundry—charmingly European until you’re staring down a forest of damp socks.

The work schedule for nomads in Madrid

This is not an early town—don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. Our coffee spot? Opens at 9:30 on Saturdays. Craving a bite at midnight (as we often were)? No problem. Trying to shop between 2 and 5? Don’t bother.

It’s hot in the summer, so the siesta hours make perfect sense, if they take a little getting used to. And as previously noted, the time zone here is completely out of whack, stretching the day in a way that practically demands a late start and a late finish. This worked just fine, keeping us to an East Coast clock.

colorful Malasaña

Malasaña’s got it going on

A word about Malasaña—this neighborhood’s got it going on. It’s vibrant, edgy, and full of life, with plazas that buzz day and night and side streets packed with boutiques. Around every corner, you’ll find bursts of street art, turning even the most aimless wander into a visual adventure. It’s Madrid’s East Village with just the right mix of grit and flair.

The buildings themselves are a cheerful patchwork of pastel and sunshine tones. A city-led campaign a few years back gave the facades a fresh power wash, and you can feel the difference—the brightness practically bounces off the walls.

Emma and Sam celebrating their arrival at the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela

Nomads in Madrid love guests

Our first guests were our nieces, Emma and Samantha. Samantha had just wrapped up an incredible 170+ miles on the Camino—in just seven days. Let us do the math for you: that’s about 25 miles a day. Her training regimen? Simply living in Manhattan. We were seriously impressed.

With Sam and Emma, we took a fantastic walking tour of Malasaña with Veronica from Our Madrid Walking Tours. She gave us a fun, insightful look at the neighborhood’s history, indie shops, churros, and tapas, with a few great drinking spots thrown in.

serene Masamune Coffee

For the love of coffee

We don’t need a tour guide to find the best coffee. That’s our superpower. Luckily, Madrid made it easy—it might even outdo New York when it comes to delivering exactly what we needed within a 3-block radius.

Case in point: Masamune. Possibly our favorite coffee shop in—wait for it—the world. Though let’s be honest, that title may be revoked once we hit Italy, land of the cappuccino. Masamune’s coffee and nibbles were delightful. And the staff? Just lovely. And at €3 for a flat white, we quickly became regulars.

If you ever find yourself in Madrid, go visit the folks at Masamune and tell them we say hi. We’re sure they’re still trying to solve the mystery of the charming couple who showed up like clockwork twice a day for a month, butchering their order—dos flat whites con avena, super caliente, por favor—and then vanished into the Spanish sunset.

anchovies three ways and tuna salad

The food. It’s simple.

Eating out in Madrid is often more of a social sport than a sit-down affair. Tapas bars are lively and casual—stand at the counter, order a vermut (sweet vermouth with a splash of sparkling water), and graze on small plates. Unlike in Granada, you pay for your tapas here (but you get potato chips for free!).

The offerings tend to repeat—tortilla, anchovies, croquetas—and spice lovers may be left wanting (ask for hot sauce, or even salt, and you’ll likely get a polite “eh?”). Emma, after a semester in Spain, has reportedly lost all heat tolerance.

Still, Madrid’s food situation is far from dull. Beyond the local staples, there’s a thriving international scene with inventive dishes from just about everywhere. You might tire of the tapas routine (eventually), but you’d have to try really hard to go hungry here. For all our favorites, click here (coming soon).

Fun fact: The word ‘tapas’ comes from the Spanish ‘tapar,’ meaning ‘to cover’—as in the slice of bread or ham used to cover your drink and keep out flies.

scenes from just about any grocery store in Madrid

Nomads in Madrid and grocery shopping

Exploring a local market is always part of the adventure in a new city. Some test your produce-identifying skills on cryptic touch screens with words in, say, Dutch, turning the simple act of weighing vegetables into a logic puzzle.

In Madrid, the standout features weren’t in produce, but in the fully loaded jamón ibérico aisle, conveniently nestled between the laundry soap and soda pop. There were entire walls dedicated to tinned fish—an astonishing array of anchovies, mussels, and no fewer than 18 varieties of tuna.

The mini-Zamboni gliding around to buff the floors to a mirror shine was a nice touch, as was the surprisingly thrilling experience of riding the escalator behind your shopping cart.

Grocery shopping in a fresh place is less quick errand and more minor field trip with theme park vibes.

Guernica, setting up for the San Isidro festival in Plaza Mayor, the Lumineers, the Royal Palace

The culture

Madrid may be Spain’s capital, but it never feels overly buttoned-up. Sure, the city is packed with a ginormous palace, fabulous plazas, and world-class museums. The Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen-Bornemisza form a holy trinity of art so rich you’ll leave with a mild case of beauty fatigue.

But just when you think it’s all Velázquez and Goya, you stumble onto an alley in Malasaña where someone’s painting a rainbow-colored octopus on a storefront gate. Culture here isn’t confined to quiet galleries—it spills out onto the streets with spray paint and swagger.

And then there are the festivals, nightlife, and live music to keep you entertained for an extended period. Madrid loves a good party.

Overall take on being nomads in Madrid

Madrid knocked it out of the park on day one and kept delivering. It hooks you with the charm and history and fully wins you over one perfectly poured vino blanco and shady plaza at a time.

The weather is dreamy. The city is just the right size—big enough to feel alive, small enough to make sense. The metro is clean and fast, but your feet can take you most places you need to go. You can almost see the economy buzzing: storefronts are full (though not, of course, between 2 and 5). The food? Excellent, if a little simple.

We’ll be back. Probably for the tapas. Definitely for the museums. And maybe—just maybe—to finally master the art of the Spanish siesta.

For a guide to some perfectly spent days in Madrid—including where to sip the city’s best flat white (spoiler: Masamune), the tapas spots worth squeezing into, the must-see museums (plus a few under-the-radar gems), and where to shop for everything from vintage finds to hand-crafted goods—click here (coming soon). We’ve reviewed our favorite walks, market finds, and shady plazas for maximum nomad joy.

Curious about our three-day adventure in amazing Granada? Click here for the full story.

NYC detour, then Italy

En route to Italy, our next stop, we made a quick pit stop in New York (if you think this is illogical, you are right). Our gym (Solidcore) and coffee shop (Variety) both asked where we’d been. This, after a five-month absence, confirms our theory: vanishing is deeply unsettling to the people you see every day but barely know.

Next stop: Bologna (coming soon).