¡Madrid es el mejor! ¡Total de mi suenous eres vera aqui! MadridMan, thank you for your board, I cannot tell you this enough!
First, I have met the most incredible woman I have ever known, Guianna, from Ecuador, at my favorite internet cafe, and accepted her invatation to move in with her in Hollo de Manzanares, a beautiful resort town about one-half hour north of Madrid. I am totally head-over-heels in love with her, and her with me! We live in the most beautiful pueblo in the mountains, and take the bus back and forth to the city.

Secondly I have found, thanks to my good friend, Florienco, "el fontenero," who knows everyone, and seems to have a key to every door in Madrid, what has to be the best studio in the world. It was the studio of my landlady's father, who was a theatrical designer, and, besides 20 or 30 years of dirt, it has about 100 stage curtains, costumes, scenes (100's!), and treasures beyond belief. The main room is about 5 meters by 15 meters, and 3 meters high, with three smaller rooms and a huge terrace overlooking the northeast and southwest of red tiled rooftops! Six windows give it incredible light and warm sun. I am totally in love with it too!

Finally, my painting is starting to take off, and I am doing the best work I have ever done, with my lady and Madrid for inspiration. Believe me, after four years of "living" in Orange County, CA, and the whole plastic lifestyle, ¡Madrid es el cielo! I don't ever want to leave! My friend Carlos will start to pose for me, along with other friends at La Soleá, and on the 21st of December we are having a private juerga for some affecionado friends (Guianna's birthday is the 23rd, mine is the 22nd!). To top it all off, my Spanish is improving rapidly, since G. speaks little English.

Although Thanksgiving is past, my hope is that all of you enjoy the same quality of experiences I have here! Do what you must, but come to Madrid for as long as you can, then stay longer! It is truely magical.

Bienvenidos, Martín

Wow, Martin,

Your story seem to be like the old movies I haven seen where a young man leaves the U.S.A in search for something and without planning finds love.

Good luck. I hope I will have the opportunity to purchase your painting and hang in our my living room.

Great story! I think I'm jealous....Buena suerte con tu espanola.

[This message has been edited by Jaime (edited 12-01-2000).]

Martin, What a fantastic story you shared with us - love, success and happiness all in one! Please continue to keep us posted on your terrific time in Madrid and be sure to let us know how your art show comes out! Congratulations on all the good things you have found!

<-- change the red to GREEN BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO EXPLODE WITH ENVY, Martin! OHMYGOD!! Someone, PLEASE, SLAP me as hard as you can. I've GOT to be dreaming. Martin, this is you?? Martin (FAR right, all in black), from the " Party With MadridMan ", was one of the true characters of the group. It was a shame we only had a short time to talk, but he was something else.

WOW Martin. I'm so happy for you. Now WHY CAN'T I FIND A WOMAN IN/AROUND MADRID WHO WANTS TO INVITE ME TO LIVE WITH HER??? Sheesh! What great luck you have. Tell me/us, if Guianna is from Ecuador, how is she legally able to live in Spain? And for that matter, how are YOU able to legally live in Spain? I'm sure your visitors visa is about to run out, right? I'm very interested in these details because, who knows, maybe I TOO will meet a lovely madrileña who WANTS to marry me! Stranger things have happened.

Any chance of getting a photo made/taken, scanned, and placed somewhere on the net for all to see? We'd love to SEE you and Guianna in your apartment. And what a lovely little pueblo in the mountains! Sounds absolutely, perfectly romantic. I'm sure you're enjoying the best of ALL worlds. OOOOOoooooh!! I'm squirming in my seat I'm so envious!! Hahahaa!! Good for you, buddy. Good for you. Best of luck with your paintings too.

Saludos, MadridMan

MadridMan, do we detect a little RESTLESNESS with your ladyfriend, who, sniff sniff, does not want marriage?? You couldn't really mean it, that such luck (finding a madrilenya who wants to marry you) is what you now wish for... we are all hoping your ladyfriend will change her mind on marriage and make YOUR Spain dreams come true!!

I second that, rgf. I think I can speak for all of us in saying that we all hope that that ladyfriend of his will come to her senses and marry our bright, sensitive, charming and funny MadridMan! Also, Martin, good luck with your exciting new life! Sounds great!

Madridman, we are all hoping for a happy ending for you. Does your ladyfriend ever read your wonderful message boards?

Madridman, I don't know how is your lady friend but here is a hint. Sometimes Spaniard women don't say what we think (Americans too?) I remeber that I told my boyfriend that I wouldn't marry NEVER and that I didn't want an engagement ring. Well, guess what? I am married and I have a beautiful engagement ring and I LOVE being married and having a engagement ring. Sometimes we say we don't want to get married because we don't want to put presure on our boyfriends and we don't want to scare them. Why don't you buy a nice ring and propose? What can you lose? You have the NO already, what if she says yes? You get her and your Spanish visa. If she says no you still can date her. Come on, as we say in Spain "agarra al toro por los cuernos"
Besos...Nuria

Nuria's post reminds me of a conversation I had years ago with the Swiss father of a friend of mine, when he heard I was going to Spain. In his youth he had worked for Franco, building the Valle de los Caidos. His eyes started to twinkle, and a funny little smile appeared, and he said, "Ahhh, Spanish girls. When they say yes, they mean no, and when they say no, they mean yes." He refused to say more, but his eyes kept twinkling with the memories. I wonder if it might not still be true... Sounds to me like Nuria has some good advice!

Ladies and gentleman. My ladyfriend (turning 40 years old in a few months) and I have had a wonderful relationship these 7 years and we've talked about marriage in many ways. I've even threatened it, but it never goes anyway. I even proposed in the "proper" way about 4 years ago, gave her a diamond ring which she still has, she accepted with a "Maybe some day," but it's clear it will never happen as long as I don't have a better paying job or her chances of getting a decent job don't improve so that we could live better than paupers (poor people). Plus, she lives with her elderly (and more and more needy) mother and has a new (2 years) nephew in Madrid too which she dearly loves. So there you go! We've been over and over this topic together hundreds of times. I don't think it will ever happen. It's a political thing too: no accepting the governments necessity of recognizing a relationship in order to get benefits, etcetera.

But hey Martin!! Good for you, buddy! I'm really happy and YOU'RE very fortunate. Enjoy it all for as long as possible.

Saludos, MadridMan

[This message has been edited by MadridMan (edited 12-02-2000).]

I'm sorry, but am I the only one here that thinks MM should MOVE ON? It's obvious that without papers you'll never be together. Unless she accepts the government's necessity for marriage, well, you aren't left with many choices are you. I wish we could all talk some sense into your "ladyfriend" because you seem like a great catch.

Well, as long as we are giving (unwanted???) advice to MM-- why move on, if you adore your ladyfriend? All arrangements don't have to be traditional, stable, etc. It sounds as though you could easily grab the nearest gringa, get married, have 2 kids in the burbs, etc. but... why? You sound relatively happy despite wanting a more committed relationship. Your ladyfriend, however, is skewed in her thinking, because if she really felt that way about the government and the benefits that accrue by virtue of marriage, she'd have to refuse the pension for old people (why should the old have benefits that the young don't), the unemployment money, etc etc. As her mother ages and she gets well into her 40s, perhaps the sense of stability and partnership will appeal to her more, and she'll see marriage as a formality that allows both of you to live in the same country. anyway, sorry to be intrusive... we all CARE!

rgf asks:
"(why should the old have benefits that the young don't),"

Could it be because as people age they become subject to age discrimination by employers, become ill, infirm, their sensual acuity often diminishes,and, unlike that of young people, their earning capacity diminishes or disappears?

Too, they may have paid into welfare funds, through taxation on wages and income, all their working lives. Some of those benefits may in part be merely some of their own money being returned to them. All of which you will come to appreciate better as you age.
Cantabene


[This message has been edited by cantabene (edited 12-03-2000).]

Cantabene, the point I was making is exactly that. Old people SHOULD have benefits. Married people also get benefits, for reasons that are not as clear as in the case of old people... but after all, most children are born within marriage, and society has an interest in promoting child-bearing/bringing up (aka breeding!).

Martin

What a beautiful chapter in the book of your life. Love, art, beautiful surroundings. Mazel Tov!!!

MadridMan,

You are a lucky hombre. Despite the fact she spurns your marriage proposals, it is evident to all the board contributors that you have found a very special lady, one that is worth waiting for.

BTW, Happy Birthday MM. Incidentally, it must have a been a typo on your behalf, as it is impossible that your lady friend is 40. I have seen the few photos of her on the board, and am convinced that she is no older than 30.

We too are artists and will gladly take this studio off your hands when you come back to the US out of homesickness.........NOT!!......Rev. Mike