We are moving to Madrid!


Well, some of you already know as we have sent out about 100 invites yesterday for a bye bye party! Yep we are moving back to Europe. Truth is, after 15 years in the good old US of A, I kinda miss Europe.

I came to the US in 1993. I was doing my PhD work in a lab at MIT (the Research Lab of Electronics or RLE). I met Nathalie who was attending Wellesley college. I immediately was taken by her, it took a little while for me to convince her that I was the one. After months and months of courtship, the Beauty decided the Beast wasn't that bad after all (she thought I was a bit obnoxious at first, no way :) we dated and we got married after 2 years. We went back to France and lasted only one year. Something about France rubs me the wrong way. I think it is the rudeness. Don't laugh, I know I have been known to be rude even insulting (still am) but something about civilized behavior now pleases me.

This is where Madrid comes in. The conversation with my lady went something like this:
Me: "honey, let's go back to Paris".
Her: "NO".
Me: "come on! I miss Paris, I am Parisian, I miss the urban experience."
Her: "I don't like the people, Parisians are rude, and I don't like the weather"
Me: "yeah I can see that"
Her: "I would prefer Madrid, people are nice in Madrid, they are open, they welcome you, and the weather is great"

You have to know that I am actually half spanish, fluent in the language (so is Nathalie) and I have lived 3 years in Madrid, she lived for one year. I have family there, my parents live in Madrid and the Baleric islands, I have cousins, second degree cousins, many second degree uncles and aunts, and generally a whole bunch of good people that I enjoy being with. All that and the food is SUPERIOR, God, I love that ham! (oh! all that and as icing on the cake their tax situation is better: they have done away with their wealth tax :)

So, Madrid it is.

I have been scouting Madrid for a place to live. I think I may have finally found something in the RETIRO (salamanca: Serrano), which is a very Madrilenha experience, kind of like living next to Central Park in NYC. A very urban experience. Our kids are 9,5,5,2 and the 3 older ones will definitely pick something up in terms of language and culture. The little one will get to play in the Retiro by the Prado and I am sure he will at least get the "music" of the language, the tone.

I must admit I was taken aback by how expensive living is. Renting is out of control and buying is a no-go proposition. So to find something nice in the center of Madrid was no walk in the park. On the very positive side was the reception by my family and friends. Indeed you immediately feel welcome, they introduce you to their "pandillas" and it always feels nice.

For my Spanish friends: estamos encantados de venir a pasar unos anhos en Madrid. Nos hace mucha illusion a Nathalia y a mi. Para los que leen este blog y viven en espanha y tienen negocios que tienen que ver con el open source, estoy dispuesto en ayudaros. Decirme los que esteis alli y ya veremos que. Hasta pronto.

For my ATL/US friends: we are coming back. This is a short term arrangement. We just bought land in ATL and we are building a house. So this is a 2 or 3 year affair, we are ATL bound. See, Nathalie will grow roots here, like a typical ATL tree, and before her roots get too deep, we needed to do this move and go see something else, it will be good for the kids to experience something else, the American lifestyle is too good and too easy :) let's throw them for a spin. For those of you that are soccer fans, you are always welcome (Matt Asay comes to mind :) let's go see some Real Madrid games, should be fun!

And that's it. Hasta pronto!

Comments

Winni said…
As the gipsy says in Ernest Hemingway's For Whom The Bell Tolls: "There is no country like Spain in the whole world." Congratulations on your decision, I already envy you. I'm a native German, but Spain somehow feels more like home to me than Germay. Enjoy your new life in Europe and keep on blogging! Hasta luego, Winni.
Daniel Brum said…
Buenisimas noticias Marc Y Nathalie - que disfruten todo lo que es España, especialmente el jamon!

Sobre el tema de ver partidos de CAR, te voy a mentener a tu palabra de ver unos partidos. Em el otonio estoy por ahi ;-)

Saludos a todos, y que tengas mucha suerte en Madrid.
Roy Russo said…
"For Whom the Bell Tolls" was a book? Its a Metallica song. You know, back when they had long hair and spent more time playing than whining like little girls.

Anyway, this grasshopper will get his chance to say his farewells in person. You will be missed in ATL, but we'll meet again... next time with ME telling YOU how to run a successful business. ;-)
adt43wt342 said…
Roy,

Metallica is HUGE in Spain and so is Techno music. One thing I forgot to mention is how great it is to run in son and daughters of friends of my parents and they all know about the scene. A particular girl scolded me wanting to go out to Fabrik, one of the mega-clubs of Madrid, saying I was a redneck and Dave Clark was playing at Macumbo... apparently there is a vibrant electro (as in electro, not just EDM) scene. She was talking about hardcore drums called "venetian drums" can't wait to hear the experimental stuff surrounded by people who appreciate it. It was tough talking music with you !
Anonymous said…
Bienvenido a Madrid Marc, sería un placer poder tomar unas "tapas" juntos.
Tom Barnes said…
Wow!
Back to Europe eh?

I have to admit.... I did wonder how long that was going to take...
Congrat's to you and the family for sure.
Hopefully we can catch up before you leave but just in case...

Does this mean that I can have your Tesla reservation number/spot ????

Good luck!!
-tom
Anonymous said…
you just had to move couple of states away and you would have been in spain :(
eTux said…
Wow! Nice to have you here in Madrid. Let us know when you arrive so we make a welcome party!

I hope that your come to Madrid helps a bit the Open Source World here at Spain (as you know spanish public administrations are very keen on FOSS).
adt43wt342 said…
Etux, David,

that is exactly what I am talking about, if there is anyway I can help further along the OSS game let me know.
adt43wt342 said…
Tom,

NO you can't have my Tesla. I am trying to get it street legal for Spain, it is going to be tough.
BitRock Team said…
We will be glad to show you around beautiful Seville, just a couple of hours away on AVE high speed train. Quizas puedas convencer a Roy y Tom para que se apunten :)
Roy Russo said…
After JBoss World Barcelona, I'm not allowed in to the country of Spain.
BitRock Team said…
Don't worry Roy, given some of our road infrastructure, politicians and TV programming I think we are no longer part of Southern Europe, but Northern Africa. So you can technically come back in ;)
Jason T. Greene said…
Sounds awesome, have fun dude.

Love both Metal and Electronica Currently enjoying the last Chem Bros release.

LOL Roy on Metallica. Everything after the black album is shit.
Anonymous said…
Have a good adventure... you will be missed in ATL.
Anonymous said…
"something about civilized behavior now pleases me"

I guess that means you zipped up your pants and your mouth and became both a man and a father at once.
Anonymous said…
But Marc. Where's Roy going to put his pud while your gone?

Popular posts from this blog

$6.66B for BEA: Larry goes Shopping

Thug vs Thug: Porsche 1, Hedge Funds: 0

Quickies #3, protecting IP in OSS