Thing you love most about Madrid: “There’s an good balance between the advantages of a big city and a more human way of living. Even some central areas still have a certain small village vibe that we like. You can still find traditional restaurants, shops, and artisan workshops — some of which are more than 150 years old — but then a 10-minute tube ride will take you to the most modern shops and clubs. Thing you hate most about it: We live in the center of Madrid and it’s a very noisy and messy place. We couldn’t believe it when we visited Japan and noticed it was just the opposite. We jealously witnessed how strict they are about keeping the city nice when we saw the neighbors of some areas cleaning the streets together.