I’m in Barajas airport (Madrid) awaiting my flight back to Cork. The presentations I gave at Reboot (Copenhagen) on Thursday and Remix (Madrid) were really well received. I got lots of very positive feedback and invites to speak at more events which is the most positive feedback you can get!

By some bizarre coincidence, my accommodation ended up being in the middle of the red-light district in both cities which afforded me the chance to compare the two!

Sex seems to be a night time only experience in Copenhagen. The girls working in Copenhagen didn’t appear on the street until after dark whereas in Madrid it appears to be always-on affair with the women offering their services at any hour of the day or night.

The women in Copenhagen were also far more assertive than their counterparts in Madrid! They tried to chat you up as you passed by and were very slow to take no for an answer!

The most obvious difference between the two was that in Copenhagen the girls didn’t match the stereotypical image I have of prostitutes. They were wearing sweatshirts or jumpers and jeans primarily. In Madrid, they were much more halter tops, micro-minis and 6-inch heels!

Of course part of that has to be down to climactic differences but some of it has to be cultural too. It wasn’t that cold in Copenhagen, nor was it that hot in Madrid!