BOOK in MADRID

The company we used for the Airbnb.  Could it BE more appropriate for me and this trip?!

File this one under: #travel #Madrid #Spain #RutaSepetys #TheFountainsOfSilence #BestFebruaryBreakEver

I might have finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up:  A book travel agent. To borrow from our Airbnb host in Madrid, I will call my company "Book In..." Read something awesome and then travel to where it takes place.  It will make the book and the trip both more meaningful and unforgettable.  Believe me, I am speaking from experience.

My family and I just returned from Madrid last night.  Yes, it is 3 am in Spain right now. This was our fourth time outside of the US with our good friends and "international traveling companions", Jason, Riele, John and Natalia. Our last trip was to Dublin in August 2017.  While there we made friends with Alberto and Ruth, a lovely young couple from Madrid. The luck of the Irish couldn't have been any luckier. ☘ Alberto and Ruth love their city so much and were so proud to show it off to us (and humor me when I wanted to find places from "my book").

My book? The Fountains of Silence by Ruth Sepetys. Madrid 1957.  The novel is a magnificent package of history, love, hope, perseverance, art, photography, hardship, family, mystery, friendship. Wrap it all up and you get perfection, with a side of Tom Collins on the rocks. A book, that when I began, Alicia texted me, "Soooooo jealous. That book..."  Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.  I read it. I listened to it. When I finished I wanted to start all over. And I kind of did with my Madrid 2020.

While there, I tried to go to as many places mentioned in the book as possible.

First stop? An unexpected stroll by Lhardy.  No time to pop in and never went by it again.  I was hoping to buy some violet candy there. We ended up doing that later in the week at a famous candy store instead.

The Prado was the first of many museums we visited.  I learned so much about Spanish art.  This is Velazquez outside the Prado. We also went to the Thyssen, Reina Sofia and the Sorolla as well as the Liria Palace and Royal Palace, all filled with magnificent works of art. The Sorolla wasn't on our itinerary but since it was in mentioned in the book, Ruth, Tari and I walked the few blocks over after the hotel. And we loved it.  Ruth says it is one of her favorite places. I can see why. The art was just so happy and sunny.

Museums stay open late in Madrid every night.  We were at the Sorolla till almost 8pm.

This photography display at the Reina Sofia that made me think of Daniel and Ben.

I had to find the cover photo and I did at Gran Via.

Alberto told me that the cover is not a continuous setting.  Is that the hotel on the right?

I didn't carry the print book with me, although I wish I did for photo purposes.  Instead, I showed everyone the cover from my Audible account.

We walked everywhere.  The one and only time we took city transportation was to get up to the hotel.  When we got there, Ruth kindly explained in Spanish to the doorman why we were there and he let us in.  The concierge shared that the lobby and fountain were all original.

We took a day trip to Escorial and the Valley of the Fallen.  It was tough to visit the Valley of the Fallen, especially after talking to Alberto and reading the book, but nonetheless we still went and it sparked conversation among our group.

I am now hooked.  Thank you, Alberto and Ruth (and Ruta).  Please, if after reading this blog post, you, too, want to discover the sites of Madrid through the eyes of Daniel, Ana, Nick, Ben, Puri, Rafa and the others, I'm available and would be very happy to be your guide. DM me immediately ;-)

Who is that handsome guy in the middle is? My cousin, Robert!
He is doing a semester abroad in Barcelona and came out to hang with us for a few days!

Churros at San Gines on our last night with Ruth and Alberto

Epilogue

This blog only scratches the surface of what we did and ate. Want to see more?  Zack and John vlogged during our whole trip.  Got about 7 minutes?  Videos of Day 1 and 2-3 are uploaded. Check them out! Warning: You may start craving churros and chocolate. Yum.





Day 2-3

Epilogue Part 2: Book in DC

Ruta and I met at a Penguin event during ALA in June. At that point, I had NO idea I would be going to Spain eight months later!

FINALLY: Book in Albany

Alicia met me today while I was shopping at our local food Co-Op.  She was doing a photo friendship tour this week and wanted to get one with me 😊 I planned ahead and brought a prop for the pic.

Reflecting as a Guest: Alicia, Ruta, NYC

That was a great 7.25 mile run. Not because I revel in humidity and live for the times when sweat just drips off my forehead as I untie my shoes, but because I had some time with Lina, Andrius, Joana, Jonas and all the rest of Ruta Sepetys's vivid characters.  While I should be listening to a middle grade novel from my Newbery contender reading list, I am secretly not. All fingers point towards my friend and YA lit mentor, Alicia Abdul, on why that isn't happening.  It's Alicia's fault I bawled in the middle seat on the way to TLA while reading Jeff Zentner's The Serpent King. It's her fault this is my second Ruta book.  And her fault I read every Jason Reynolds book last summer.  

What I am to elementary, Alicia is exponentially more to High School. She is amazing.  She knows her literature. She understands her audience and she is so perfectly organized.  Me? I feel so scattered and overwhelmed when I am with her.  She loves cute dresses and always looks adorably professional in them. Me? I love my converse, headbands and frequently do not even match when I dress for school.  No surprise that my favorite spirit week day is "Mismatch Day." Twice Alicia and I have presented back to back about new books.  I'm up there literally doing a chicken dance and racing through my presentation while Alicia has hers down to a science. In my humble opinion she's a Mary Poppins of secondary librarians.

So when she asked me to write a guest post on her blog you can only imagine the heart palpitations. What would I write about?  After several failed attempts I finally put it to rest to take a day off.  I started to write about a dream I had a few nights ago where I was offered a significant pay raise to move to a public library position. Boy did I struggle.  I love my job but it's always nice to have a little extra cash. I woke up in a pool of sweat before I made my final decision. However, as much as I love all libraries, I'll tell you now that I haven't finished making even a dent on the difference in the lives of my students at Castleton Elementary School. So if that dream becomes recurring, I know what number door to pick.

Then last night on our way home from New York City, I began to read aloud essays written by successful candidates to Hamilton College.  I awoke this morning with an idea for a post and you can read it all here:

https://readersbeadvised.wordpress.com/2017/07/22/a-guests-thoughts/

I may not have thought to put those words down on paper if it had not been for Alicia.  I could have said no to Alicia--it is summer and a busy time for me personally and professionally.  But I'm not good at saying "No" (possible future blog post topic?).  I also could have gone the safe route and written a review or again, just said "no."  But like Joe Pucci, I reflected on myself, took the leap, said "yes" to a superstar colleague and went for it.

Side note:  Between Shades of Gray is so good.  I have both the audio and print versions so I can read it anytime I have a moment to spare. Alicia and Ruta are buds and I was thrilled to fangirl her at TLA in April.

Ruta Sepetys discusses her novel, Between Shades of Gray from Penguin Young Readers Group on Vimeo.

Just me swooning over Ruta at TLA.  
If you read the blog post, here are a few more (food) pictures from yesterday's jaunt to the city:

We always take a selfie on our way down

Who can resist a NY bagel?  YUM!

At Momofuku on the Upper East Side

The leap of the day!

Salt to the Sea

As often as I can get out of my 1-2-0-3-3 zip code, or even better 5-1-8 area code, I do. Be it as it may, on this particular school break, until this afternoon, I had yet to physically manage to get much out of either. However, I did leave the 2-0-1-6 for several hours yesterday-this morning and am grateful to Ruta Sepetys for that experience.

I feel a little naughty, too, reading a young adult novel.  You know I love my middle grade and joke that I have a fifth grade reading level.  However, every once in awhile, and I mean while, it is nice to break away.  It is the season of naughty and nice after all, right?

My friend and amazing Albany HS librarian, Alicia Abdul, recommended Ruta Septeys to me back in the summer and I finally was able to download the book the other day.  As an ebook, there is no flap or back cover to get a hint of what the book was about.  And honestly, if Alicia told me (and I'm sure she did) I forgot and dove into it completely blind and naive about it all.  I believe because of this, I enjoyed the experience even more.  My heart raced faster, my jaw dropped further in surprise and my tears were saltier.  This is going to become my new go-to recommend book for young adults and up.

It is 1945 Prussia in a month where "January's teeth bit sharp." This vivid language from only a few pages got me hooked immediately.

Four young people.  Four different points of view:  Emilia, a Polish girl with a secret;  Joana, a hardworking Lithuanian nurse; Florian, a suspicious handsome man on a mission; and,  Alfred, a German soldier constantly writing updates in mental love letters.

Eventually, they all come together, along with 10,000 other men, women and children on board the Wilhelm Gustloff with visions of freedom on the other side of the Baltic Sea.  But, the Russians had another idea for this ship that was "pregnant with lost souls conceived of war.  They would crowd into her belly and she would give birth to their freedom..." and this is the story of hope, survival and sacrifice of those who end up together on this "ship...born of death."

I was quickly sold on Sepetys rich language and descriptions.  Here, Alfred in one of his mental letters to Hannelore, explains "...we heroes eat danger atop our porridge for breakfast..."  To be able to write like she does and get in the mind of this young German soldier is heroic and delicious enough for me.

Searching for freedom in an icy, snowy, cold January, Emilia describes:  "Snow was falling, making everything appear fresh.  The white snow covered the dark truth.  Pressed white linen over a scarred table, a crisp clean sheet over a stained mattress."  Line after line, page after page, the metaphors along with the historical significance, should make this a required reading for every high school student.

Only after finishing the book and reading the author's notes did I then go to her webpage.  I'm in awe and have her other two books on hold for me at the library.  I will indulge once again in YA.  I'm hooked and I know a few of you will be once you get your hands on Salt to the Sea, too.  You've heard me say this before but make sure your day and night are free (no putting down this one) and a box of Kleenex is nearby.

As an aside, Ruta Sepetys's website has a ton of resources available if you want to learn more about the Wilhelm Gustoff.  I know, I do.  Also, here is a great video of her talking about the book that includes many original photographs.  Just watching this video made me start crying again.



So, enjoy the characters.  Enjoy the language.  And let the story soak in. Most of all, take advantage of the escape from wheverever your zip code is.  Then listen to the advice from Joana's father and take a break because "Sometimes living life is more instructive than studying it." Ahhh...thank you Ruta for letting me live life outside the 1-2-0-3-3 for just a bit.