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.