Wisspaña -- 48 hours of John Wissman in Madrid, Spain.

(Written one week after the departure of John Wissman from Madrid...)

My body is still in pain while writing this blog post.  In fact, I've been sick for the last three days.  Nancy and I left our apartment only 3 times (combined) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  These are the effects from a visit of John Wissman to your neighborhood.  Please, lock the door and put the women and children to bed.

Let's start at the end ... here is how our 48 hours in Madrid ended, here is the picture that will forever immortalize Wisspaña -- John laying semi-conscious in our hotel room, with a ladder(where did this come from?) laying across the beds.  I find it extremely appropriate that the photo is blurry.

It's okay, he's still alive.

For the man than needs no introduction to most, he is a close friend of ours and was a groomsman in our wedding.  John and I met through selling books at The Southwestern Company and the first thing he will tell you is he is from Texas and went to University of Texas – he will probably be wearing a burnt orange shirt.  More importantly, he has raised by a wonderful woman that everyone loves and adores, Paula Wissman.  I mean, really a great woman -- such a ray of sunlight.

Nancy and I are always beyond excited when we have friend(s) make the journey to come visit -- we love getting to host friends in our new 'world' and feel connected to our friends back home.  We have a lot of friends that always tell us, "we really want to come visit".  Until this weekend, John was one of those friends.  We realize flights to Europe aren't cheap, along with getting time off work, etc.  Most 'normal' people will take their time to carefully research flights, pick the precise week to get off work, etc.  Typically, we are able to put together a fun list of things to do and places to see.  However, this visit was a little different as John did none of those things.

We found out that John would be visiting us in Spain less than 24 hours before he arrived.  I read his email at 11:30am on Saturday morning that was informing us that he would be landing the next morning, Sunday, at 9am in Madrid.  We received no warning, only a 4 line message that read, "Todd, I'm jumping into your world.  Yes, I am the coolest person in the world and coming to see you in Spain, we will arrive there in the morning.  Please take care of us and let’s have some fun".

Nancy and I were thrilled, but also the difficult reality of getting to Madrid, along with figuring out what we could possibly do in Madrid on a Sunday and Monday was challenging.  For tourists in Spain, Monday can feel more like a Sunday than Sunday does because a lot of the museums and stores are closed on Monday, while some stay open on Sunday.  We had no plan, no hotel, and because of the weird train schedule, it would be almost impossible for us to get to Madrid on a Sunday morning.

Not to waste time, Nancy and I both pulled out our laptops and each of us probably had 10 windows open on each computer screen, trying to figure out a hotel, transportation, what would be open, and not to mention John forgot to send us his itinerary -- presumably the effects of purchasing your tickets at 4:38am EST.  I'm pretty sure alcohol was involved in his decision-making process.  Sidenote:  It would be great idea to become friends with John as he is now apparently in the habit of purchasing last-minute tickets to Madrid for your birthday -- this time, Shonda Howard, our very fun new friend from NYC -- with a seemingly endless supply of business cards -- was on the receiving end of John’s generosity.  Happy Birthday … present!

To fast forward, Nancy and I managed to find a last minute room for the 4 of us (slumber party!) in the heart of Madrid, aligned a vague list of things to do and see, and eventually located a train that could get us to Madrid.

... I'm not sure what exactly happened in the following 48 hours ... we remember some, don't remember most.  It’s more like flashes of memories when we look at the pictures.  But, it was absolutely one of the most fun 48 hour periods spent with a group of 4 that Madrid has ever experienced.

The siesta was introduced and deeply embraced.

Our guests learned about 'clara' (Spanish beer with a splash of limon), 'tinto de verano' (similar to Sangria) and eating tapas until we were stuffed, only to stand up, walk across the street and eat more tapas.

We visited the beautiful Parque del Retiro.  In the light rain, we were drinking cheap but delicious wine (I was scolded for attempting to purchase a 7€ bottle – shame on me), where John showed us how not to pour wine (since it ended up all over my hand).

We went to a popular discoteque (Serrano 41).

We drank more wine.

We instructed further about the art of eating ‘tapas’.

 They tasted the perfect ‘jamon iberico’.

John, feeling very Spiderman-y, attempted to scale the ‘town hall’ building.

We had “Danza Kaduro” on repeat.
ETC.
ETC.
More wine and tapas and "Danza Kaduro".
ETC.

Here are a couple more images from the weekend that was Wisspaña.

John with Shondra and Nancy -- sippy cups!

Acting normal and reasonable in a cafe at Plaza Mayor.

John is so cute when he gets excited!

And you thought I was kidding about Spiderman ... shortly before the police arrived.  Puerta del Sol.

 

Wine at Parque del Retiro. Madrid.

John and I.

Let the madness begin… Rebajas!

Two times a year people in Spain are given the chance to do some serious shopping!  Similar to “Black Friday” in America, in Spain they have “Rebajas.”  The only difference is “Black Friday” is a 1 day sale and “Rebajas” is a 2-month period of what can best be descried as a sales frenzy, and actually occurs twice a year.  “Am I in heaven?” you ask?!?  YES!!!!!!!!!  (If only my budget didn’t exist, but Todd is too smart for that!)

So if you find yourself in Spain between the months of January/February OR in July/ August … go crazy, just like all the Spanish people!  Everything is on sale.  And not just 10% off… everything is 50-70% off!  Incredible!!!  But, be forewarned, you will have to work for it!  

This is where the "madness" comes in, and why this topic deserves its own blog post.  Rebajas isn't just 'a sale'-- it's an entire experience.  From the moment you walk in a store, you will be sorting, picking and rummaging through racks of clothes that aren’t organized by style, size or color (if they still happen to be hanging on the hanger and not on the floor), fighting off old ladies who elbowing their way past you, and then heading to the dressing room, only to wait in line to try on the ‘less than 6 items’ you’re allowed to bring in at a time.  

Once you’ve finally made your selection you head to the check-out line only to search for the end.  Your first task is trying to locate the last person in line, normally you literally have to ask “Quien es la última?” (Who is last?) – Spaniards aren’t great about waiting in line and staying there and they will take any chance they can get to cut in line (feels like Kindergarten?!?).  Once you finally reach the end, you realize there are at least 15 people ahead of you and only one cashier checking people out.   At this point you ask yourself, is it worth it?  I’m not going to lie, sometimes times I look at the article(s) of clothing in my hand and say forget it and walk out, but sometimes it’s worth the 20 minute wait, and when you walk out you feel SO exhilarated – you got a great deal on something you really like, you survived shopping with the locals, and then you’re on to the next store…

The Men's dress-shirts section.

Are there more clothes on the hangers or on the floor?

The stack of clothes waiting to be put back from the dressing room.

In America after Christmas, I’ll speak for myself and say that I’m usually pretty short on cash.  But here in Spain it’s quite the opposite.  Where do these Spaniards get all their money?  We're still not quite sure… 

Christmas in Amsterdam, Belgium beer and waffles, and New Year's in Paris!

The last two weeks have been such a dream.  We both remember thinking at different times, when going through the daily grind of life in the US, wishing we could ‘one day’ take some sort of super cool vacation to Europe, well, it's an awesome feeling to get to live out some of our dreams this Christmas.  It’s not that we really needed a vacation from our job, but … we had two weeks off from our “tough” schedule for the Christmas holidays, so couldn’t let that time go to waste.

Nancy gets credit for piecing this Christmas wonderland vacation together -- we were destined for Amsterdam, Belgium and a week in Paris.  It was great because we actually had two of our friends from Atlanta flying over to meet us in Paris for New Years.  Official shout out to the one and only power couple of the Virginia Highlands, Liz and Mike Stanton.

Not quite our exact route... but you get the idea.

We spent four days in Amsterdam, and it quickly became one of our favorite cities in Europe.  The city is beautiful and the people were cool, a great vibe throughout the entire city.  A lot more to offer than hookers and weed...  All of the canals, crooked buildings, sea of bicycles (dangerous at times), Boom Chicago comedy shows, Anne Frank House and the Van Gogh museum  are the things that stood out to us.  We spent our first Christmas together in Amsterdam; it was a very special way for Nancy and I to share this holiday.

Tasting some 'local' beer at the Heineken Experience.

Christmas Eve morning... heading to go on a walking tour of the city!

The traditional Dutch clogs.

We ran into this guy wearing the Georgia beanie right after a Christmas Eve service we attended... incredible! He wasn't affiliated with UGA in any way, he only knew the bulldog was the mascot of "some university in the United States"... we did our best to set the story straight!

Posing with Santa!

The Anne Frank House.

Lots of crooked buildings.

After Amsterdam, we spent the next three days in three different cities throughout Belgium -- Brussels, Ghent and Bruges.  Brussels, the unofficial capital of Europe and the EU, was somewhat disappointing, but Ghent and Bruges were incredible and we quickly forgot about lackluster Brussels.  The weather wasn’t great in Belgium, but the Belgium beer and waffles more than made up for the lack of sunshine.  Sidenote:  We are now professionals at drinking Belgian blond beers.  I venture to say we tried over 25 varietals between the two of us, in our short 72 hour span in the country.

The beer list outside our first bar in Brussels... needless to say it was hard to make a decision!

The main attraction of Brussels... Mannekin Pis.  A disappointingly small statue of a little boy peeing into a fountain.

Colorful chocolate fountains of Mannekin Pis.

Mussels in Brussels!

The Christmas markets were a highlight of traveling over the holidays.

Eating a Belgian waffle "like a local"... with only a little butter and powdered sugar.  Apparently it is 'very American' to put whipped cream and other toppings on your waffle.

Ghent was incredible because of the amazing skyline, created by numerous  spires, clock towers and cathedrals.  Enhancing our night in Ghent were our accommodations -- were lucky to get a room at the Ghent Marriott right along the Lys river – incredible.

Oh Belgian chocolate... how could we forget to mention you?!? 

Bruges was a small little town, full of one and two story buildings, and endless canals criss-crossing the city.  They also filmed the cult movie classic “In Bruges” here, with Colin Farrell.  It was a city I’ve always wanted to visit, so I was glad we had the chance to swing through it, before heading to Paris.

The Bruges Belfry.

A little overpriced... but we climbed the 366 steps to the top for some pretty awesome views of the city.

We were really looking forward to meeting Mike and Liz at our hotel on the December 30^th.   It was such a cool moment when we finally saw them face to face, it was great to see more familiar faces from home.  Liz had been to Paris several times before, so she unknowingly signed-up to be our tour guide for the three days we were together.   Paris wasn't as easy to navigate as I would have expected.  Not traveling-wise, but all of the French people and their fierce pride for their language and culture, made it “interesting” at times.  I made the mistake of speaking Spanish (how dare I!), instead of French, and the bus driver ripped into me, and quickly let me know that “we don’t speak Spanish here, thank you very much”.  Duly noted, sir.

Our midnight New Years celebration was absolutely epic and unforgettable.  Mike and I were enjoying our spirits, while the girls were drowning in wine.   Is it okay to say that?  As midnight approached, we meandered down the fully-packed and fenced-off Champs Elysees (street).  Around 11:45pm, they took down all of fencing and allowed the crowd to flood onto the streets.  So, here we found ourselves, four Americans in the middle of one of the most famous streets in the world (at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Metro stop, no less),  looking down towards the Arc de Triomphe, with the Eiffel Tour rising on our left.  I will never forget all the of the lights in the trees synchronized with the countdown to New Years, staring down the street towards the Arc de Triomphe, while the crowd screamed in anticipation.  Then as everyone begins to scream “Bonne Année” (Happy New Year’s in French) at midnight, the Eiffel Tour literally begins to sparkle with it’s hourly light show.  It was an amazing way to ring in the new year!

Group shot in front of the Sacre Coeur - beautiful!

Todd and Mike bought a baguette to "feel more Parisian" - then they decided to carry it around for an ENTIRE day...

Jumping picture in front of the Eiffel Tower at sunset... the colors of the sky were unbelievable!

Liz and Mike brought some great NYE party favors with them to Paris =)

Todd and Mike decided they wanted to "dress up" for New Years.

An unforgettable New Years with great friends!

Champs Elysees on NYE

In front of the Louvre.  We got some strange looks for this one!

After Mike and Liz left, we spent the rest of the week being super-tourists, but the best part was spending the last four days with a bookguy I met on a trip to Egypt in 2008.  We stayed at his apartment, which made Paris much more affordable and it was nice to hang out with a local in his neighborhood.  We met some of his friends, so now we have an awesome group of friends in Paris and ready to go back anytime.  Thank you Jonathan Hababou!

Another crazy thing was reuniting with a “long-lost friend” I met one night in Prague in 2007.  He was from Paris and we kept in touch sporadically, I sent him a Facebook message and the next thing we know, he was cooking Nancy and me a French dinner with his girlfriend in their Parisian apartment.  Getting to experience Paris with the locals was a very memorable part of our trip.  Thank you Fabrice Desprats!

Now, we are back in Linares before our next visitors arrive … put your hands together for a warm welcome … the sender of the best care packages in the world … setting foot in Europe for the very first time … my parents, Bill and Sharon Perzel.  We are hoping for a busy Spring full of visitors, my parents are coming for two and half weeks, Nancy's parents will be visiting for 10 days in April, Nancy’s brother, Matt, and later we are hoping to have several more friends coming to visit!

It’s always refreshing to return ‘home’ to Linares, to appreciate the simple, slower-paced life.  It reminds us, how simple things can be in life, if we only allow it.  I don’t think we are ever bored, and it’s not ‘slow’ in the sense that there isn’t anything to do, only we get to spend much more time doing what we want to do, not doing something that we constantly feel the  “need” to be doing.  It's always the perfect reset and recharge for the next big adventure.

How to celebrate Christmas in Spain?

First off, celebrating ‘Christmas’ in Spain is a rather new occurrence.  Who are these atheistic people, you ask?  Not exactly.

The day that Americans celebrate Christmas (December 25^th) – children going to bed early, leaving cookies and milk for Santa, waking up early, running downstairs to unwrap presents – is actually celebrated in Spain on January 6^th.  In Spain, this day is called Dia de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Wise Kings).  The Spanish typically give and receive presents on the day the three wise men were believed to have arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts for baby Jesus.  This actually makes a lot of sense.

We are normally frowned upon whenever we are forced to admit we don’t know the names of the three kings – we have since learned and subsequently memorized them for fear of further humiliation -- Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar.  It's surprisingly embarrassing to be laughed at by the 'all-knowing' 10 year-old Spanish child.  Next time you find yourself in Spain around Christmas time, impress a Spaniard by memorizing these three names!  While we would admit that we didn’t know the names of the Three Wise Men, in desperation we would attempt to prove our worth by telling them we could quickly recite the names of all 9 reindeer…. I don’t think they were impressed.

Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen ... and the most famous reindeer of allllll ... Rudolph!

 

Christmas celebration Spanish style is celebrated with Noche Buena (Great Night) on December 24^th – the biggest of all feasts, where families travel from all over the country to join family in the most mammoth of all dinners.  Typically, December 25^th is a day of relaxing.  With a dose of Western TV and movies, Spanish families are only in the last 3 years beginning to give presents on this day.  Main reason?  So kids have more time to play with their toys before returning to school.  Thank you Home Alone?

The next big event is Noche Vieja (Old Night), this is another dinner on December 31^st where usually the immediate family will get together for another large dinner.  This works perfectly for celebrating New Years, since dinner in Spain doesn’t typically start until 10pm.  After dinner and before midnight, it’s imperative that the family come prepared with grapes … yes grapes.  Unless you want bad luck for the next year, at the stroke of midnight, you will find yourself munching down on 12 grapes, but please, not all at once.  At midnight, every Spaniard that is not in the Plaza del Sol (the Time’s Square of Madrid), has their television tuned in to watch and listen to the ringing of bells.  At midnight, the ringing of bells begin, it’s a testament to your concentration to keep up.  You are supposed to eat one grape, each time the bell is rung -- a total of 12 times.  However, these aren’t the American grapes where you can simply chew .  The grapes in Spain are huge, much larger than we are used to and come with seeds.   Each individual has their own strategy for removing the seeds and eating their grapes.  To each their own, but please make sure you finish your twelfth and final grape by the last bell ring.

Seductive eating, optional.

 Pretty sure this 'google image' is from the 90's, but whatever.

Finally, on the day before the Three Kings arrive (which is always January 5^th), there is always a large parade called cabalgata.  Through the streets of Spain, arrive three, somewhat scary looking ‘kings’.  They travel to all the houses in Spain that night, bringing their gifts.  It’s important for children to leave out a glass of water for the camels, lest they get thirst and can't continue … sound familiar?

Hello, Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar.