Letter 21

The Solomonts

Once again, I have fallen behind in writing my Hola.  At this point, you can all guess why—we’re so busy.

I would have written this Hola before year’s end, but we were immersed in both our usual activities in addition to holiday parties and end-of-year festivities.  These included a Chanukah celebration, several other holiday gatherings, Santa’s visit with the Embassy’s children and of course, my birthday.

There are also many other things happening in Spain, following the election of a new government.  After eight years in power, the center- left party, PSOE, was beaten decisively by the center-right, Partido Popular (PP) in November elections.  The new government was installed right before Christmas.  One of the Embassy’s chief priorities is maintaining our strong relationship with the new government.  Alan and his team have worked hard to ensure that occurs, and I’d say they are off to a great start.

In December, we brought a group of business and government leaders to visit a US aircraft carrier on its way home from its deployment.  You may remember from last June’s Hola (# 16), we accompanied Navy Secretary Ray Mabus on a visit to the aircraft carrier, George H. W. Bush, as it was heading out on its mission.  We visited the same carrier, but this time we arrived on the ship, as it was moving!  We flew to the ship on a plane called a “COD” (Carrier On Board Delivery), landing on the ship’s flight deck.  We wore all sorts of protective gear; we were strapped in facing backwards, and with only two windows on the plane, you really don’t see much around you.  When you land, you stop fast.  Remember, it’s the flight deck on a ship, not an airport runway.  I was relieved to step out onto the ship, knowing I was safe.  Take off is scarier than landing, but thankfully we returned safely to the military base we left from.  Once again, it was a great experience to visit our men and women in uniform and to show our Spanish friends the power we can project to promote security around the world and it was wonderful to see Admiral Nora Tyson and Captain "Lex" Luther.

Alan and I traveled to the states for part of the holidays.  It was a welcome respite.  We had a wonderful time at home with Becca and Stephanie.  We visited my mom, ate in lots of our favorite restaurants and saw movies in English (with no subtitles or dubbing).  Once again, we enjoyed the warm embrace of home, but upon landing back in Madrid we hit the ground running.

The night of our return, we joined the Embassy’s Volunteers in Action (VIA) at the Niño Jesus Hospital, a local children’s hospital.  In December, VIA, our Marine Detachment and the American Club of Madrid joined together to mount a toy drive.  We visited the hospital to deliver over 150 toys to boy and girls who spent the holiday season in the hospital. It was truly heartwarming to see their faces light up when they received a gift.  About 30 volunteers from the Embassy community accompanied two Marines in dress uniform.  Much to the Ambassador’s dismay, the families and children we met only wanted their photos taken with the very handsome Marines.  He jokingly said, “that’s the last time I’m traveling with them”.  Not true at all.  We’ll travel with the Marines any time.

We receive a lot of positive feedback from Embassy staff and families about the Volunteers in Action program.  Embassy Madrid has made a real commitment to promote volunteerism in Spain, including within our own community.  Many of us, especially local staff are really engaged in these activities and are leading some of our efforts.  It’s rewarding to see our volunteer numbers grow and appreciate how volunteerism matters.

I continue to walk and explore Madrid as often as I can.  Stella needs to be walked every day so there’s always a chance to do a bit of exploring.  The weather here has been gorgeous.  Even though I get accused of being a “weather gloater”, I can’t help it.  Every day there’s a clear blue sky, sunshine and temperatures in the 50’s and 60s.  Local Madrilenos say they need the rain, and they do, but for those of us used to New England winters, it’s hard not to enjoy this.  On my walks, I’m often doing some window-shopping.  January is the month for “rebajas” or sales (literally means reductions).  Everything is well priced, and despite the tough economy, many people are out shopping.  One thing I find amusing is how some stores change their displays.  There are large signs in shop windows announcing “rebajas”, but many stores put brown paper over their window to undress their window displays.  It is almost as though the windows are showing their modesty, and you don’t see the new display until it’s ready.  It’s fun to watch and the windows eventually look great.  But it’s another charming element I’ve noticed while living here.

Many of you have asked about what kind of television we watch, and I’ve been eager to tell you.  The TV broadcasts we receive at the residence are brought to us by the Armed Forces Television Network (AFN).  Ours consists of seven channels.  Two of these stations are sports, one is CNN International, and the other four rotate their programming.  We don’t watch commercials advertising products, but we do see messages from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.  So for example, one station is the Pentagon Channel.  The Pentagon Channel broadcasts information regarding issues facing the military as varied as packing out, marrying abroad, and traveling with pets.  Sometimes military leaders in Europe and Washington provide updates on issues of importance.  I am up to date on weather forecasts around the world, and now I’m familiar with military bases around the world.

The programming schedule changes, and it hard to know what programs will be available.  There are some regulars.  Each morning I wake up to the ABC or NBC Nightly News, generally followed by the 3rd hour of the Today Show (but not the first 2 hours).  Other programs are more erratic.  I’d like to watch Modern Family, Homeland or Downton Abbey, but it’s hard to figure out when they are on.  I do get Good Morning America every night at 10 pm, and I’ve become a huge fan of George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts.

I suffered a major television disappointment when I couldn’t find the Golden Globes on any of the channels, but Alan and I were thrilled one midnight when we were able to watch the New England Patriots- Baltimore Ravens AFC Championship game.  We are very excited that the Pats will be in the Superbowl, and we’ll be rooting hard for them.  It will be on live after midnight here, so we’ll probably miss watching most of it.  Well hear about it from all of you.

Each year, his Majesty the King hosts a reception for the diplomatic corps, and we attended this year’s event last week.  It’s quite a thrill to walk into the Palacio Real (Royal Palace) to greet King Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia.  The Royal Family is always warm and friendly to us.  They occupy a very special place in this country, and it is an honor for us to know them.

We enjoyed a couple of special excursion this past month.  Our friends Bill and Donna Eacho (US Ambassador to Austria) invited us along with our Ambassadors to UNESCO, David and Kristin Killion, and Hungary, Elena and Markos Kounalakis, to join them in Vienna to attend some of the city’s famous balls.  Donna and Bill arranged for waltz and quadrille dance lessons and treated us with goulash, schnitzel and other Viennese delicacies.  Wearing ball gowns and white ties and tails, we attended two balls, danced the night away and watched Viennese society in action.  We even attempted the quadrille.  We have newfound respect for dancers of all kinds and we thank Donna and Bill for a really memorable weekend.

We spent last weekend in a beautiful region in Extremedura, in the western part of Spain.  I’ve mentioned before that hunting or “la caza” is a popular activity in some Spanish circles and one steeped in tradition.  Friends invited us to their “finca” or farm, which is really a luxurious hunting lodge with a beautiful main house, a separate guesthouse and set on magnificently landscaped property.  The main house was decorated with hunting trophies including wild boar, deer, mountain goat, and other species.  Hunting is a very social experience in Spain.  A group of 30 dined the night before, had breakfast together in the morning and gathered for a big lunch after the hunting.  Meals are an important part of the experience and also delicious.  Not all of us enjoy the hunting part, and I stayed at the finca to walk and read.  Those that hunted returned with reports of their success.  Like past trips, everyone dresses for the hunt.  It looks like a scene from Downton Abbey, men and women in hunting clothes, suede’s and leathers, fine wools and riding boots.  It was fun to admire everyone’s look, and the scenery is breathtaking.  We chalked this up to our cultural immersion, and it was fun to spend a weekend with old friends and new.

From the finca, Alan and I went to Caceres, an important city in Extremedura.  I’d been there before but I was looking forward to touring the city with Alan.  The old town (Ciudad Monumental) is almost completely intact with its ancient walls, palaces, churches and homes dating back to the 12th century.  Many buildings are identified by family crests and coats of arms including the Carvajal Palace, which was built between the 15th and 16th centuries and refurbished in the 20th century.  We have friends in Madrid named Carvajal who are descendants of the same family.  It’s pretty remarkable to know a family who can track their history back so far in time.

Caceres also has updated features including a terrific Relais and Chateau hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant, Atrio, where we had a great meal.  Travel buffs, add this to your must see list.
 
This being my first Hola of the New Year, I want to wish everyone a happy 2012.  Let’s hope this year brings some improvement to the difficult problems the world faced in 2011, and to all our friends out there, much love, joy and inner peace.

All my best

Susan

Hola’s are also available on Us can also be found on the US Embassy Madrid website.