Handling Jet Lag with Food and Wine

I somehow managed to get about three restless hours of sleep on the flight to Brussels (it would have been more restful if that lady had gone to sleep like everyone else and not played solitaire on her very bright screen all night).  Then three hours up during my layover in Brussels.  I was tempted to sleep at the gate but that proved impossible, since there were a million people there lying the floor.  (It’s an interesting airport with two concourses, one for non-EU flights and one for EU flights, with an immigration checkpoint in the middle.)  I added another hour and a half of sleep on the way to Madrid (scored an exit row).

I arrived in Madrid feeling pretty good and easily navigated the metro to my hotel.  Israel was about an hour or so behind me, so I went to get some lunch at a mesón near my hotel.  The concierge recommended a neighborhood place just off the Gran Vía.  It clearly was: an older couple was welcomed to have their afternoon ‘cervecita’ and a family came in soon thereafter and the kids were warmly greeted by the waiter with hugs.  How to cope with my tiredness.  A glass of vino tinto.  Delicious.  Hit the spot.  Perfect accompaniment to the bocadillo de jamón ibérico, tortilla, and croquetas de jamón.  



After walking around for about ½ hour to the Plaza de España, Israel arrived, famished, and we went for him to have lunch.  He ordered his almuerzo español and a half bottle of vino tinto (a nice rioja) of which I partook.  I didn’t want him to drink alone.

After walking around and seeing the Palacio Real, Monumento a Cervantes, and the Cathedral, we decided to stay for the vigil mass for Palm Sunday.  With the reading of the passion.  We could barely stay standing.  All of the jetlag caught up with us right at that moment.  Israel felt he was losing his balance and I kept shifting position to stay awake. “¡Crucifíquenlo, crucifíquenlo!”





Time for.... coffee.  



Un espresso, right across from the Cathedral hit the spot. Wine at that moment would have done me in.  

Spent the rest of the evening walking through old Madrid and stumbled on the Mercado San Miguel.

It’s a marketplace of wine and Spanish tapas.  ‘Nuff said.

We decided that’s where we would have dinner.

We continued exploring and visited Plaza de la Villa, Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, and enjoyed the city, which was bustling with people walking and enjoying a beautiful Madrid day.

By 8 o’clock, we were ready for some dinner and sampled a series of delicious tapas with bacalao, pulpo, atún, anchoas, and sardinas, plus some croquetas.  

And wine.  

And another wine.

We ended up meeting Bob Reina at our hotel to connect with and catch up, and got to meet his son, Robby, who was with him (Robby is studying in Prague this semester).  Israel almost fell asleep on the sofa in the lobby and headed up.  I waited to connect with Manny Hadad, who was out and about with his son and his mother.  

We will see what Sunday holds. 

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