Rejuvenate means “give new energy or vigor to; revitalize; restore a youthful appearance to.”
Recreation means “activity done for enjoyment when one is not working.” (I also like to think of it as creating anew.)
Relajarse means “to relax or unwind; find a mental and physical state of relaxation.”
-Oxford Languages
Spaniards definitely have mastered all 3 of these. In addition to having a ton of holidays, they take holidays (vacations) like people in the States only dream of. I learned today that for the month of July, everyone reduces their working hours to 9:00-2:00, only 4 days a week. After a month of 3 day weekends, the entire country basically shuts down, and many head to the beach. Most people don’t work for the month of August. (If this synchronized vacation sounds familiar, it is. It’s what they do in Norway.) It’s hard to imagine this kind of collective rejuvenation, recreation, and relajando.
So far, the customs in Madrid fit really well with my natural rhythms. Every day, they still stop in the middle of the afternoon for a leisurely lunch and possibility of a siesta. Dinner time usually starts at 9:00pm.
Today, Jodi, Pritch, Chad and I went into heaven, I mean downtown, to have a walk around. I love the city streets, the trees, the plazas, the churros and chocolate…The heavenly taste of a churro (a sweet dough that is shaped like a fat straw) dipped into warm chocolate (think of hot fudge) was the perfect way to rest after covering some ground in the city. The restaurant has been there since the late 1800s, which is just crazy to me.
It’s also crazy to me that there’s a restaurant called Mesón del Champiñon (Restaurant of the Mushroom) that is still open. It’s been there since 1964, but what matters most to me is that it’s been there since 1988. I went on a short trip with my high school Spanish teacher, Sra. Burket, my best friend, Stacy, and a few other classmates to Madrid and Paris. That Spring Break changed the trajectory of my life.
When we got to Madrid, I remember vividly going to the McDonald’s and asking in Spanish where the restroom was. (Of course.) I was giddy that I understood the instructions. But the place I really spoke in Spanish for the first time “in the real world” was the Mesón del Champiñon.
It is a restaurant that one could easily walk past, on a street just outside of the Plaza Mayor.
It had stone walls and felt like a cave, but a happy cave. (Possibly because they also had very kind servers and excellent sangría.) I remember placing my order and even having some small talk with our server. I was hooked. When I came back to school, I joined the Spanish Club and decided that I would double major in Spanish in college.
Literally because of that encounter on that trip, I pursued fluency in the language. I have had many rich life experiences that I couldn’t have done without learning Spanish. I did the double major and eventually studied abroad in both Costa Rica and Uruguay, where I met “framily” (friends that become family) like Bev and Matias. I taught 6-9th grade. I co-founded a non-profit in Guatemala and have enjoyed life changing relationships with more “framily” there and at home. I shared my love of Spanish with the kids, and that led to Emily studying abroad in Ecuador, where she met her husband, Carlos.
And I can trace it all back to the Mushroom Restaurant.
In 2012, our friend, Lindsey, joined Boden, Emily, and me in Spain for a few days. I said I wanted to see if we could find where the restaurante used to be. I followed my 16 year old self to a corner of the Plaza, asked someone about it, and I was surprised to find it still there, right where I had left it 24 years before.
That place is something special. We went by there today on our walk. It’s still there, right where I left it. And we’re going back for my birthday on Friday. It’s fun to re-collect memories. It’s also fun to rejuvenate, recreate, and relajarse. Doing plenty of those today.
P.S. Eat more churros!
FOOTNOTES
Thanks mom! She’s the one that made it possible for me to go on that trip, and I will forever be grateful.
If you want the best mushrooms, check this out: https://mesondelchampinon.com/en/ They say on their website: “Whether you are from Madrid or you are a tourist, if you do not come to eat something with us, you will not really have lived or enjoyed Madrid: you will simply have passed by.”
Writing prompts:
When have you found something you thought was lost?
framily (friend that is like family)
re-creation