|
|
|
Member Letters
|
|
We love getting mail
from our members.
Send us
your letters and you may see them in this spot.
Read the
letter from
-
Sarah Grenton - U.S.
Embassy - Madrid, Spain
-
Ryan and Jaime Brown -
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
-
Steven A. Sutton, MD -
Lebanon, Ohio, USA
-
Ethel and Terry DeMarr
- Phoenix, AZ USA
-
Darla Pascal and Phil Von
Dullen
-
Kate Evans - Group
Leader, Atlanta. GA USA
-
Susan Hobbs of the London
based Wine Appreciation Society
-
Hugh Colburn - Chicago, Il
USA
-
Laura and Roger Traeger
-
St. Paul, Minnesota USA
|
Dear Stephen,
I want to thank you for
your tour of Madrid the night of December 22nd. It was wonderful,
despite the rain (!), and everyone had a fabulous time. We learned
lots of new information and I especially appreciated the
opportunity to visit new locations. I will add the restaurants to
our “Recommendations from Our Community” section in our Embassy
newsletter. The array of food at that last tapas stop by the Royal
Palace was fabulous. I took pictures of every tapa !! El Neru and
the Argentine place near Puerta del Sol were also a treat. Great
food! And thank you for the stop by La Opera de Madrid.
And let me say that you
have a great talent for handling the more vocal members of the
group through your humor and good nature. Thank you for that!
Let’s explore an
opportunity in the New Year for a talk at the Embassy.
Many thanks again,
Sarah
Sarah Genton
Community Liaison Officer
U.S. Embassy - Madrid, Spain |
|
My
Dear Chairman,
As I contemplate some of
the greatest memories of 2009, I continue to revisit the time my
wife and I spent with you in Madrid. Although our stay lasted four
days, the true appreciation for Madrid’s culture, history, and
people did not fully develop until the outstanding “Curiosities &
Anecdotes of old Madrid” tour on day three.
How can I properly say
thank you for the VIP look at Francisco de Goya’s original
etchings, the King’s seat at one of his favorite restaurants, a
peek at one of the basements where priests hid from Franco’s
Nationalist Army, a phone conversation with a member of
parliament, Hemingway’s staircase view, or the recommendation that
led to one of the most memorable meals of our life?
More incredible than the
afore mentioned is that you improved upon your first performance
with The “Bloody Madrid” and tapas tour on day four. Simply put,
it was amazing. The impromptu serenade by the beautiful voices of
La Opera de Madrid rendered us speechless and the connection you
had with the local Madrilenas and Madrilenos helped us feel as
connected. We are honored to have spent time with such a
well-versed historian; your propensity for the theatrical was only
matched by your knowledge.
Thank you for two days
we will never forget. We hope to make our way back to Spain soon
(although we found out we are expecting Lil’ Brown #4 shortly
after we made it home).
Sincerely,
Ryan “Indiana Jones” and Jaime Brown
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
PS: I’m determined to
earn the lifetime membership. |
|
Chairman,
I want to thank you for
showing me and my mother the true Madrid, Toledo and Segovia from
the eye of an historian. It is so much more enjoyable when one can
simply relax and let the Chairman put together the details of
these fascinating side trips. I especially appreciate the detailed
history lesson at every stop. Your ability to bring historical
characters to life with descriptions and the way you put the
listener at the scene of the crime in "Bloody Madrid" are amazing.
Your honesty, generosity and strong bond with the people of Spain
also show your commitment to excellence and to creating the best
experience for the traveler. For these and many more reasons you
are clearly head and shoulders above the rest. My mother and I
were lucky to have been able to procure your services and I will
certainly do it again in the future. After all, my wife needs to
see Madrid.
I am well into your new
book AIDE-DE-CAMP TO WELLINGTON'S CAVALRY CAPTAIN SAMUEL DUDLEY
and find it very interesting and well written.
Sincerely,
Steven A. Sutton, MD
Ohio, USA
ps I am working on
convincing my wife to go to England for our 20th...she seems to be
bent on a tropical getaway...but if I learned one thing from the
Chairman it is that persistence pays. After all, who else can find
an unmarked grave in a large cemetery. |
|
Chairman,
Our memories of Spain
will forever be linked to our time with you. The benefits of
membership in the Society exceeded our expectations. I could have
never anticipated that I would need dental assistance in Madrid
when we joined the society...but what would I have done without
your help in securing a dentist!!! From the tapas tour, to the
magical day in Chinchon, to the bull fight and the wine. we will
never forget our time with the Chairman ( not to mention the first
rate seats at the flamenco show and football tickets!)
But, the most amazing
experience was your birthday party..what an honor for us to be
included! The food and the company were first class! We had a
grand evening..you are not only a noted historian, but also a
great chef! We so enjoyed your friends..and the little glimpse of
your life in Madrid. We were truly fortunate to have such an
experience. We can never thank you enough for that.
We do hope all is going
well for you. We hope the book is coming along. If you and your
lovely bride ever make it this far west, please give us a
ring..we'd love to reciprocate!
And, if we ever see more
lights in the sky over Phoenix, we will call you right away!!!
Roman Terry will have the exclusive story!!!
Our fondest regards and
best wishes...from your future life members
Ethel and Terry DeMarr |
|
Dear Chairman,
It's weird how things
happen. What might have been the worst day Phil and I have ever
had on vacation, because of you (and James, too),
turned out to be one of the best! We had such a great time during
our evening with you and cannot thank you (and James)
enough for your warm welcome, care and concern, and delightful
tour of your favorite places.
Your anecdotes, meeting
your madrileno friends, eating wonderful tapas, drinking wine,
beer, sidra, and sherry will always be fondly remembered. And, our
good fortune in seeing you again on the day of the
bullfight--which I'm sure was as amazing as anticipated--was the
sure sign that our luck had turned. Your Madrid is fascinating
and, seriously, everything really IS good when one is with the
Chairman!
We really feel we made
two new friends, of the best kind, and are excited to visit you
again soon (maybe September, around the 14th and 15th). We will
definitely be working on obtaining that lifetime Wellington
Society membership! And a special thank for the wine
guide which we used with great success at Barajas airport.
We hope you like the
pictures and feel free to use any and all on the site.
Yours,
Darla Pascal and Phil
Von Dullen |
|
Querido Amigo
Our evening you was tremendously successful and enormous fun....just so
typical of the Chairman! Even though I knew it would be wonderful
and memorable occasion, it even exceeded my expectations.
Stephen, I am truly so
appreciative of all your time and hard work, not to mention the
tender loving care that you invested in our evening in Toledo. You
executed every detail to perfection, even your divine selection of
wife-to-be and 31 lovely ladies as your captive audience.
We loved the history,
your anecdotes, the group picture, and your selection of taverns
was the best. What fabulous food, outstanding service and fun
music!
Yes, Chairman, I will
always be grateful for the unforgettable evening just as you will
always have a very special place in my heart.
Your devoted Life Member
Kate Evans
Atlanta Georgia. USA |
|
UK Featured Member Letter
Hi Stephen,
Just a note to thank you for a most
entertaining tour of Old Madrid. Everyone in our group enjoyed
every minute of it and have been busy recounting the many amusing
stories you told. It helps to remember historic facts if they are
told in such an entertaining fashion.
The visits to the tapas bars were also
greatly appreciated and the wines and food
were excellent. I probably over indulged
in the vino as things are a little hazy from 5 o clock onwards,
but hey we were on holiday.
It was a pleasure to meet you and was
definitely the icing on the cake to one of the best weekends ever.
Thank you again and perhaps we'll see you
when we next come to Madrid, as we will certainly be returning.
Kind Regards
Sue Hobbs
PS The weather here is awful, icy winds
and rain. Oh for sunny Madrid
|
|
Dear Chairman,
I just wanted to thank you again for the
great time you showed Jim and I during our trip to Madrid. The
walking/tapas bar tour was very entertaining, and we enjoyed
visiting establishments which we wouldn't have found on our own.
Your insights and anecdotes truly made the evening.
Most of all, the procurement of tickets
for the bullfight was nothing short of brilliant, as was your
commentary during the fight. I feel that I have gained an
appreciation for a part of Spanish culture that has oftentimes
seemed like a caricature to an American such as myself. As I had
the privilege to witness, Enriques Ponce certainly can kill. The
entire event was the highlight of my 2 week trip to Spain, and I
will
remember it always.
The Duke of Wellington would be honored to
have you as the Chairman of the Society. Quality indeed!
Thank you again and very best regards,
Hugh Colburn
Chicago, IL, USA
|
|
Dear Chairman,
Well
it’s only taken one half of a year but I’m finally writing to thank you for
your assistance and kindness during our trip to Spain.
When we first arrived in Madrid we took Rick Steve’s advice and
participated in your walking tour. What started out as an extremely enjoyable experience turned
out to be even better than we could have ever imagined.
Two
days after our walking tour we attended the Sunday evening bullfight.
The bullfight in itself was quite an experience but what happened after
that is more amazing. During the
bullfight we purchased a poster to remember the evening.
I was particularly excited because the poster was printed only for that
evening’s event. I had thoughts
of framing and hanging it in our entertainment room.
It was a perfect memento from that evening. We coveted that poster.
We made sure nothing would happen to it. We protected it during the bullfight, during the ride home
and even bought a cardboard tube to protect it on the trip home. The
next day we left Madrid for a tour of the country. Poster in hand we headed, via taxi, for the fast train to
Seville. We arrived in Seville only
to discover that the poster was not with us.
Panicked we called the hotel and the train station to no avail.
That evening over a drink it came to us.
The Chairman said, “If there’s anything I can do for you, don’t
hesitate to call.” We thought, what do we have to lose. So, I picked up the phone to call you. You were so helpful and kind it was really touching.
You said you would get to work to try to locate a poster from that
evening. You instructed us to call
in a couple of days to find out your status.
When
we called you informed us that they recycle all the posters after the bullfight.
I was crushed. But, then you
said, “I have one more idea, call me back tomorrow.”
When we called back you had the most delightful news.
Your friend who owned a store had one posted and he gave it to you.
You
were going to mail it to us in the United States. However, we were coming back through Madrid to fly home.
We ended up meeting to receive the poster.
We have attached some pictures to commemorate the event.
We
sincerely want to thank you for going out of your way.
You didn’t have to go through the trouble you did but we appreciate it.
If we’re ever in Spain again we will definitely look you up. You are not only a gentlemen you are extremely entertaining.
Keep it up; we know there are a lot of people out there who will
thoroughly enjoy you.
Best wishes and God Bless,
Laura
and Roger Traeger
St.
Paul, Minnesota, United States
|
|
Copyright ©:
The Wellington Society of Madrid
www.wellsoc.org
|