View From a Tall Dude: New Year’s in Madrid

Two Passports presents: View From a Tall Dude — well, that’s the tentative title, until I think of a better one. (Got a better idea? Let me know in the comments.) I just got a GoPro Hero HD camera for Christmas, which means I’ll be able to take all sorts of videos on my travels through Europe this summer. I got started early this time with my trip to Spain for New Year’s Eve.

This one takes place at Plaza del Sol. Oriented at the exact center of not just Madrid but the entire country of Spain, Plaza del Sol plays host to the main New Year’s Eve celebration. In Madrid, citizens show up with a bag of twelve grapes to listen to the clock tower bells ring. Eating one grape for each chime means a year of good luck. It also is cause for some bizarre silence at the stroke of midnight, followed by exuberant cheering.

¡Feliz año!