Page 149 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL SUMMER 2022 DISCOVERING MADRID

The sauna door pulls open and Leena rushes
back in and sits down on the bench. “Ah, that was
so excellent,” she says. “You are missing a won-
derful experience.” Okay, I guess I have to do this
after all. I don wool socks, pull my towel around
my waist, and step out into the inky blue night.
I’m so overheated that I don’t even feel the cold
as I run towards the hole in the frozen lake. I
throw down the towel, grab the rungs of the lad-
der, submerge until only my head is above water,
and scream YEEEE-HAWWWWWW at the top of
my lungs. Quickly, I climb back up, grab my
towel, and run back to the heat of the sauna.
After dinner, still proud of myself, I stand outside
in the blackness staring up in awe at the Northern
Lights, like a colossal green genie dancing across
the expanse of the entire sky.

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