Life is good in San Sebastian.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Zarautz
We went to a little pueblo on the beach called Zarautz yesterday. After the quick train ride, we soaked up some more sun, played smashball, walked the little streets and plazas, and spent more time than we would have liked in a Kebab fast-food place, that was anything but fast. Nice little town, and a nice little Saturday.
Pintxos
Pronounced "pinchos". Spaniards love this tradition for all meals. You just stand at the bar, grab what you want and eat it. Anything you take is about 3 euro each, so it can be expensive. Almost every place you go here serves up their food like this - the bars are the most popular. I still prefer ordering my food, getting it hot, and eating it sitting down. But when we walk through "Parte Vieja" the hundreds of bars that line the narrow streets are always packed with hundreds of people enjoying pintxos and drinks. One of the liveliest parts of San Sebastian is Parte Vieja. It sits right in between the 2 main beaches, La Concha and Zurriola and it's the only place where you can go at any time and something will be open.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Weekly observations
We sat on a bench having lunch by the beach when Sean spilled salsa all over himself while prepping his bocadillo. I laughed but the French guy next to us offered us some tissue. It was one of those random acts of kindness that makes me love people and I hope I would be thoughtful enough if rolls were reversed.
A tiny, blond girl, who couldn't have been more than 12 years old ripping, shredding, killing it, or whatever you want to call it in the water... She was one of the best surfers out there, also the smallest. I almost felt like a proud parent, and wanted to jump up and start cheering her on.
Weird, or cute? The parents here dress all their adorable little children in matching outfits. At first I thought, "oh, cute, all those kids are dressed in the same outfits", like something out of The Sound of Music. But then I started noticing that ALL parents do this, all the time. And all ages of kids from 0-13 years old, boy or girl, they have the same exact matching outfits on. Is this to make sure you can always identify them in a crowd? So you know who they belong to? I personally think it would create identity issues. Especially when I see a 10-year old boy wearing the same outfit as his 5-year old sister. Seriously, I think unless you are taking a family portrait, let your kids wear what they want. On a side note, all the kids are dressed immaculately here too. Their little Mary Janes and neat little hair bows always match their pretty little dresses. It's very cute and sweet, but what happens when they want to roll around in the grass or something?
Since moving to the the lovely beaches of Spain, we have seen our fair share of topless women. It's almost becoming normal to us, but frolicking on the beach naked really isn't cute after the age of 3. We have now seen a couple men hanging out on the beach completely naked, on different occasions. This doesn't even raise eyebrows here, except for the tourists, who gape and take photos. Although we try to act normal and mature about this, Sean usually turns away as I stare and giggle.
Although San Sebastian is considered a city of Spain, the people who actually live here believe it to to be separate. Being in The Basque Region, the locals even speak a different language, called "Euskara" or "Basque", which sounds completely different than Spanish. Everyone who speaks Basque, usually also speak Spanish, but all road signs, street signs, restaurant or bar signs, etc. are in Basque. Reading it is even more strange than hearing it because the pronunciation of certain letters is totally different - for example a "tx" makes a "ch" sound. It's very confusing. I have even found myself watching cartoons or something on TV, and Sean will walk in and say, "Do you understand this, because they are speaking Basque." The locals are trying to preserve their Basque traditions and cultures. We even read a sign that said, "You are in the Basque country, this is neither Spain or France."
Last one, mullets are back and in full force here. No joke either, everyone has one - guys, girls, kids, parents, elderly - long ones, short ones, dreadlock ones, little rat-tail ones, blond ones, brown ones, dyed funky color ones, you name it, they got it. People wear them proudly. Sean and I are the only ones who chuckle at this about a hundred times a day. "Business in the front, party in the back"...it's really not a good look for anyone.
A tiny, blond girl, who couldn't have been more than 12 years old ripping, shredding, killing it, or whatever you want to call it in the water... She was one of the best surfers out there, also the smallest. I almost felt like a proud parent, and wanted to jump up and start cheering her on.
Weird, or cute? The parents here dress all their adorable little children in matching outfits. At first I thought, "oh, cute, all those kids are dressed in the same outfits", like something out of The Sound of Music. But then I started noticing that ALL parents do this, all the time. And all ages of kids from 0-13 years old, boy or girl, they have the same exact matching outfits on. Is this to make sure you can always identify them in a crowd? So you know who they belong to? I personally think it would create identity issues. Especially when I see a 10-year old boy wearing the same outfit as his 5-year old sister. Seriously, I think unless you are taking a family portrait, let your kids wear what they want. On a side note, all the kids are dressed immaculately here too. Their little Mary Janes and neat little hair bows always match their pretty little dresses. It's very cute and sweet, but what happens when they want to roll around in the grass or something?
Since moving to the the lovely beaches of Spain, we have seen our fair share of topless women. It's almost becoming normal to us, but frolicking on the beach naked really isn't cute after the age of 3. We have now seen a couple men hanging out on the beach completely naked, on different occasions. This doesn't even raise eyebrows here, except for the tourists, who gape and take photos. Although we try to act normal and mature about this, Sean usually turns away as I stare and giggle.
Although San Sebastian is considered a city of Spain, the people who actually live here believe it to to be separate. Being in The Basque Region, the locals even speak a different language, called "Euskara" or "Basque", which sounds completely different than Spanish. Everyone who speaks Basque, usually also speak Spanish, but all road signs, street signs, restaurant or bar signs, etc. are in Basque. Reading it is even more strange than hearing it because the pronunciation of certain letters is totally different - for example a "tx" makes a "ch" sound. It's very confusing. I have even found myself watching cartoons or something on TV, and Sean will walk in and say, "Do you understand this, because they are speaking Basque." The locals are trying to preserve their Basque traditions and cultures. We even read a sign that said, "You are in the Basque country, this is neither Spain or France."
Last one, mullets are back and in full force here. No joke either, everyone has one - guys, girls, kids, parents, elderly - long ones, short ones, dreadlock ones, little rat-tail ones, blond ones, brown ones, dyed funky color ones, you name it, they got it. People wear them proudly. Sean and I are the only ones who chuckle at this about a hundred times a day. "Business in the front, party in the back"...it's really not a good look for anyone.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Biarritz
We went to Biarritz, France last weekend, which was just a quick train ride across the boarder from Spain. It is really amazing that even though San Sebastian and Biarritz are so close, they are so very different, and it is very clear that when you are in San Sebastian you are in Spain and when you are in Biarritz you are in France. The second we crossed the boarder, we didn't hear a word of Spanish, and the whole atmosphere was different. I absolutely adore Biarritz. There isn't a city of France that I haven't fallen in love with yet, and Biarritz definitely won me over immediately. The first time around, when we made a stop before heading to San Sebastian, we had our big bulky backpacks full of all of our belongings, it was slightly cold and rainy and we spent a short amount of time there. This time around, the weather was glorious - warm and sunny, but a little breezy and we got to see much more. It is a rather small town, covered in big, blue and pink hydrangea flowers, filled with the French bistros and little soap boutiques that I adore, surfers, surf shops and the language that I love to hear but don't understand a word of. Although I am getting better at saying, "bonjour", and "merci". We relished in a fantastic lunch in a little sandwich shop, where the owner took our order and made sure our food was perfect. He was so kind, and you could tell he was the type of person who takes real pride in the food he makes. When I asked to add mustard to my sandwich, he said, "with chicken?!" I gave an embarrassed look and said, "no?" He smiled and said he would put a delicious sauce of his own on my sandwich, and I would love it. I ordered a cold sandwich with chicken, egg and lettuce, and his special sauce, on a whole, huge, soft, buttery baguette, and I did love it. After lunch we shopped around, I tried on a million sunglasses that I could never afford, and smelled all the pretty and luscious soaps and potpourri that I couldn't resist as we walked by, then we went to the beach where Sean surfed and I watched. Tons of French surfers filled the bright waters, but I could always spot Sean amongst them all far out there. As the sun went down, we grabbed a cool, fresh, raspberry-banana smoothie, which you definitely wouldn't find anything like anywhere in Spain or Italy. Biarritz was bright, friendly, lively and clean and we had a lovely day. We are tempted to move up that way next month, but would seriously need to learn some French, besides my whole 2 word vocabulary!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Chucheria
I have a problem...gelato will always be my first love, but I have discovered since arriving to Spain, “chucheria”. These candy shops sit on every corner, with huge buckets of colorful candy in every variety, constantly begging me to come in and have some. So I do...way too often now at this point. You just walk in, grab a plastic bag and fill it with the freshest, fruitiest, fluffiest candies - anything that you feel like in every color, shape, size and flavor - licorice, marshmallows, gummy candies, sour candies, anything... And the cost is even better - you get about a pound of candy for about 1 euro. I normally wouldn’t care so much about this kind of thing, but there is one literally every other shop on the street and I just can’t resist. Even if you pop into a little bodega for water, sure enough, in the back are the wonderfully tasty little candy treats calling me by name to just have a little. Sean says he has created a monster, since he essentially introduced me to this candy phenomenon. He also confessed to having a bit of a problem staying away when he lived in Spain years ago. Every night we say “ok, tomorrow, no chucheria!” and then sure enough, the next morning, I say something like ,“I could really go for those gooey green candies shaped like little men...” I feel like a 12 year old too - like I just spent my allowance - once I have my bag in hand and walk out of the store picking through it all, happily oblivious to the rest of the world. And I always hear my mom’s voice in the back of my head saying, “you’re going to get cavities little girl!”... It is terrible, I know, and I had to confess my new obsession. But seriously, I need to put an end to the madness...no chucheria starting tomorrow!
We have found a home in San Sebastian! We are renting a room right in the city and about a 10 minute walk to the beautiful beaches. The weather has gotten fantastically hot and we have spent nearly every day on the packed beach, Zurriola, and in the perfectly cool water. I am loving it here more and more each day. It’s really quite a beach town, full of surfers and summer sun bathers. The restaurants and bars are always loud and packed with people enjoying the long days. Sean and I even found ourselves leaving the house at 9 pm to go to the beach to play smash ball, our new favorite thing, and still had an hour of light left.
We have found a home in San Sebastian! We are renting a room right in the city and about a 10 minute walk to the beautiful beaches. The weather has gotten fantastically hot and we have spent nearly every day on the packed beach, Zurriola, and in the perfectly cool water. I am loving it here more and more each day. It’s really quite a beach town, full of surfers and summer sun bathers. The restaurants and bars are always loud and packed with people enjoying the long days. Sean and I even found ourselves leaving the house at 9 pm to go to the beach to play smash ball, our new favorite thing, and still had an hour of light left.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Pamplona...Los Encierros
The weather has taken a turn for the best and is nice and warm in the bright sun with a light cool breeze. The other morning, we went to a café that we saw advertised in the window our favorite Italian coffee, Illy, and had the best café yet since leaving Rome. I also ordered an apple pastry, accidentally telling the bakery clerk I wanted a melanzana (Italian for eggplant) pastry, when I meant manzana (Spanish for apple). Luckily he didn’t know Italian because melanzana wouldn’t have been a good flavored breakfast pastry. Pointing is probably the best method of communicating until my Spanish improves. We sat in the sun and sipped our hot drinks and ate our breakfasts, then caught the bus to Pamplona, an hour away from San Sebastian. What chaos The city was packed with people and literally every person we saw was wearing all white with red belts or bandanas in celebration of “Los Encierros” - the running of the bulls. Some people were sleeping in random areas - under trees, on benches, at the bus stop - obviously recovering still from a rough night before. We arrived after today’s ‘running’, which happens for about 2 minutes every morning for a week, but we arrived just in time for all the fiestas. We walked the city of Pamplona - the big plazas, the winding streets and saw the stadium where every night’s bull fights are held. We walked the trail that the bulls run on and stopped at the corral where the bulls are held and released each morning for the running. We also got to see photos posted in the plaza of the run of the day... The city was loud and alive, with mariachi bands playing, giant parades chanting down the streets, live guitar music coming from a stage, street performers break dancing or performing magic and just crowds and crowds of people laughing, screaming, dancing, talking, partying. It seemed like everyone was on a mission to get as drunk as possible, and many, well, most it seemed succeeded -especially the kid puking next to us. After walking throughout the chaos for a while, we decided to sit under a tree in the grass with loads of others and have some sangria - which we were able to buy a huge jug of for 3 euro. As we sat there meeting our neighbors, people watching, talking, laughing, drinking and eating bocadillos. I looked around and felt this overwhelming sense of happiness, an appreciation for my life...the different cultures I have experienced, the people I have met, the places I have been, the world that Sean and I have been able to see together. It was a good feeling, and one I will never forget. We got back to San Sebastian late, tired and sun drained. I have had very mixed feelings over this whole event. In one sense, everyone was happy and having a good time. I had a lot of fun too, and just couldn’t believe the craziness. In another sense, one that no one thinks about in their drunken hazes, is that people get hurt, animals are being tortured. A Spanish boy, 27 years old was killed the same day by the horn of a bull. It’s such a sad, sad thing... that a person, who was actually passionate about this, and has trained his whole life running, lost his life. In contrast to the people who come here from all over the world to party and have a good time, he saw this as an art form, a beautiful and important part of his culture. I think about his family and friends, who said goodbye to him that day, unaware that in his quest for experiencing his yearly tradition and fun, he wouldn’t survive. It kind of puts a cloud over the whole thing, and makes me think it is just a little bit cruel. I also couldn’t help but feel a little bit sad for the bulls, so powerful, mighty and strong, and yet also at the mercy of man...So, all in all it was an interesting experience, and I am glad we went, and also glad we missed the running, as I couldn’t have stood to see anyone hurt. During our time in Pamlona, we were having a blast, and now I just hope there are no more fatalities.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
San Sebastian
After Biarritz, we headed south about 30 minutes to San Sebastian, Spain. We have been here for 4 days now, and at first the weather had been rainy, cloudy, and a little chilly - until yesterday which cleared up for a while and we were able to get some sun on the beach. On the train ride down, we found out that the day we arrived began the week long ‘running of the bulls’ in Pamplona, which is right near San Sebastian. We are going to try to go tomorrow, although I am a little scared, and don’t want to see anyone or any bulls get hurt. San Sebastian is beautiful. It’s a medium size city that is all walkable in a day - we actually walk it about 40 times in a day. The beaches are filled with surfers and the city is filled with surf shops and bars. It’s very green and lush, and the apartment flat buildings all around the city, with different color window shutters, and black iron rod balcony fences, have a unique look and charm, like something out of a story book. A few things are taking some time getting used to. First of all they don’t have very many restaurants, rather they have bars where they serve “pintxos”, which are like little appetizers or tapas that sit on the counter all day, and you just take what you want. 95% of it is seafood, and I have been a little apprehensive to just pick up something off the counter that may have been sitting there for hours. They do this for breakfast, lunch and dinner too. The other strange thing is that they all throw their trash or cigarettes on the floor in these bars (yes they smoke inside too). When I walk by a place and see garbage all over the floor, it doesn’t really entice me to go in. So, we haven't completely gotten into the food, although we have already had our favorite, 'tortilla espanola" a couple times, which is just a cake type thing made of egg and potato. Spanish isn't as similar to Italian as everyone thinks, and when I speak, Italian is the only thing that has been coming out of my mouth, so it has taken some adjusting to. Sean has fallen right back into it and is speaking for the both of us most of the time. We went on an awesome hike the other day overlooking the whole of San Sebastian - it was beautiful. The sun even came out for a bit although it had been raining all day, casting a pretty glow over whole, green city and blue waters. The sun doesn't actually set until after 10pm, so we have found ourselves spending the evenings on the beach, watching the sun set behind the surfers in the water. We aren’t sure how long we are going to stay here, but are going to explore as much of the coast as possible. And we will get Sean in the water as soon as possible to surf!
A little backpacking in France...
After a long, over-night train ride out of Rome, with a 3 hour layover in Milan (we got in all the sightseeing necessary in that time), we arrived at our first stop, Nice, France. Nice was beautiful. It was bigger than expected, and full of fancy restaurants with huge portions, cute little outdoor vendors selling jewelry or bright yellow and blue French-country inspired fabrics, fun night spots and pretty beaches. There was an old town, and a more modern part of town - I preferred the older part, which had charming, colorful buildings and narrow, lively roads. The newer part had a lot of open space, fountains and funky modern art. We learned quickly that prices were high, and the French do not speak any other languages than French, which I literally don’t know one word of. Apparently Italian is useless anywhere else but Italy also, which is disappointing, but also not surprising. The people were friendly and the food was delicious - especially the soft, warm, tasty baguettes, which were amazingly the best bread I have ever had. The beaches were covered in rocks, which didn’t make the best bed for laying out on, so we spent most of our time walking and exploring the city and beaches.
After getting acquainted with Nice, the next day, we took a short 15 minute train ride to Monaco. Apparently this little area is a country all in it’s own, understandably so. Monaco reminded me of something out of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, or “MTV Cribs”. It was a mix between Newport Coast, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and a way higher-class version of Vegas. It was beautiful, immaculate. I naturally felt like I would run into Paris Hilton, or Beyonce any minute. Enormous yachts filled the harbor and women that screamed plastic surgery, and their rich husbands in loafers and Hermes filled the streets and important restaurants, expensive Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces filled the parking lots. We walked around this city for a while, and even went into the famous casino. I won 16 euro, but then lost 15 of it, so came out on top with 1 euro (which was a third of the price for a coke). I normally wouldn’t be gambling, but I am very lucky, so I had to try my luck in the famous Monaco casino - although, I guess losing most of what I won isn’t very lucky. The heat was intense, so we continued walking through this outdoor restaurant that had little water misters go off every few minutes, to cool down the customers. We just walked through it a few times to get a little spritz. We wouldn’t dare try to buy anything. We also just happen to stumble upon the Tour de France which was starting in Monaco when we arrived. We didn’t watch the actual race, but got to see the set up and all the hype. Monaco had amazing views, expensive shopping and glistening fountains. I definitely want to return when I am rich and famous.
After spending 2 nights in Nice, we went to Cannes which was about a 45 minute train ride away. I adored Cannes! Again, very posh. Every designer shop imaginable lined the streets along with glittery hotels, like the Ritz Hotel advertising the upcoming fur fashion show, mixed in with little local shops selling yummy French soaps, or sweets. Sean and I indulged in a super-rich chocolate cake from one of the bakeries. It was about the size of my palm, but so decadent and sweet, we were in heaven for the 10 seconds it took us to finish. The weather was hot and the sandy beaches were packed with Europeans sunbathing and swimming in the delicious, clear warm waters. We saw more topless women and speedos than we imagined we would, but we appreciated the liberal attitude the French have. The famous Cannes Film Festival building was packed with tourists walking the red carpet. Portraits of the famous stars who frequent Cannes were all over the place, giving it a Hollywood vibe. After spending a day exploring the city and taking photos, we spent another full day just relaxing in the hot sun, swimming and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. I realized during my visit to the French Riviera that I adore France and everything French culture has to offer - the food, the classy people, the sound of the language that is so foreign to my ears but pretty at the same time, the colorful French fabrics and French-country designs, and the clean, sunny atmosphere.
We caught a late-night train 13 hour train ride from Cannes to Biarritz, France. The weather took a drastic turn when we arrived in Biarritz. The clouds rolled in, along with a slight drizzle. Biarritz was filled with surfers from all over the world, and had a very “Del Mar, California” feel to it - super small town with nice shops, restaurants and lots of surfer kids - very relaxed. We took a bus to the beach, Sean had his head hanging out the window the whole time, excited to actually see waves for the first time since we have been in Europe. We checked out the beach and all the surfers in the water, and had an awesome lunch at a creperia, where we had the best crepes and fresh, veggie-packed, tasty salads. We couldn’t read a word of the menu, so just ordered whatever seemed vegetarian, so we didn’t end up with something really strange like fish eyes or something. I was wondering how all the other English-speakers managed, since there was no doubt lots of foreign surfers visiting, and then I saw a group of kids at the same restaurant with their language dictionaries out trying to interpret the menu. Smart...when we end up back in France, we will do the same.
After getting acquainted with Nice, the next day, we took a short 15 minute train ride to Monaco. Apparently this little area is a country all in it’s own, understandably so. Monaco reminded me of something out of “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”, or “MTV Cribs”. It was a mix between Newport Coast, Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and a way higher-class version of Vegas. It was beautiful, immaculate. I naturally felt like I would run into Paris Hilton, or Beyonce any minute. Enormous yachts filled the harbor and women that screamed plastic surgery, and their rich husbands in loafers and Hermes filled the streets and important restaurants, expensive Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces filled the parking lots. We walked around this city for a while, and even went into the famous casino. I won 16 euro, but then lost 15 of it, so came out on top with 1 euro (which was a third of the price for a coke). I normally wouldn’t be gambling, but I am very lucky, so I had to try my luck in the famous Monaco casino - although, I guess losing most of what I won isn’t very lucky. The heat was intense, so we continued walking through this outdoor restaurant that had little water misters go off every few minutes, to cool down the customers. We just walked through it a few times to get a little spritz. We wouldn’t dare try to buy anything. We also just happen to stumble upon the Tour de France which was starting in Monaco when we arrived. We didn’t watch the actual race, but got to see the set up and all the hype. Monaco had amazing views, expensive shopping and glistening fountains. I definitely want to return when I am rich and famous.
After spending 2 nights in Nice, we went to Cannes which was about a 45 minute train ride away. I adored Cannes! Again, very posh. Every designer shop imaginable lined the streets along with glittery hotels, like the Ritz Hotel advertising the upcoming fur fashion show, mixed in with little local shops selling yummy French soaps, or sweets. Sean and I indulged in a super-rich chocolate cake from one of the bakeries. It was about the size of my palm, but so decadent and sweet, we were in heaven for the 10 seconds it took us to finish. The weather was hot and the sandy beaches were packed with Europeans sunbathing and swimming in the delicious, clear warm waters. We saw more topless women and speedos than we imagined we would, but we appreciated the liberal attitude the French have. The famous Cannes Film Festival building was packed with tourists walking the red carpet. Portraits of the famous stars who frequent Cannes were all over the place, giving it a Hollywood vibe. After spending a day exploring the city and taking photos, we spent another full day just relaxing in the hot sun, swimming and enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. I realized during my visit to the French Riviera that I adore France and everything French culture has to offer - the food, the classy people, the sound of the language that is so foreign to my ears but pretty at the same time, the colorful French fabrics and French-country designs, and the clean, sunny atmosphere.
We caught a late-night train 13 hour train ride from Cannes to Biarritz, France. The weather took a drastic turn when we arrived in Biarritz. The clouds rolled in, along with a slight drizzle. Biarritz was filled with surfers from all over the world, and had a very “Del Mar, California” feel to it - super small town with nice shops, restaurants and lots of surfer kids - very relaxed. We took a bus to the beach, Sean had his head hanging out the window the whole time, excited to actually see waves for the first time since we have been in Europe. We checked out the beach and all the surfers in the water, and had an awesome lunch at a creperia, where we had the best crepes and fresh, veggie-packed, tasty salads. We couldn’t read a word of the menu, so just ordered whatever seemed vegetarian, so we didn’t end up with something really strange like fish eyes or something. I was wondering how all the other English-speakers managed, since there was no doubt lots of foreign surfers visiting, and then I saw a group of kids at the same restaurant with their language dictionaries out trying to interpret the menu. Smart...when we end up back in France, we will do the same.
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