Basqueing In The Sun

After two years Cub (my sister/faithful travel companion) and I have finally made our way back into Basque Country. And let me tell you, Basque life is the good life. Our past travels found us in this magical land for our friend Lakey's surf contest. What we thought was a casual weekend excursion to the South of France was so much more. This little stretch of land is nestled in between Southern France and Northern Spain, and has a unique culture that doesn't quite reflect that of the French or Spanish. And that is exactly how they prefer it (the Basque citizens are the original Euro settlers and their language predates that of the Romantic languages). Picturesque coastal cityscapes atop lofty cliff sides. Each tiny town is a patchwork of cobblestone alleyways, elegant boutiques, quaint cafés, and beautiful people.

San Sebastián is a major tourist destination, for Europeans. Unlike most other European countries, English is a necessity for tourism...but Spain and France only care for their own language...thus far Cub and I have been able to brush up on our Spanish skills (my mom has developed her own type of Spanglish which only she can comprehend). But in the land of the Basque they have a unique vernacular that we can't seem to grasp. Damn, we'll have to find another way to fit in with the locals...Cub and I have come up with two solutions to our problem: steal a dog or find a strapping young man with a moped. We settled for renting bikes.

The tiny city boasts a rolling promenade that connects the three beaches, to Old Town, and to the City Center. The city is a marvel, San Sebastián, or as the locals know it Donostia, has a trendy, beachy vibe which is quite the juxtaposition to the elegant Victorian architecture. I love tiny cities where I am able to find my bearings after a day yet it still contains enough hidden treasures to keep me captivated. Although the weather was a little temperate (the climate is effected by the Pyrenees Mountains) it was still a perfect holiday . We had three days in the city, and didn't have a moment to lose. We threw our bags in our room and headed down to Old Town for a little afternoon shopping and aperitivos. To our dismay EVERYTHING was closed expect for one street filled with the little taperías. One of the many reasons I am obsessed with España is because of the importance they place on their siestas (it's genius really). Now, Barcelona kind of does siestas...but San Sebastián really does siestas. During these hours the town closes its doors heads to the bars and enjoys the weekend.

"No pasa nada," is the Spanish way of life and it is what makes this culture so rich and carefree. And because we're all about being local we decide to partake. Tapas bars in Basque languages are a bit intimidating so we head into a creperie. You can't go wrong with a place that serves desserts and cappuccinos (basic necessities of course). After a hearty lunch we head back to the hotel for our own siesta. But being such a beautiful day, Shelb and I couldn't possibly stay in for long. We throw on some warmer clothes grab our bikes and explore the city...again. But this time everything was open. It was as if a new life had been breathed into the city. We rolled up and down the coast stopping every five feet to capture a little piece of the view to take home with us.

Upon our return we quickly threw on some fancy threads, for we had dinner in 30 minutes at Botafumeiro, a quaint, little, Michelin star, restaurant located in the oldest farm house in the area. A little eery being the only guests in the restaurant but we foolishly made reservations at 9, the place began to liven up around 10! If you ever find yourself in San Sebastián (which if you have Euro plans in your future get to España it's...the best) you can't miss this rustic experience. If you're into old school elegance and waiters catering to your every move then Botafumeiro is definitely your style. You have a handful of waiters that have been assigned to shadow your every move, anticipating your every desire and need. And that's just the service, the food is an unearthly concoction of old world Basque delicacies that melt in your mouth. If a restaurant can prepare a fois gras tasty enough for me to consider seconds I think they can satisfy any insatiable palate.

The next two days were filled with long bike rides, beach naps, tea parties and boutique shopping. Farewell Basque Country, hasta luego. Besos.

No Pasa Nada

As my time in Barcelona comes to a close as cliche as it sounds...I am overcome with grief. The longer I stay in Barca the more in love I fall. Alas, as all good things must come to an end, we are off to San Sebastian in the morning. But now...a look back on our time in this wonderful city.

I believe that when possible, bike tours are the perfect way to see a city. What better way to acquaint oneself with a new place than taking to the streets! I had previously used Fat Tire tours a couple summers ago in Paris and remembered that they had a Barcelona tour. The idea didn't take much coaxing because it was a beautiful day and who wants to go to the gym when you have a better alternative. I can't speak more highly of the company...you travel around the city pausing at major landmarks for a brief history blurb but you don't feel bombarded by boring, irrelevant facts. The guides are young travelers (in Paris we had a UCSB water polo bro from norcal...in Barca we had an Aussi gypsy on a long holiday) that fell in love with the city and want to share it with fellow bikers? We met our group a la Plaza Sant Jaume, then we walked over to the shop grabbed some beach cruisers and made our way along the windy cobblestone roads to Plaza del Rei. After our lesson in the the the gorgeous plaza my mother decided it was the most opportune moment to take a couple tourist snapshots. But for the technologically inadvanced...one quick shot turned into accidental selfies which resulted in that "awkward moment" when you lose your tour group in a crowded city to which you can barely navigate yourself.

The company is pretty lax and there really is only one rule (besides "have fun") if you get lost stay in the same place and the guide will come back to find you. Well we sort of stayed in the same place...but Sue needed to check out the little zapatarias and Shelb was parched. So...as I see the our guide on the other side of the busy plaza I attempt to gather the attention of my travel companions while swimming through a sea of tourists and lose the guide...again. Well 30 minutes later we're still at the plaza and decide maybe we should try to make our way back to the shop...we find a note on the door, "lost people I will find you." How reassuring. After a couple minutes of waiting, another guide finds us and takes us to find our group. Well we have missed La Catedral but we meet them a la Arc de Triomf, yep Spain has one too...and I know this is a bold statement but it is more beautiful than the one in Paris (just keepin it real...). We then make our way to La Parc de la Ciutadella to see Gaudi's Fountain...which is nothing like his other works in the city but that is because he was the apprentice but in Barcelona Gaudi is God and it's his. We then make our way to the Barcelona Plaza del Toros (the infamous bullfighting ring). Now I don't know about you but there are a couple of things I think of when I make my to do list for Spain and bullfighting was pretty up there...but when you hear about the gruesome nature of the sport (grant it there was a definite bias by the storyteller...) but it is safe to say that it is no longer on my list. After a horrifying revelation of present day bullfighting we made our way to La Sagrada Familia which truly is a masterpiece, and even though we had toured it the day before it was definitely worth a second go around. We then head to the beach where we gazed over Port Olimpic and enjoyed a late lunch on the beach. What is most interesting about Barcelona is that it didn't become a major tourist destination until the 90's when they hosted the Olympics...which is crazy because this city has SO much to offer (if you can't tell already I am completely infatuated). After lunch and losing the group "only" two more times we made it back to the bike shop feeling wonderfully content. It was the perfect way to see the city, once again completely impressed with Fat Tire Tours. We were able to explore a beautiful city, made new friends from around the world and had a great history lesson filled with interesting facts that you don't normally receive on a tour. Bravo Fat Tire.

Well the only appropriate thing to do after a 4 hour, 7 mile tour is shopping and an afternoon cappuccino/pie/instagram break. Around 6 we headed back to the hotel for a little siesta (I could really get used to this...honestly who doesn't love a nap and a late dinner...I need to move to Europe). We woke up around 8:45, called the concierge for a good paella restaurant and headed out to the famous Botafumeiro...divine. If you're in town go...after dinner we set Sue on her merry way and headed out into the famous Barcelona nightlife. The only advice we got from our friends was "head to the beach" so we did. What looks like little lean-tos along the beach front were actually massive underground disco techs with many dance floors. Heading down the secret staircase at midnight we knew it would be empty...its Spain we get it no one goes out until 2...what we did not expect to find was a toga party, as Asher Roth famously professed, "I Love College." We danced the night away jumping from discoteca to discoteca...what a night.

Our last day in Spain was spent at the Museo Picasso, tracking down leather boutiques, and chasing the sunset. Tomorrow we leave for San Sebastian, back to the Basque country.

Don't worry Barca I will be back...soon.