San Sebastian (Kevin) (October 5-10)

Of all the places on our itinerary, the one individual city I was most excited about was San Sebastian. It's a little odd because I had been there plenty of times before. I was looking forward to seeing other cities almost as much. But something about going back to San Seb was different. It's got a hold on me.

I was also nervous about going back because for as long as I have known Ali I have expounded the virtues and awesomeness of Donostia. That's a lot of pressure. What if it had changed? What if she didn't like it? Fortunately, some things always live up to the hype.

We arrived after a train from Paris and went to Hostal Amaiur in the Parte Vieja. Shockingly, this was our cheapest accommodation of the entire trip up to that point and was in a fantastic location. It was still cheap even after paying more for a room with a balcony. We had a room with a balcony over Calle 31 de Agosto



This allowed us to spend our early evenings having some beverages and snacks overlooking the parte vieja.



It was also interesting because one of the places directly across the street was a culinary society and for three of the nights we were there was filled with men cooking, eating, and singing random songs into the early hours of the morning. At least it solidified my lifelong dream of being in a Basque gastronomic society.

It was an interesting trip for me because it was half about getting reuinted with some old friends:

my old apartment



Tas Tas





(the blurriness seems appropriate)

and Juantxo (fillete con queso, cebollo, y pimiento).



But it was also a trip of seeing old things a new way.

For example, I had climbed Monte Urgull any number of times, whether it was going to the bar part way up or all the way up to Jesus. But this year, because of the closing of the Museo San Telmo, there was a museum at the top of Monte Urgull and you could climb all the way up to the base of Jesus.



On Thursday, Ali and I went to Getaria for lunch. I had been there once on a sailing trip and once with my parents. I had only been in the spring and the main street was bustling with restaurants grilling fish on their outside grill. When Ali and I went, it was entirely empty, aided no doubt by the pouring rain. The vibe wasn't exactly the same. Nevertheless, we sat under a covered patio in the downpour to have some fish. It was still a great time, but different than my recolleciton.



But for the most part, things never change. The food was absolutely incredible. The views were stunning. The people were overly nice (the bartender/server at Egosari even remembered me three years on).



It was great to be back. And it was even better for me to have Ali agree that I wasn't just overstating how awesome it was. It really is a magical place.