I'm starting this with a disclaimer: it's 6:30 in the evening and I'm typing this on the bus I got on at 8 am this morning. Any terrible grammar, spelling, loopy-ness, etcetera may be the results of being stuck on a coach for an extended period of time.
Right, well, where were we last? Mmmmn, Madrid? Well, after Madrid it was back on the coach for a trip to San Sebastián. There was an option of going to Pamplona, but because the running of the bulls festival isn't until July, and because I want to get up into Ireland, I forewent that destination. So, San Sebastián. It's on the coast! Actually, it's on the Atlantic Ocean, so I've dipped my feet in that now. Yupp. Ticked that off my bucket list yesterday, but I'm getting ahead of myself.
The day on the bus was basically just that - another day on the bus. When we arrived at the Urban Hostel and checked in, our busabout guide took us out on a pintxos crawl. If you aren't sure what those are, they like tapas but instead of a full plate of them you get one or two. Basically, you walk in and see a bar covered in food, get a plate (and drink?), and choose a few pintxos. (I'm not sure I'm spelling this right, I know there's and x in there though). Depending on the place, they may charge you when you're done by the amount of toothpicks on your plate when you're done. So, we had Basque cider (super good. Dry and intensely flavored, though) at one place, which they pour from a height to aerate it a bit and carbonate it; pintxos and sangria at a second; and sangria at a third. Basically we spent an easy night eating, drinking, and getting to know each other :-)
Next day was a busy day. Well, sort of. It depends on your definition of the word "busy." On the bus over to San Sebastián we watched a film called "The Way," which I highly recommend. I cried in 'public' watching it (yay, sleep deprivation), but that's not the point. It covers a man's journey on La Camino del Santiago, a pilgrimage from the French Pyrenees into Santiago, Spain. The movie was fantastic, and the journey itself looked not only beautiful and challenging, but inspiring (you'll understand if you watch the movie. Seriously, I recommend it!). Turns out there's a section of the Camino that stretches about 6.7 km and is just outside San Sebastián, so Brittany and I spent the day walking that. We were gone about 7 hours total, and we walked to Pasaia, had lunch, and walked back in over thirty degree heat - we figure it was about 17 km in total. It was hot, and it was worth it. First of all, we had to ask for directions to the trail, which wasn't difficult because thankfully Brittany spoke Spanish (I met her on the bus. Honestly, I keep meeting awesome people on busabout). Turns out the slightly older man we asked (into his sixties at the least, if not early seventies?) walked the trail for about two hours total every day, and instead of just giving us directions he actually walked a portion of the trail with us. This trail goes up part of a mountain, winds around the head so you almost continuously have a view of the ocean, and the descends again into town. It's absolutely gorgeous, and because it was such a nice day, was breathtaking. Anyways, this older man walked a portion of the trail with us, gave us directions at a crossroads (one path was the extra hour or so to Pasaia, the other was another 4-5 hours to get to France. Walking.), and sent us on our way. How nice was that? So we did some more walking and enjoyed some more gorgeous views, saw some aqueducts (walked over one, actually. Because it was a shorter route than going around), looked at ruins, and eventually began our descent into Pasaia. On our way down the very numerous steps, we ran into another older man, this one say 8ish years younger. We initially just said hello in passing and such pleasantries, but as we asked about how long it would take to get to Pasaia we fell into step. This man ended up accompanying us nearly into town and suggesting a fantastic restaurant for lunch for us. We had some excellent experiences with locals in San Sebastián and surrounding areas in just a day! :-)
After a gigantic lunch - don't let anyone tell you the Spanish don't eat we'll - we let our stomachs settle in a bit, and then it was back on the trail. Because it was now about 3pm, it was the peak of the day's heat. 35 degrees in town, slightly cooler up the mountain and there was a nice sea breeze. Sometimes. Actually though, the walk back wasn't bad, and I'm proud to say I didn't hurt the next day even though this was my first big hike in a while. On our way back into town we ended up hiking (walking?) with a guy slightly younger than us who grew up in the Basque Country and is studying in San Sebastián, so over the course of the day we had very pleasant, slightly long, conversations with locals. I may not have understood much of the first two, because I don't speak Spanish, but the third was in English! So, yes, back to the hostel about 6ish, showered, and I'd been hoping to go on an 8pm sunset cruise organized by the hostel.
Unfortunately, the cruise was cancelled. Instead, we had "Basque night out" with unlimited sangria while watching the sunset, drinks at a few bars, and games on the pier. A good night out, and I got to know some of the others at the hostel more. Actually, I got to know my fellows busabout companions better, including the five guys from Victoria. Small world.
When we got up on Thursday, it was pouring. Ah, San Sebastián in the rain - not the best. We headed over the river and did some shopping, and then when we went back to the hostel I headed into Old Town to explore. Found my bracelet and post cards, then I headed to the beach. By this point it had finished raining, but the sky was still dark. Still, nice beach. No beach glass; I walked the length in search and found very little rock washed ashore, let alone glass worn out enough to bring home, but I tried Mama! Still, I walked the length barefoot and dipped my toesies in the Atlantic Ocean 😊 then it was back to the hostel for a bit of reading and relaxing, off to the market, and I cooked myself pasta at the hostel last night. My dinner cost me less than ten euros, and I have enough groceries left to make more later (I also look ridiculous carrying all my bags. I'm fixing that before I get the metro tonight)!
Now, it's Friday and I'm on the bus. Again. Still. However, I'm headed to Paris, and that means... Disneyland! Yupp, I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow and Sunday, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I've got to get the metro to Nation, and then hop on a train to the park, but it's worth it - it's only about a 45 minute ride on the train anew the park doesn't open until like 10, so I can even sleep until like 7:30 or 8!
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