San Sebastian - Bed #7

The long drive from Arles to San Sebastian was uneventful and expensive. The tolls on the highways are exorbitant. $100 for a 6 hour trip. When we arrived at our apartment, we couldn’t find a parking spot. So we circled around for 30 minutes and still couldn’t find one. We were just beginning to lose hope when a spot finally opened up right by our apartment and just minutes before we were to meet the person to give us the keys. Phew! Those moments are never fun, but somehow it always works out.

After rural Arles with the quiet and well-equipped accommodations, San Sebastian was a set up for disappointment. These country bumpkins are just not used to urban life. I think for San Sebastian our apartment was nice. It was old, but re-done with brand new everything, and yet, we are uneasy living amid so many people. The windows of our apartment all faced other apartments. Some faced into a courtyard, but the others opened up into narrow, strange, sort-of-outside/sort-of-inside places where people would hang their laundry. And then there are the smells of an apartment block. I don’t mind the smell of frying onions – when I’m doing the frying and when I’m hungry. Other than that, not so much. Mix that with cigarettes and decades of cooking and smoke and sometimes you just want to go home, especially at night when you lie blinking in the dark, listening to the squeak of the elevator in the hall and the man snoring in the apartment next door. Repeat after me, “If you want the comforts of home, you have to stay at home.”

Looks pretty good right? Just imagine someone 'sawing logs' inches away from your head. It takes the experience down a notch.

It continues to be an education in terms of all the different places that people call home. Having our own 4 walls and a yard is something I will no longer take for granted. The courtyard was our entertainment a lot of the time. Some people kept birds on their balconies, so sometimes it sounded like were in a jungle. There was a parrot as well, and Kaija felt so sorry for it in it’s tiny cage with no toys, that she found parrot calls on YouTube and played them for it from her ipod.  They’d have a little conversation back and forth. So cute.

Kaija "talking" with her new friend.

Some of our windows opened up into this. I think it used to be outside.

We liked San Sebastian, when we weren’t in the apartment. We were just 2 blocks from a beautiful beach on the Atlantic where we could watch people surfing, or at least trying to. It was so exotic to see people carrying their surfboards down the street. I don’t know how they survive the cold water, even in wet suits. We dipped our feet in one day and it was numbingly cold, but the air was warm and the sun was beautiful. This area is called Basque and it’s where we get the saying, “basquing in the sun.” We definitely did that. Hearing everyone complaining about snow and cold in April at home helped us to enjoy the warmth even more.

Numbing Refreshing

Someone's backyard and 2 little girls making the most of it.

We spent a lot of time on the computer this week sorting out the details of the next leg of the trip. Finding accommodations takes us a long time and we were growing very weary of it, but partly it’s our own doing as we are picky and want just the right place for the right price. It’s easy to wile away many hours sifting through all the choices. And then sometimes we spent hours making faces with Photobooth.

Narcissists

We spent our time doing little outings. We did a little hike up a hill, rented bikes for an afternoon, enjoyed cappuccinos and fresh baking at cafes, and visited a surprisingly good aquarium. It’s a beautiful city with a gorgeous promenade along the beach. The buildings are old and unique and the water is a beautiful aqua-marine. However, we were happy to say good-bye to our urban jungle after 6 nights. Next stop – Loire Valley, France, specifically Saint Georges Sur Cher.

About 5 min. after this picture we were told biking in the park was forbidden. Ooops.