Here are some pictures of the flat...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
EL BAÑO Y MAS
The flat we live in…is a bit dated which basically means on the verge of collapsing. Luckily, I am an outstanding plumber…haha. I have already fixed the shower 2 time since we’ve been here. The first was the first day when the water didn’t go down and I bent a hanger and unclogged the drain..then the 2nd was yesterday when the knob got jammed and we thought we would never be able to turn on the shower again since neither of my roommates could un-jam it. But I used my magical plumbing powers and pliers and fixed it in 10 minutes. Who knew I was so handy?
I should also mention that our flat is totally slanted on like… a 30 degree angle. When you set a glass on the table..it slides down. Hahaha..
I decided against going out on Saturday night because I was too tired and addicted to the book I started reading Saturday afternoon, The Secret Life of Bees. I finished the book in one night…great book, definitely worth not going out.
Got up much earlier than my roommates on Sunday and took a stroll through the city. San Sebastian’s soccer team, Real Sociedad must have won a huge game because hundreds of people were out chanting and wearing the team’s colors, jerseys, and scarves…fog horns and car horns going off. Craziness.
I should also mention that our flat is totally slanted on like… a 30 degree angle. When you set a glass on the table..it slides down. Hahaha..
I decided against going out on Saturday night because I was too tired and addicted to the book I started reading Saturday afternoon, The Secret Life of Bees. I finished the book in one night…great book, definitely worth not going out.
Got up much earlier than my roommates on Sunday and took a stroll through the city. San Sebastian’s soccer team, Real Sociedad must have won a huge game because hundreds of people were out chanting and wearing the team’s colors, jerseys, and scarves…fog horns and car horns going off. Craziness.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
NOTICIAS DE MI VIDA
BAR Y DISCO
On Thursday night all the foreign kids had our first night out in San Sebastian. We met at an Irish Pub-like bar called Molly Malone’s for the pre-party between 11-4. Then at 4 A.M. everyone headed over to the disco, Bataplan, which is literally on the water and danced til…probably 6 or 7. I got tired and left early at 5 because I wanted to go to class the next morning at 9. And, I did go to class…and I stayed awake the whole time. Then I slept all day until 9 P.M. Then some of foreign kids came over to our flat and we hung out til midnight then went out to some bar until 3.
COMIDA
I basically decided that my new favorite meal is cured salmon and brie. Brie is only .99 Euro and Salmon isn’t too expensive either. I mentioned before that we have no microwave OR oven so cooking is rather limited to the gas stove. We made a mass amount of rice the other day and cant really reheat it unless we do it on the stove..so I made up new cold-rice concoctions to get rid of all the leftovers for breakfast (i.e. rice with milk, cinnamon, and sugar/ rice with honey and milk/ rice with yogurt)
CAMA
I went out and finally bought sheets, comforter, and new pillows to go along with my awesome yoga mat on my bed. Now I can finally sleep a full night because I am warm and not in pain.
ZARA
Found my new favorite store, Zara. It is comparable to an H&M or Forever 21 only Spanish. Since there are huge sales right now I got a new purse, 2 new shirts, and eyeshadow all for 17 Euro because I am an awesome shopper. Now all I need are some euro-trash boots like everyone else wears.
On Thursday night all the foreign kids had our first night out in San Sebastian. We met at an Irish Pub-like bar called Molly Malone’s for the pre-party between 11-4. Then at 4 A.M. everyone headed over to the disco, Bataplan, which is literally on the water and danced til…probably 6 or 7. I got tired and left early at 5 because I wanted to go to class the next morning at 9. And, I did go to class…and I stayed awake the whole time. Then I slept all day until 9 P.M. Then some of foreign kids came over to our flat and we hung out til midnight then went out to some bar until 3.
COMIDA
I basically decided that my new favorite meal is cured salmon and brie. Brie is only .99 Euro and Salmon isn’t too expensive either. I mentioned before that we have no microwave OR oven so cooking is rather limited to the gas stove. We made a mass amount of rice the other day and cant really reheat it unless we do it on the stove..so I made up new cold-rice concoctions to get rid of all the leftovers for breakfast (i.e. rice with milk, cinnamon, and sugar/ rice with honey and milk/ rice with yogurt)
CAMA
I went out and finally bought sheets, comforter, and new pillows to go along with my awesome yoga mat on my bed. Now I can finally sleep a full night because I am warm and not in pain.
ZARA
Found my new favorite store, Zara. It is comparable to an H&M or Forever 21 only Spanish. Since there are huge sales right now I got a new purse, 2 new shirts, and eyeshadow all for 17 Euro because I am an awesome shopper. Now all I need are some euro-trash boots like everyone else wears.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
LA NIEVE
LA CAMA
I hate my bed. It is so small and uncomfortable as you can probably tell from the picture that I posted. I went to this store, Lidl, which is a German chain…kinda resembles Aldi/Dollar Store…and they randomly had 9Euro Yoga Mats so I bought one for my bed…then since I don’t have a thick enough blanket I bought extra towels to sleep with…kind ghetto..but o’well.
LA NIEVE
The weather since I’ve been here has been crazy. I think I’ve seen summer, spring, and winter in 5 days. It’s been every where from 20 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. We’ve even seen a funnel cloud in the sky. Not to mention it snowed for the first time this winter in the Basque Country yesterday morning. It apparently is VERY rare when it snows here. My prof said that it hadn’t snowed in a few years and when it does snow it never snows more than like a couple times a winter.
Anyways the less than 1 inch of snow made national headlines. People freaked out and traffic was stopped for miles. I have no idea why…In San Sebastian the snow didn’t even stick, and my prof was still 15 minutes late to class because of traffic. It only stuck in the mountains. It only snowed for 2 hours….after it stopped it warmed up to 50 degrees…sun shining…and no evidence that winter had even happened. But, they of course spent 20 minutes talking about it on the news…
Another observation…they use umbrellas when it snows. Good idea since no one would dare where anything to keep their head/ears warm/dry…not in style, ya know.
EL INTERNET
Ok, so we are hopefully going to be hooked up to the internet very soon. I think in less than a month. We already ordered a wireless router for the flat. The installation is like 30 Euro for each of us and about 20 Euro a month for each of us….So, I’m gonna go for it because it costs 2 Euro an hour in cafes/bars for an hour…so may as well just buy it. Plus, I already need it for research for class.
I hate my bed. It is so small and uncomfortable as you can probably tell from the picture that I posted. I went to this store, Lidl, which is a German chain…kinda resembles Aldi/Dollar Store…and they randomly had 9Euro Yoga Mats so I bought one for my bed…then since I don’t have a thick enough blanket I bought extra towels to sleep with…kind ghetto..but o’well.
LA NIEVE
The weather since I’ve been here has been crazy. I think I’ve seen summer, spring, and winter in 5 days. It’s been every where from 20 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. We’ve even seen a funnel cloud in the sky. Not to mention it snowed for the first time this winter in the Basque Country yesterday morning. It apparently is VERY rare when it snows here. My prof said that it hadn’t snowed in a few years and when it does snow it never snows more than like a couple times a winter.
Anyways the less than 1 inch of snow made national headlines. People freaked out and traffic was stopped for miles. I have no idea why…In San Sebastian the snow didn’t even stick, and my prof was still 15 minutes late to class because of traffic. It only stuck in the mountains. It only snowed for 2 hours….after it stopped it warmed up to 50 degrees…sun shining…and no evidence that winter had even happened. But, they of course spent 20 minutes talking about it on the news…
Another observation…they use umbrellas when it snows. Good idea since no one would dare where anything to keep their head/ears warm/dry…not in style, ya know.
EL INTERNET
Ok, so we are hopefully going to be hooked up to the internet very soon. I think in less than a month. We already ordered a wireless router for the flat. The installation is like 30 Euro for each of us and about 20 Euro a month for each of us….So, I’m gonna go for it because it costs 2 Euro an hour in cafes/bars for an hour…so may as well just buy it. Plus, I already need it for research for class.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
LAS FOTOS
Pictures from San Sebastian Day of the parade and songs that literally never ended for 24 hours.
LAS FOTOS
The first picture is a view from my plaza from the balcony in my bedroom.
The second picture is from my balcony on San Sebastian Day when they were playing all the songs in the plaza (read blog entry for details). The third photo is Mt. Urgull about 5 minute walk from my flat...it has a giant Jesus at the top which I climbed to. The 4th is a picture of my bedroom. The 5th is a picture of me on my hike up Mt. Urgull.
The second picture is from my balcony on San Sebastian Day when they were playing all the songs in the plaza (read blog entry for details). The third photo is Mt. Urgull about 5 minute walk from my flat...it has a giant Jesus at the top which I climbed to. The 4th is a picture of my bedroom. The 5th is a picture of me on my hike up Mt. Urgull.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
LA ESCUELA
LA COMIDA
The food here is so good. Way better than anything you could ever find in any American grocery store. The oranges here could kick the ass of Florida’s and California’s. Everything is very rich, so it takes less food to make me full. The meat and cheese and produce in the markets…are SO GOOD. I will never be able to eat anything in America again without thinking it could be better. I would eat a Ham and Cheese sandwich (made by me) in Spain over any Maggianos dish any day. Plus, produce is pretty inexpensive if you know where to look.
CURSO INTENSIVO
Right now all the NON-Latin American foreign students here are taking an Intensive Spanish Course for the next 3 weeks while the Spanish students are still on winter break. The first day we had to take a test so they could see if we were in the high level or low level. I was placed in the higher level, so today was my first Spanish class there. My professor is such an adorable and nice little Spanish man. There are about 30 kids in my class. 6 from the U.S., some Italians, some Germans, some Swiss, some French Canadians, some French, some Danish…and a Bulgarian guy. Pretty diverse class. I like it.
The food here is so good. Way better than anything you could ever find in any American grocery store. The oranges here could kick the ass of Florida’s and California’s. Everything is very rich, so it takes less food to make me full. The meat and cheese and produce in the markets…are SO GOOD. I will never be able to eat anything in America again without thinking it could be better. I would eat a Ham and Cheese sandwich (made by me) in Spain over any Maggianos dish any day. Plus, produce is pretty inexpensive if you know where to look.
CURSO INTENSIVO
Right now all the NON-Latin American foreign students here are taking an Intensive Spanish Course for the next 3 weeks while the Spanish students are still on winter break. The first day we had to take a test so they could see if we were in the high level or low level. I was placed in the higher level, so today was my first Spanish class there. My professor is such an adorable and nice little Spanish man. There are about 30 kids in my class. 6 from the U.S., some Italians, some Germans, some Swiss, some French Canadians, some French, some Danish…and a Bulgarian guy. Pretty diverse class. I like it.
Monday, January 22, 2007
OTRAS COSAS
EL ASEO
The toilet in my flat is way weird. It sounds like a jet taking off and flushes for more than 60 seconds, I swear. Also, the tank is on the ceiling. You have to pull a long string to flush.
NO HAY MICROHORNO
We have no microwave and I have never cooked anything with out one. This is a problem. To top it off I had to buy lighters to light the gas for the stove. I may learn a lot here. The only cook books here are Basque food…so the food I am going to learn to cook is going to be weird I’m sure.
Also, there is no dryer. Everyone hangs things to dry. I guess it is good for the environment though so I’m ok with it.
TORTILLAS
I had my first real Spanish breakfast this morning which was a “pedazo de tortilla” and “jugo de naranja natural.” If you don’t know Spanish, then you probably don’t know that in Spain a tortilla is NOT a flat piece of bread…oh no, it is in fact a potato & egg omelet. And the orange juice here is awesome. They throw oranges in a machine and then it squeezes out pure juice. (There are orange trees here all around too).
PINTXOS
[pronounced Pean(rhymes with bean)-chos]
If you ever visit the Basque Country…eat these. They are fairly generous portions and cost a little over 1 Euro. They make a great inexpensive lunch/dinner out. They are the Basque equivalent to Tapas…only since the Basque Country has the best food in Spain…Pintxos tend to be tastier than Tapas. I had one today which was a tuna sandwich with shrimp. The mayo they use here tastes sooo good-garlicky- and since we are on the Atlantic the seafood is very fresh.
SODEXHO
No, Sodexho is not Spanish or Basque for anything. It’s the catering company that both Schaumburg H.S. and Marquette use for food as well as….like every other school in the U.S. (except apparently Boston College because their cafeteria food is privately catered from gourmet restaurants). In short, the café at La Universidad de Deusto has Sodexho food…San Sebastian has the best food in Spain and they have to order Sodexho in the caf…pathetic. Boo. Pintxos are way better and way cheaper.
The toilet in my flat is way weird. It sounds like a jet taking off and flushes for more than 60 seconds, I swear. Also, the tank is on the ceiling. You have to pull a long string to flush.
NO HAY MICROHORNO
We have no microwave and I have never cooked anything with out one. This is a problem. To top it off I had to buy lighters to light the gas for the stove. I may learn a lot here. The only cook books here are Basque food…so the food I am going to learn to cook is going to be weird I’m sure.
Also, there is no dryer. Everyone hangs things to dry. I guess it is good for the environment though so I’m ok with it.
TORTILLAS
I had my first real Spanish breakfast this morning which was a “pedazo de tortilla” and “jugo de naranja natural.” If you don’t know Spanish, then you probably don’t know that in Spain a tortilla is NOT a flat piece of bread…oh no, it is in fact a potato & egg omelet. And the orange juice here is awesome. They throw oranges in a machine and then it squeezes out pure juice. (There are orange trees here all around too).
PINTXOS
[pronounced Pean(rhymes with bean)-chos]
If you ever visit the Basque Country…eat these. They are fairly generous portions and cost a little over 1 Euro. They make a great inexpensive lunch/dinner out. They are the Basque equivalent to Tapas…only since the Basque Country has the best food in Spain…Pintxos tend to be tastier than Tapas. I had one today which was a tuna sandwich with shrimp. The mayo they use here tastes sooo good-garlicky- and since we are on the Atlantic the seafood is very fresh.
SODEXHO
No, Sodexho is not Spanish or Basque for anything. It’s the catering company that both Schaumburg H.S. and Marquette use for food as well as….like every other school in the U.S. (except apparently Boston College because their cafeteria food is privately catered from gourmet restaurants). In short, the café at La Universidad de Deusto has Sodexho food…San Sebastian has the best food in Spain and they have to order Sodexho in the caf…pathetic. Boo. Pintxos are way better and way cheaper.
DATOS INTERESANTES de SAN SEBASTIÁN 22/01/07
Some interesting San Sebastian facts:
1) San Sebastian has less than 200,000 residents.
2) It is on the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) in the very North-East part of Spain.
3) France is 26 miles away from downtown.
4) San Sebastian is hands-down the most expensive city in Spain, however, it is cheaper anywhere in France so the weekends here are full of French people doing all of their shopping.
5) Sales tax is something like16% and you only have to tip 3-5%.
6) San Sebastian is located in Pais Vasco (Basque Country)-The Basque Country is home to the ETA, a very radical political (sometimes-terrorist) group who wants the Basque Country to be a separate state from Spain. (They bombed the Madrid airport on Dec. 30th and killed two South American immigrants.) However, demonstrations here are fewer and supposedly NEVER violent.
7) Gay marriage is legal and seems to be very accepted here, drinking age is 16, driving age is 18. Basically this is how the world should be.
8) San Sebastian is known for having the best food in all of Spain and is home to a world renowned chef and restaurant which ranks in the World’s Best.
9) San Sebastian is 200 times safer than Milwaukee. (Ok , I made that up…but for real…Milwaukee is so much scarier and way uglier)
10) La Universidad de Deusto/ San Sebastian campus has about 3000 students, 250 are international/foreign exchange.
11) The Basque Country has 2 official languages- Castilian Spanish and Euskara (or Basque in English) both languages are on every sign and menu, but I don’t think I’ve heard it yet unless I did and wasn’t paying attention. Btw, Euskara IS NOT a Romantic language (i.e. Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, Galician…etc…) it is a very, very ancient language which is completely unique and has unidentified origins.
1) San Sebastian has less than 200,000 residents.
2) It is on the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic Ocean) in the very North-East part of Spain.
3) France is 26 miles away from downtown.
4) San Sebastian is hands-down the most expensive city in Spain, however, it is cheaper anywhere in France so the weekends here are full of French people doing all of their shopping.
5) Sales tax is something like16% and you only have to tip 3-5%.
6) San Sebastian is located in Pais Vasco (Basque Country)-The Basque Country is home to the ETA, a very radical political (sometimes-terrorist) group who wants the Basque Country to be a separate state from Spain. (They bombed the Madrid airport on Dec. 30th and killed two South American immigrants.) However, demonstrations here are fewer and supposedly NEVER violent.
7) Gay marriage is legal and seems to be very accepted here, drinking age is 16, driving age is 18. Basically this is how the world should be.
8) San Sebastian is known for having the best food in all of Spain and is home to a world renowned chef and restaurant which ranks in the World’s Best.
9) San Sebastian is 200 times safer than Milwaukee. (Ok , I made that up…but for real…Milwaukee is so much scarier and way uglier)
10) La Universidad de Deusto/ San Sebastian campus has about 3000 students, 250 are international/foreign exchange.
11) The Basque Country has 2 official languages- Castilian Spanish and Euskara (or Basque in English) both languages are on every sign and menu, but I don’t think I’ve heard it yet unless I did and wasn’t paying attention. Btw, Euskara IS NOT a Romantic language (i.e. Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, Catalan, Galician…etc…) it is a very, very ancient language which is completely unique and has unidentified origins.
OBSERVACIONES 21/01/07
10 Observed Differences between Here and Home
1) The sun comes up at 9 a.m. here. (SO LATE!! I have issues getting up as it is and lack of light makes it worse)
2) There is a man who plays romantic songs on the accordion outside in my plaza every morning.
3) Every one here is thin and beautiful and wears extremely high fashion expensive clothes that absolutely no one wears in the States. And they are all extremely well groomed with makeup (men too), all women have dyed and highlight hair (many times purple and various red shades), no one wears glasses…etc…
4) Everyone has a dog and all the dogs are just as sexy and gorgeous and well groomed as the owners (all pure-breads). No dogs have leashes-they are all perfectly trained and will sit outside stores and restaurants waiting for their owners.
5) Parents never have to discipline their kids in public and they even bring them to bars in the earlier evening hours.
6) People like to make-out a lot in public (We know now where the Latin Americans get it from)
7) It smells like fish (in a good way not a dead gross way) and fresh bread in the morning.
8) The streets are hosed down and swept every night so the city in super clean.
9) Soccer = Life…people play in the sand a lot at the beach.
10) Phones are way cooler and smaller than at home…even the cheapest ones are far more “chic” and “sexy” than the chocolate, RAZR, and well…every phone I’ve ever seen in my life. So, if you think your phone in the States is cool...here is your reality check. YOUR PHONE IS BULKY AND OVER PRICED.
1) The sun comes up at 9 a.m. here. (SO LATE!! I have issues getting up as it is and lack of light makes it worse)
2) There is a man who plays romantic songs on the accordion outside in my plaza every morning.
3) Every one here is thin and beautiful and wears extremely high fashion expensive clothes that absolutely no one wears in the States. And they are all extremely well groomed with makeup (men too), all women have dyed and highlight hair (many times purple and various red shades), no one wears glasses…etc…
4) Everyone has a dog and all the dogs are just as sexy and gorgeous and well groomed as the owners (all pure-breads). No dogs have leashes-they are all perfectly trained and will sit outside stores and restaurants waiting for their owners.
5) Parents never have to discipline their kids in public and they even bring them to bars in the earlier evening hours.
6) People like to make-out a lot in public (We know now where the Latin Americans get it from)
7) It smells like fish (in a good way not a dead gross way) and fresh bread in the morning.
8) The streets are hosed down and swept every night so the city in super clean.
9) Soccer = Life…people play in the sand a lot at the beach.
10) Phones are way cooler and smaller than at home…even the cheapest ones are far more “chic” and “sexy” than the chocolate, RAZR, and well…every phone I’ve ever seen in my life. So, if you think your phone in the States is cool...here is your reality check. YOUR PHONE IS BULKY AND OVER PRICED.
EXPLORACIÓN 21/01/07
All of the other kids went out last night to join in the massive amounts of crazy partying going on for San Sebastian Day. Judging by the noise I would say it ended at about 7 a.m. this morning. I on the other hand, unpacked and fell asleep (from jet lag) to the drum banging with intermissions of My Heart Will Go On (thank you, Celine) and The Sounds of Silence (thank you, Simon and Garfunkel) on the flute being played by the Native American Indian-dressed people with headdresses and tomahawks-another mysterious costume.
This morning I got up and took a hike by myself up Mt. Urgull to the giant Jesus at the very top. It was a really pretty hike and the mountain is only 5 minutes from my flat. People were just getting out of mass at the top when I reached it. Apparently there is 9a.m. mass inside the Jesus. [note to self] Then I walked in the water at the beach over to the base of the other Mountain, Igueldo. I did some more sightseeing around my neighborhood afterward and found all the recommended bars and stores…and the shopping district full of the yearly sales right now.
EL PISO, COMPAÑERAS, Y EL CLIMA 21/01/07
My flat is decent. It has an old charm to it. It needs some serious cleaning which we have invested 3 hours and about 100 USD in already. My bedroom has a little balcony looking out on the plaza which is awesome. It is in a fantastic location. 4 minutes to the surf beach, 4 minutes to the main beach, 2 minutes to the river, 20 minutes to school, and my neighborhood is where all the nightlife is-all the bars, restaurants, clubs (those times are all walking times of course). Next door is actually a very popular bar/disco, Zibbido.
My roomies are both from the U.S. One is from NH and goes to BC and the other is from CT and goes to Dayton.
The weather is very tolerable during the day, like a good spring day in the Midwest. Highs are in the 50’s and 60’s. When the sun goes down it is another story….my apartment gets freezing cold at night. And I only have a one-layer fleece blanket right now so I had to sleep next to the space heater wearing 2 hoodies, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of socks and my winter coat with the hood up. That is pretty much my only complaint.
Right now is also the rainy season. Some days are pretty dreary, while on rare occasion there is a sunny day.
My roomies are both from the U.S. One is from NH and goes to BC and the other is from CT and goes to Dayton.
The weather is very tolerable during the day, like a good spring day in the Midwest. Highs are in the 50’s and 60’s. When the sun goes down it is another story….my apartment gets freezing cold at night. And I only have a one-layer fleece blanket right now so I had to sleep next to the space heater wearing 2 hoodies, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of socks and my winter coat with the hood up. That is pretty much my only complaint.
Right now is also the rainy season. Some days are pretty dreary, while on rare occasion there is a sunny day.
BIENVENIDOS 20/01/07
My plane to San Sebastian was awesome because I could see all the mountains and lakes and cities from the sky. San Sebastian was absolutely beautiful from the sky…much more scenic and stunning than Madrid (sorry Madrid people but its true).
I waited at the San Sebastian airport for Santiago, the University housing director, to pick me up and take me to my flat. The airport was smaller than Schaumburg’s, but unlike Schaumburg’s airport, I could see France to the right and water was less than a football field away to the left. [There were tons of rowers, Mary!!! You would love it]
When I got into the city, it was jam-packed with people because I arrived on their biggest holiday of the year-San Sebastian Day, of course. So since it was their Saint Day…there was pretty much complete madness for 24 hours.
Santiago told me it was a bigger party holiday than New Years. Just imagine tons of loud Spaniards all drinking 40’s and bottles of wine lining the streets to watch the 24 hour marching band/snare drum/chef and peasant parade. (That is the parade’s unofficial name of course.)
Yes, it was the parade that never ended with the song that also never ended. It goes on all 24 hours…and all 24 hours it goes on in pieces through out every neighborhood of the city. This means that you can never NOT hear it or see it. And lucky me…I live in Plaza Sarriegi. Sarriegi, the man, happened to be the composer of 5 songs very important to San Sebastian. So, in short…every hour on the hour my plaza got filled with hundreds of people playing those 5 songs over and over with encores.
Because of this holiday madness, all the streets were closed and I was forced to walk 15 blocks with all of my luggage to my apartment. On top of that it was about 65 degrees and I was wearing 2 sweatshirts and a winter coat = very sweaty and gross… and the walk culminated with 4 flights of stairs to my flat…...
I’m not going to lie, the parade was bizarre and the people just never did get tired of it…they were excited every time they saw it over and over…and they hummed along and sang in Basque/Euskadi.The men in the parade were all dressed like chefs and the women dressed like peasants. Some of the men chefs carried giant forks and knives and spoons….Then there were the random people with hoes and shovels. Of course, I have no clue what these people represent…a chef revolution? All I know is, San Sebastian is known for having the best food in all of Spain…sooo that’s as logical as I can get.
I waited at the San Sebastian airport for Santiago, the University housing director, to pick me up and take me to my flat. The airport was smaller than Schaumburg’s, but unlike Schaumburg’s airport, I could see France to the right and water was less than a football field away to the left. [There were tons of rowers, Mary!!! You would love it]
When I got into the city, it was jam-packed with people because I arrived on their biggest holiday of the year-San Sebastian Day, of course. So since it was their Saint Day…there was pretty much complete madness for 24 hours.
Santiago told me it was a bigger party holiday than New Years. Just imagine tons of loud Spaniards all drinking 40’s and bottles of wine lining the streets to watch the 24 hour marching band/snare drum/chef and peasant parade. (That is the parade’s unofficial name of course.)
Yes, it was the parade that never ended with the song that also never ended. It goes on all 24 hours…and all 24 hours it goes on in pieces through out every neighborhood of the city. This means that you can never NOT hear it or see it. And lucky me…I live in Plaza Sarriegi. Sarriegi, the man, happened to be the composer of 5 songs very important to San Sebastian. So, in short…every hour on the hour my plaza got filled with hundreds of people playing those 5 songs over and over with encores.
Because of this holiday madness, all the streets were closed and I was forced to walk 15 blocks with all of my luggage to my apartment. On top of that it was about 65 degrees and I was wearing 2 sweatshirts and a winter coat = very sweaty and gross… and the walk culminated with 4 flights of stairs to my flat…...
I’m not going to lie, the parade was bizarre and the people just never did get tired of it…they were excited every time they saw it over and over…and they hummed along and sang in Basque/Euskadi.The men in the parade were all dressed like chefs and the women dressed like peasants. Some of the men chefs carried giant forks and knives and spoons….Then there were the random people with hoes and shovels. Of course, I have no clue what these people represent…a chef revolution? All I know is, San Sebastian is known for having the best food in all of Spain…sooo that’s as logical as I can get.
EL VIAJE 19/01/07 -20/01/07
O’Hare went smoothly…I was the only one in the Iberia check in line and security took all of 10 minutes. The flight from Chi to Madrid was long, with the dumbest movies (Sean Penn...bite me ew) and moderately disgusting food(cheese and bread =good). I met some girls going to study in France who were from all over the Midwest and kept me company for a few hours.
After arriving in the Madrid airport and going through the passport check point and getting re-searched for weapons and paraphernalia of sorts I tagged along with a guy and a girl from Texas Christian University (Dallas/Fortworth, TX). We stuck together and talked for about 3 hours while we were layed-over. The guy even let me use his phone to call home, which was nice and convenient. They were headed to Sevilla (southern Spain); we exchanged info in hopes of visiting each other later in the semester.
My connecting flight to San Sebastian was very small-less than 100 people could fit in it. I was the only non-Spaniard, which was slightly awkward but everyone thinks I’m Spanish anyways so I guess it doesn’t matter.
[Central Americans even asked me questions in the Madrid airport about what train to take to their gate…which was weird because they speak only Spanish…they are at more of advantage than me and I had the same gate and figured it out…but I guess I look Spanish and probably smarter because I was wearing glasses].
After arriving in the Madrid airport and going through the passport check point and getting re-searched for weapons and paraphernalia of sorts I tagged along with a guy and a girl from Texas Christian University (Dallas/Fortworth, TX). We stuck together and talked for about 3 hours while we were layed-over. The guy even let me use his phone to call home, which was nice and convenient. They were headed to Sevilla (southern Spain); we exchanged info in hopes of visiting each other later in the semester.
My connecting flight to San Sebastian was very small-less than 100 people could fit in it. I was the only non-Spaniard, which was slightly awkward but everyone thinks I’m Spanish anyways so I guess it doesn’t matter.
[Central Americans even asked me questions in the Madrid airport about what train to take to their gate…which was weird because they speak only Spanish…they are at more of advantage than me and I had the same gate and figured it out…but I guess I look Spanish and probably smarter because I was wearing glasses].
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)