San Sebastian!
Here is the low-down on San Sebastian:
It is a cute little resort like town.
It is smaller.
Great beaches.
We heard it was supposed to be great and relaxing, which is of course true.
Bad news: 7 hour bus ride. The bus ride there wasn't terrible. Peter and I knocked out about a half a season of Friends. The bus ride actually was gorgeous because we were seeing parts of Spain that we didn't even know existed....we went through desert like area, green lush areas, and next to the water. So the ride there really wasn't too terrible.
Once we got there, the sun was still shining and it was actually hot outside. Now....I heard it was supposed to be chilly....all I brought were UGGS with me...bad call. I survived. Anyway, so our hotel was really nice...and I had the BEST roommate in the world....my most amazing and wonderful friend, Beth. SHOUT OUT! Once we dropped our things off, we went to the beach and just hung out taking in the amazing scenery.
(Hanging on the beach in San Sebastian.)
(Me and my beautiful Bethie at the beach.)
After being on the bus all day with just junk food, we were all ready for REAL food. So we walked around and found this amazing burger place. Almost everyone had two burgers because they were literally that great. And in the restaurant, there was a Missouri license plate on the wall...represent!
That night, Beth and I watched the Mizzou and Wisco games on our computers...and yes we both won! Woo hoo. After that, the whole group went to dinner at this cute little noodle and pizza place. It reminded me of a nicer "Noodles & Company" which I had really been missing. All the noodles were homemade. And then we all indulged in some delicious ice cream...including strawberry. Strawberry ice cream is hard to come by here....there is strawberry gelato...but it really doesn't taste the same.
Saturday morning, we woke up to go on the tour. It was interesting. We walked down to very end of this part of the island, and there are these weird structures called "wind combs." The area was pretty, despite it being overcast. We all just hung around and soaked in the day. Then we took the funiculare up to the top of the island. At the top, there was a really cute little amusement park, which also included a log flume ride. All of us decided that it was necessary to go on it, even though it lasted about 3 minutes and just went in a circle. Then we ended up over the in the downtown area of San Sebastian, and walked through this area with a ton of restaurants and bars and markets. Beth and I found this AMAZING little pinxtos place. Pinxtos are really popular in Northern Spain. They are like tapas, but only meant for one person, not to share. The best one we had was this red bell pepper stuffed with cheese and then it was deep fried. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.
(Beth and I next to one of the wind combs.)
(View of the city from the top.)
(I adore this picture of Peter and Michael on the log flume ride.)
It started raining shortly after, so Peter and I decided to go to the aquarium. It was supposed to be really great, and we had an amazing time. The best part was this area where you walked through the tank essentially. The tank is on both sides of you. It literally looked like sharks were coming at you, which is what Peter thought...it was funny to see him jump like that. We both really enjoy looking at marine life, and I think it was definitely my highlight of the trip.
(My favorite picture I took at the aquarium.)
Saturday night, I began to not feel very well, and I had to stay in. Everyone else just went out and went to dinner and watched some of the NCAA basketball games. The nightlife isn't really big in San Sebastian, and we all knew that this would be our break from that part of Spain...the partying part.
Sunday morning, we all wake up and get on the bus. As we are driving 30 minutes outside of the city, two girls from our program get ahold of the woman in charge on the bus...they didn't get on the bus. Our whole bus had to turn around, go back and pick up these girls, and then go again. Our trip ended up being 10 hours. Spain has really weird highway driving rules....the x number of kilometers you go, you are have to stop for like 30-45 minutes. So we had 3 stops, each consisting of 45 minutes, plus 7 hours of driving. The bus ride was soooo long. We couldn't wait to get back to Barcelona...where it was POURING. Not a great welcome.
However, the best welcome was to come the next day! Michael's parents and Peter's parents were in town for a few days. And being the lucky and completely blessed girl that I am, I got to go to dinner with all of them 2 nights. It was such a treat! I was already missing my parents terribly, so it was so nice to see the two other sets of parents that I am closest to! The first night, we went to Cafe Academia, where I had a really great piece of salmon....which I had been missing. The menu had one item that was super peculiar.....blood pudding in lasagna. I'm still not sure what it is, but the name is bad enough. We wanted nothing to do with it. The meal was great and we had a wonderful wonderful time.
The next night, we went to this great restaurant in Born called "Pla." It was a great ambience, amazing food and some of the best conversation ever! I had these chicken skewers that were so amazing. If anyone is in Barcelona looking for a great restaurant, I definitely recommend this one. Then we had to take them all to Patagonia bar...our local spot. As tradition calls, it was necessary for everyone to try the "little brain" shot. I'm not sure if I have explained the phenomenon that is the little brain.
The little brain is some kind of weird flavored vodka with a spoonful of baileys. The baileys is poured in on top and when it settles, it looks like a miniature brain. It is delicious and amazing. Every time I go to this bar, I get a little brain. I am now determined to figure out how to make them myself....because yes, they are that great!
The glorious "little brain"
So it was an epic night....great dinner and little brain shots at Patagonia.
So thank you so much to Mr. and Mrs. Z and Mr. and Mrs. B for an amazing two nights that I will always cherish! It was so great to see everyone, and I truly appreciate your kindness.
That night, my cousin Erin finally got in town. She greeted me at my apartment, just getting back from her Morocco trip. And yes, she was super tan. I was very jealous.
Wednesday day, after my class, she and I just took the city by storm and walked around. We went to a lot of different places....Park Ciutadella, outside La Pedrera, Ramblas, Boqueria, etc. It was an overcast day so I wanted to save Parc Guell for the next day. I don't even recall where we went to dinner that night.
Thursday day, I was able to take Erin to Park Guell. Since she is quite Le Artiste, I knew she would appreciate the amazing work of Gaudi that is Park Guell. Peter was able to come with us, and we had a really great time walking around and taking pictures.
(Pete and I at Park Guell.)
(I LOVEEEE MY COUSIN!)
(I miss her soooo much!!)
That night, we all went to dinner at Juicy Jones, a vegan place here in Barcelona. They have hummus, guacamole and olive tapenade...all my favorites. It was so nice to have a healthy meal where the food wasn't fried. Since our flight for Mallorca left early in the morning, we hit the hay earlier that night.
(Dinner at Juicy Jones)
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