Hey guys!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but I have been winding down from my last trip… Where you might ask, well San Sebastian of course!
For those of you who have who don’t know where it is, it is on the Northern coast of Spain (yes, I went there again). I really think Spain is one of my favourite European countries. Why, simple, it has all the fun cities, Barcelona, Madrid, San Sebastian and Ibiza!!!
The trip all started one night when I went out for some work drinks with some friends. My friend Justin, the party planner of the office, asked if I wanted to join him and 11 (yes 11) of his friends on this trip. I jumped at the opportunity to go to a pre-organised event, especially one with so many fun people (I did not know many of them at the time, but knowing Justin I knew they must be fun). Further, when one of the attendees backed out, my friend Kim quickly jumped on board to attend.
I bid my time, and slowly waited for trip that was coming. I did not know much about the city before I went, but people kept telling me they had really good Pintxos there. I tried asking what that meant, but I only got one response, they are like tapas, but better. And boy were they right.
The cool thing about this trip was is that while it is a tourist destination, it is not crazy mainstream like other cities (e.g. Barcelona). As such, we had to fly into an airport an hour outside the city and drive to San Sebastion. Funny thing is when people asked where I was going at first, I told them Bilboa (which is where my plane ticket was to). I did not find out until later that this was not the case. Small mishap, but not as big as it could have been. Ok, so this is a little off topic, but it is a funny story and I think it would be fitting to share with you right now.
So as some of you know, I spent six months abroad in Australia when I was there for school (Go Monash). When I got back I ended up moving into an apartment building on Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee, WI, called the Majestic. After I filled out my application, I was unsure of what address to put from my stay in Australia. I really only had to give it to my parents, and when I cabbed it home we simply said Monash… As such, I did not know my address to populate so I just left the field blank. When the lady saw this, she asked where I had lived the past six months. I stated, Australia! Her response—get ready for it—“Wow, I would love to live in another Country, but I only speak English.”
Yes, I will say again, thinking I was going to Bilboa is not so bad compared to thinking that Australian English is not American English… Ok, back to San Sebastian!
So, we arrived late on Friday night, and it was pretty dark out. But, Justin, being the great organiser he is, found us two 5-bedroom flats (or apartments for you Americans reading this). To top it all off, we were right in the middle of the two beaches on a mini peninsula. Since it was late already, we immediately left to find food, had a couple drinks, then headed home to make the most of our Saturday. When I awoke, I was alone! Noo, I slept thought the morning and it was already 11 am. I turned on my data roaming and called everyone to see where they were. They soon came back for me and we started our day. First stop, the beach! Wow, it was such nice weather, and the beach was fantastic! We people watched, drank Cha-co-lee on the beach and just relaxed in the sun. One great thing about this place was there was NO AGENDA, no sights we had to see, no restaurants we had to get to, nothing but glories relaxation.
Most vacations I go on, I end up running from place to place trying to see all the sights, then spend way to much money on food and hotel. Here, our flat was spacious and affordable, and the Pintxos were everywhere so it was like never ending mini buffet’s everywhere. To explain what these are in more detail, picture walking into a bar, ANY BAR, and having it covered with finger foods. You are handed a plate, and you only pay for what you eat. You can eat a lot, or a little, it is up to you. And it has food ranging from Brie and prawns, to foie gras… And boy did I eat the foie. The Social was the place that introduced me to the foie, and it was $13 for a portion the size of a ½ dollar. Well in Spain, foie was a Pintxos and it was only 2 euro for a bigger portion and it was ever so delicious. Also eaten was cow cheek, and black pudding (I won’t explain that one if you don’t know what it is).
Overall the trip was a smashing success, and if I had to choose one more place to re-visit before I move back to America it would be this place. But, since I will be in London for the foreseeable future (no more two year talk), I have plenty of time to find new places.
Now I rarely blog about London, it is just that while I am at home, I tend to have less free time than I did when I was in America. Here, the parks are everywhere, there are tons of people coming and going, and the Museums are all free! One thing I did recently that is worth talking about is attending zoo lates here. Zoo Lates is essentially where they keep the zoo open until 10PM, sell beverages throughout the zoo, so you can watch the animals while sipping on a glass of wine. The highlight of the experience was the silent disco. For a £5 refundable deposit, you were handed a set of wireless headphones which enabled you to dance to music, while nothing was playing for others to hear… Let me tell you, this was hilarious to watch!
One thing I will say is this though, with all the good, comes some bad… I experienced this most recently on Sunday. One of my close friends, Courtney Tisius, was married in Austin, Texas. Due to the price of summer plane tickets home, I was unable to fly back home for the wedding. I was really bummed and wish I could have been there. I am happy to say though that a really good present is in the works, so Courtney, by the end of this year, I will have something in your hands that will truly describe our friendship. I love you and wish you and your husband all the best!
Well, I have to go, as this is a pretty busy week at work for me, as this week I get to travel for my FIRST time since coming to London. In the US, I travelled all the time, even spending six months in Seattle at one point. But this Thursday, I am taking a day trip to Belgium. It is weird to think I am taking a day trip to another country, but that is how things word over here.
Well thanks for taking the time to read this blog entry! Some upcoming entries include:
• My day trip to Belgium
• My 30th Birthday Party
• My friend Kim’s 4th of July Party
• Chelsea’s trip to London
PS. Sean and Wayne, it was great seeing you guys this past weekend. I hope you enjoyed London. Nate Bown and Josh Parkinson.
PPS. If any of the San Sebastian folks are reading this, you all rocked and I had a blast with you soon! We will be having our Pintxos in London soon so look out for the invite!
And LEAVE A COMMENT PLEASE!
