If it’s August, then it must be Semana Grande – our 10th Semana Grande to be exact. At this point, we enjoy the various activities on offer, including music concerts, but we don’t go overboard and generally keep to our usual routine. We did have two unique experiences this year though that made the week truly grand: (1) we got to watch the fireworks from the La Concha Bay on a sailboat, and (2) the near total eclipse on August 12.
The nightly fireworks are the weekly highlight for most people, many of whom watch from the beach. As we can see most of them from our balcony, that’s my preferred location. The crowds on and around the beach are so big that what is normally a 10-minute walk home becomes 30+ after the fireworks. And the view from our balcony is pretty good:
While you miss the lower fireworks from our balcony, you get a private viewing and can go to bed immediately afterwards. Or, if you’re Jeff, you can go to sleep earlier and sleep right through them. (His sleeping skills are a gift.) But I really wanted to see them from a boat at least once. As our flysch sailing trip last month was such a pleasure, I knew we had to get out again with my new “friend with boat.” So, I organized a group of friends for an afternoon-evening outing.
After two cancelations due to weather, on August 11 we set sail from Zumaia to San Sebastian, about a 3.5-hour journey. The scenery and camaraderie were terrific. Along the way, we stopped to swim a few times, making sure to avoid the Portuguese Man-o-Wars that have been frequent visitors in the water this summer. Thankfully we were successful in that regard!
We had a terrific sunset:
And it was worth it to see the fireworks from the bay:
We all had such a good time that we are already planning to do it again next year. After the fireworks, our captain dropped us at the port and then returned to his home port. He was looking forward to watching the Perseids meteor shower on the trip back.
And we were all looking forward to the eclipse the next afternoon. An embarrassment of riches, to be sure.
Next post, the eclipse!
Hasta pronto,
Shana & Jeff
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