Springsteen in the House!

When I learned last October that Bruce Springsteen would be performing in San Sebastian on my birthday, it felt like a sign. We had never seen him perform, had heard for decades how amazing he is, and since he is 75 years old, we knew that if we wanted to see him, 2025 would be the time. I immediately messaged my dear friend Debbie – a true Springsteen fanatic since age 16 – to invite her to come from CA, and she didn’t hesitate in responding, “YES!”

Buying tickets was a stressful process. We managed to secure two tickets on the floor for Debbie and Rebekah, her law school buddy/fellow Springsteen fanatic, and two seats for Jeff and me. Rebekah also secured two seats for the second show that was added as tickets for the first were selling out. The excitement in San Sebastian was palpable. These wouldn’t be the Boss’s first shows here, but they would be the only shows in Spain during this tour.

Debbie & Rebekah arrived on Wednesday evening (June 18) and immediately went to the “roll call” location where they were assigned numbers 163 and 164, which gave them the opportunity to be “on the rail,” or as close to it as possible. The process required them to check in three times per day (10 am/3 pm/7 pm) until the day of the show, when they would have to arrive at 3 pm for the 9 pm concert. Failure to appear meant you lost your place.

Learning this, we were beyond thrilled to have seats and no obligation to do anything but show up. The idea of spending so much time and effort was unimaginable to us. Ultimately there were more than 600 fans with numbers who queued for the opportunity to get in before anyone else. Bruce fans form a serious  community, and Debbie and Rebekah made many new friends and saw others they had met in Cork, Ireland last year.

Fans took over the city; you couldn’t miss seeing them in their concert T-shirts and other regalia. Many of them stalked Bruce and the members of the E Street Band, inside and outside the Hotel Maria Christina – Debbie and Rebekah included. Here they are with Charlie Giordano and Curtis King:

Each day the local paper reported on the Bruce sightings. Overall, he kept a low profile because of the response when he appeared, always with a bodyguard:

In between their checking in, we enjoyed everything San Sebastian has to offer, especially the food:

On the night of the concert, we sent Debbie & Rebekah with a picnic to the stadium, where they spent 3 hours waiting outside with their new besties, then another 3 hours inside in front of the stage. We waltzed in about 20 minutes before showtime. Based on their views of Bruce as he visited “the pit,” one might argue it was worth it:

In contrast, here was our view from the last row of the stadium:

We were perfectly happy where we were, with seats, unobstructed sight lines, a view of how the entire crowd was reacting, and our own space. The show was impressive; they played for just under 3 hours. We would not consider ourselves converts to Team Bruce, but we are pleased that we had the experience, especially since it is possible this could be the last European tour.

The second concert was 3 days later (June 24) – Bruce is smart to rest up between shows. This time Debbie & Rebekah had seats and therefore no further “roll call” obligations. This allowed us to enjoy more outings, including a hike, and more restaurants and shopping.

We went to see the Noche de San Juan celebrations on the 23rd, which marks the beginning of the summer with bonfires. We saw the main celebration in Constitution Plaza, where there was traditional Basque dance around a tree that was later lit on fire, which was then extinguished, and then pieces of the bark were cut and distributed to the crowd. The pieces of wood are considered good luck for the year if you hold on to it.

I had never witnessed this ceremony before, which included the mayor among the dancers. I was happy Debbie and Rebekah got to see it – and get some wood (a unique souvenir).

The second concert was momentous. First, (Little) Stevie Van Zandt did not perform as he was in the hospital recovering from having his appendix removed not long after the first show. Second, they stopped the show, in the middle of a song, due to a thunderstorm. After a 30-minute break, Bruce and the band returned and played the longest set to date. They were more spontaneous and performed several songs that were not previously heard during the tour. Debbie and Rebekah were relieved to have seats, where they were protected from the heat and rain, and could rest their very tired legs and feet during the break.

The energy the Bruce fans brought to the city was eclectic and exciting. Still, I think everyone who lives here was glad to have the city back to “normal” once the Bruce circus moved on.

It was a fabulous visit and a memorable way to celebrate my birthday, shared with old and new friends.

Hasta pronto,

Shana & Jeff 

Galician Wine Tour

In early June, we joined a small wine tour (12 people plus the couple that ran the tour) in Galicia, a place that I had never visited, and Shana just visited for the first time during her art and architecture tour in April. We began in Santiago de Compostela where the Camino de Santiago ends at the city's Cathedral. Since we arrived early on the day the tour started, we had time to visit the Cathedral and have lunch. 

The Cathedral was filled with pilgrims, and we passed on visiting the tomb of Saint James since the line was insane. Lunch was at a place that Shana had previously visited, which is focused on sustainability, even to the point of working with wineries to buy wine in boxes (and not your normal boxed wine). We very much enjoyed our meal, and I got my first taste of mariscos (shellfish) for which the Galicia region is rightfully famous.

Our tour started that evening with welcome drinks and a wonderful dinner, including wine (of course) and more shellfish (in this case amazing scallops). The people were a mix (from Norway, Sweden, the UK  and the US), but everyone except us had some connection to Mallorca, where the operators own a wine business. We are not sure how Shana ended up on their mailing list, but we are glad she did.

The next day, we set out for three wine tastings. First, we stopped at Eladio Pineiro Rural Wines, where the very interesting winemaker told us the story of his winery. The coolest part of this visit was trying wines directly out of the stainless steel vats where the wine is aged. Although wine made from albarino (the primary grape in this region) is usually bottled shortly after it is made, Eladio ages his albarino for several years before bottling, so we got to do a verticle tasting of the same wine for 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020. It was very interesting to see the differences in the wines from the different years.

After a long visit with Eladio, that included tasting two additional wines from bottles, we headed to Granbazan winery where we had both a tasting and lunch planned. Because we were running behind (a commom theme of the trip), we started with lunch, which of course included wine. Lunch was very good, and then we took a brief tour of the vineyards where we started to learn about how albarino grapes are grown. Because Galicia is very wet, albarino vines grown normally closer to the ground risk being destroyed by mildew. Therefore they are grown away on a sort of trellis known as a pergola, which allows for more air and sun exposure.

The tasting was also very good, and was well paired with food (not that any of us was hungry, but the pairings they offered did a very good job of showcasing their wines, so we had to find a way to try some). 

Our third tasting of the day at Attis Bodegas and Vinedos was probably our least favorite of the trip. It seemed more commercial, and while the wines were fine, they weren't anything special. It was also at the end of a very long day, making it harder to focus.

That night, we checked into a Parador in the city of Cambados, which is right on the coast. This was our first stay at a Parador, which are hotels in old and historic buildings throughout Spain. The Paradors, which began in 1928, were greatly expanded during the Franco dictatorship in places that he liked to vacation. We were impressed with our accomodations, and would definitely like to visit some of the other Paradors.

The next day, we only had one wine tasting and lunch, but somehow we still found a way to overindulge. The winery, Bodegas Albamar, picked us up at our hotel and the first stop was a shellfish distributor where we learned a bit about the process of growing some of the types of shellfish we ate, as well as seeing examples of many types of shellfish (they had something like 15 different types in their tanks that day).

Next we drove around a bit and saw some of Albamar's vineyards and learned about the various things they are trying in terms of grape growing. It was a beautiful day, and the scenery was amazing.

In the bottom picture above, you can see a number of small vineyards. In the subregion of Galicia that we were in, Rias Baixes, the vineyards are generally very small, and many people who live there have their own vineyard connected to their home. In this past, these grapes were often used to produce wine for personal consumption. Now, with the increased value of the grapes, most are sold to wineries to make wine commercially.

The wine tasting at Albamar was fantastic, as we tried 10 (!) different wines, including one from the winemaker's private cellar: a 10-year-old albarino that was amazing. We were, of course disappointed that we could not buy this wine, but at least we got to try it. In addition, there was more shellfish, in this case delicious mussels.

After leaving Bodegas Aldamar, we returned to Cambados for another fantastic lunch and yet more wine.

After lunch, and a bit of rest, Shana and I managed to rally ourselves and went for a walk around Cambados to see the two primary sites in the city: the ruined Church of Santa Marina, and the ruined Torre San Sadurnino, a defensive tower that dates from the 8th-9th century.

The next day, there were no wine tastings (although cava was available at breakfast), just a bus back to the Santiago airport and a flight back to Bilbao. We very much enjoyed this tour and had a lot of fun with the people we met. We are already looking forward to their next tour, possibly to the Rioja region, and maybe a trip to Mallorca to visit our new friends.

Hasta pronto.

Jeff and Shana

Who Says "There's No Such Thing as a Free Lunch"?

A few weeks ago, we signed up to potentially attend a lunch at the Basque Culinary Center that would showcase the talents of the first-year class. Last week we got a call giving us the details of the lunch, which we barely remembered signing up for. Oops! 

The lunch took place this past Wednesday. It was a contest among teams made up of the first-year students, and was indeed completely free (even including wine pairings). We were overall very impressed with the food prepared by the students.

It was a beautiful day as we made our way up to the Basque Culinary Center, and noticed a new statue that had been installed since our last visit.

When we entered, we were directed to a particular table, which had the menu prepared by "our" team. It was a four-course meal consisting of a cold appetizer, a hot appetizer, an entree and dessert. As I said, we were impressed by the dishes overall, as well as the bread. The cold appertizer was a tomato tartare in an agridulce salsa; the hot appetizer a choux filled with liver (essentially a pate), which I thought was fantastic; the entree was an impressive entrecote with a demiglace; and the dessert was a combination of apple, brioche soaked in cider (yummy) and a soft cheese (somehow we failed to take a picture of dessert). As you can see, even the platings were impressive.

As for the wine pairings, they were interesting, and included a good local Txaikoli, a Basque orange wine and a white wine pairing with the steak. We felt the last was a bold choice that worked, but we would have preferred red.

Unfortunately, our team did not win any of the four awards that were given out, and we were feeling a bit of FOMO wondering about the meals prepared by the other teams. Nonetheless, it was hard to feel too bad about a free four-course lunch.

Hasta pronto,

Jeff and Shana

 

An Immersion in Art & Architecture & Spanish in Galicia – My First Solo Trip (April 24-28)

As members of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, we have taken part in several special events. Among the recent options, we noticed a trip focused on art and architecture that looked interesting, “Contemporary Galicia, Peering at the Atlantic.” The trip was 4 days and 3 nights with a super ambitious itinerary, which led Jeff to decide to skip it. I decided it was time to make my first solo trip.

The group included 22 people, plus our guide Mikel, who has led trips all over the world and is a true Renaissance man. There were 5 couples, 1 mother/daughter pair, and 10 women traveling solo or as friends. I estimate the average age of the group at 70+.

After a quick flight from Bilbao to Santiago de Compostela, we headed south to Pontevedra to visit the RAC Foundation, hosted by founders Carlos Roson and Julieta Rojo. They showed us their current exhibition, and the parts of their collection displayed in their residence above the foundation space.

Later that day, we viewed the private home collection of Marianela Saez Silva in A Coruña. It included a fabulous Hockney, among many other notable pieces, and even a large garden sculpture.

Both hosts shared the philosophy that art should be communal and not hidden away. While I agree with this concept, walking through their homes was somewhat awkward, especially due to the size of our group. These were the nicest residences I have visited in Spain by far.

We also had a guided tour of the sculpture exhibition at the headquarters of Afundacion Obra Social Abanca in A Coruña, a cultural center in a stunning building designed to look like a wave, which my photo attempts failed to show.

After that full day, which included a lovely lunch, we finally checked into our hotel in A Coruña, which is a beautiful seaside city. It was clear that Jeff had made the right decision for him, and that I would be very tired when this trip ended.

Friday included 5 stops and a lot of time on the bus. We had a guided tour of the private collection at the Maria Jose Jove Foundation, which was displayed in a museum setting. The art was diverse and extensive.

Those small balls are made from a South American tree nut with carved messages, some are in protest and others inspirational.

We then saw the Irving Penn Centennial exhibition at the MOP Foundation, located in the A Coruña port. Penn is best known as a Vogue fashion photographer, but he explored many other subject matters. Our guide was a tremendous storyteller and shared some fascinating tales.

We ventured down to Corrubedo to see works by British architect David Chipperfield, including eating lunch at a local bar he designed.

Afterwards we met two sculptors at their studios. First we stopped at the Manolo Paz Contemporary Art Foundation in Cambados, where Paz led us through his outdoor estate. His sculptures are predominantly nature based and the setting was peaceful.

Paz is standing next to me in the group photo.

Francisco Leiro’s studio was an amazing lesson in how giant wooden sculptures are made. I can attest that the artist has all 10 fingers. He was incredibly patient with our questions.

Leiro is the tall man in the center of the group photo.

Saturday, we spent the day in Santiago de Compostela for an architectural journey. We explored the complex of buildings that constitute the Galicia City of Culture, including the Library, Archive and Museum, designed by Peter Eisenman. Their design and materials are intended to reflect the local geography, archaeology, and history. It is one of those projects that never fully came to fruition due to significant cost overruns.

The views down to the famous cathedral were most impressive. An added bonus were the Manolo Paz sculptures that look like donuts.

We next saw an odd mix of buildings in a city park, none of which I found particularly attractive or photo-worthy but certainly made for an interesting study in contrast. We moved on to David Chipperfield’s RIA Foundation, where he showed us around personally and explained their mission of sustainability … in English, which was nice for me.

Chipperfield is dead center in the photo. Lunch at A Cantina RIA was so good that I’m taking Jeff back when we return to Galicia in June for a wine trip. Afterwards we had a tour of the Galician Center for Contemporary Art, another architectural wonder. Finally we made our way to the cathedral to consider the classical Portico de la Gloria, where we also witnessed part of the service in honor of the Pope’s funeral, which was that day.

Sunday began with a coastal walk in A Coruña, where we saw more sculptures by Manolo Paz and others as we enjoyed the views towards Hercules Tower and the sea and sunshine.

The views from the exterior of the Casa del Hombre-DOMUS science museum on such a sunny day were spectacular.

Our last stop, before our farewell lunch, was a guided tour of the Belles Artes Museum, whose collection of Galician artists was impressive, including works by our new friends Paz and Leiro.

As you can see, it was an exhilarating, edifying, yet exhausting trip. I only ate dinner one of the three nights, and not because I was hungry, but more because I wanted to walk around the area near the hotel before leaving. Otherwise, I was too tired and needed a break from listening to and speaking Spanish all day. I understood almost everything but noticed that if I lost concentration for a moment, I would be lost for a few minutes before refocusing. 

Overall, it was a fabulous trip. Everything was well-organized and executed with precision, which was key considering all the stops we made. The group was highly sociable and pleasant. I learned a lot and made some friends. And traveling without having to make many decisions was a delight. If another interesting trip was offered, I would certainly consider it.

Hasta pronto,

Shana