Springtime in San Sebastian

Spring has sprung. The trees are blooming, and the sun has been out most days. Last year we missed out on Spring entirely with the constant rain that lasted into June. So, we are trying to get outside as much as we can to enjoy the pretty days.

This weekend we enjoyed two traditional San Sebastian pastimes. On Friday night we went to a sidreria in nearby Astigarraga. The cider season lasts from January through April, although some of the sidrerias are open all year long. Last year we visited the local cider museum and a sidreria in January and enjoyed the experience so much we knew we would have to do it again. The standard sidreria menu includes all the cider you can drink (served directly from the barrels), tortilla de bacalao (omelet with cod), bacalao with peppers, txuleta (grilled beef rib chop), and Idiazabal cheese with quince paste and walnuts for dessert. It is a lot of food! We were still full when we woke up Saturday morning!

What made this visit even better is that we went with three Basques, Andoni, Arantza, and Itziar, plus Connie, a friend from school. Arantza lives in Astigarraga and has visited every sidreria in the area. During the season, most of her friends dine at a sidreria once a week! Our Basque friends are studying English at the local official language school and we spent the evening helping them with their English and practicing our Spanish. It was fun to compare notes about the things that frustrate us most about each  language. After so much time in school, we have a new appreciation for how difficult the process of learning a language can be. We really enjoyed the evening, both because of the great company and food, but also because we can finally see how much Spanish we’ve learned and how we are much more comfortable speaking now – finally!! What a difference a year makes. Here’s our group:

Today we took our favorite walk along the San Sebastian coastline and La Concha and Ondarreta beaches. Most of the city seemed to have the same idea – it’s not just our favorite walk. We timed it just right for low tide and enjoyed walking along the sand with all the dogs that can be there during the fall, winter, and spring months. With the water at its lowest point we walked out on the rocky tide pool area and snapped some photos of the city and the Peine del Viento from an area that is usually submerged. We thought you’d enjoy the vistas from there as much as we did:

We are in the home stretch now. Only 1 more week of Spanish school to go!

Hasta luego,

Shana & Jeff