Is this heaven? No, it's Orio.

We may have mentioned before that Spain has adopted the concept of "Black Friday" (despite the fact that the day before is not Thanksgiving), and many businesses offer deals on that day, or sometimes for the entire week. This year, Shana came accross such a deal for the Hotel Villa Antilla, a hotel in Orio, a small town near San Sebastian that has a spa and a "recorrido marino" -- a series of salt water pools that include various water features. We bought the deal, which included our room, breakfast and a daily 90-minute visit to the recorrido marino, and scheduled a little three-day break there earlier this month.

Orio (sounds like Oreo, the cookie) really is a small pueblo (population 6,000). We have hiked there before, but because the train winds its way there slowly, it actually takes about 20 minutes. With the walk to the train station and then to the hotel, travel time was about an hour. But what a difference an hour makes. First, the view from our room was fantastic:

On the left of the photo is the Oria river, and on the right is Orio's small beach. As you can see, we had fantastic weather for our little get-away. Really, the best three days of weather in 2022 with temperatures in the sixties and sunny days. The grass area in the middle of the photo is a place that all of the locals bring their dogs to play, so we had plenty to watch out our window.

The recorrido marino was really fantastic, with a circuit of pools that you could just relax in with various kinds of jets bubbling, water pouring over you, even very strong massage-type jets. Maybe not quite warm enough for my tastes, but you probably couldn't spend the full 90 minutes there if the water was too hot. In addition, Shana took advantage of the spa, getting a massage one day, and a foot massage another.

This being the Basque region, of course eating was a big part of our trip. One day we did a fantastic fish lunch at an asador that is famous for its grilled fish. The other, we did a steak lunch returning to Asador San Martin, which is in the hills above Orio:

If you look carefully, you can see our hotel on the beach below the restaurant.

Other than eating and the hotel spa, we did very little other than enjoy the nice weather with a bit of walking in the hills nearby, and a morning bike ride:

It was a great escape from our routine. We will definitely be returning to Orio and the Villa Antilla to use the recorrido marino and have a nice lunch. Probably next month!

Hasta luego,

Jeff and Shana

p.s. For those who missed it, the title of this post is taken from the movie Field of Dreams, where it is Iowa that is confused for heaven: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8-B5cyfK6A.

How’s our Spanish?

A frequent question we get is “how’s your Spanish?” And, after more than four years living in San Sebastian, I think we’re finally willing to respond with “it’s not bad, it might even be considered ‘decent’ or ‘pretty good’.” Perhaps you think we’re being humble, but learning Spanish has been humbling, and we know how easy it is to overestimate one’s own capabilities. So, how do we evaluate our skills?

Let’s start with how often we use Spanish. Obviously, we speak English to each other, and with the coronavirus situation, our interactions outside the home have been more limited. Still, when we do leave the house, generally we speak Spanish to others. (The exception is when we are with other native English speakers. It is just too easy to default to your native language.) Of course, when you’re running errands, your exchanges aren’t extensive.

One consistent outing for me is yoga. Yes, the vocabulary in class is consistent, but repetition is important. Plus, the yoga studio provides me a great opportunity to socialize because there is a real community among the participants. Many of my acquaintances and friends come from there.

We still read the local newspaper at least three times per week. And many evenings we watch two game shows – without subtitles. Granted there are a lot of visuals that are helpful, still, we can understand the back and forth between the host, contestants, or celebrity guests with ease. Reading and hearing Spanish consistently is important. Speaking is the biggest challenge.

I’ve had some recent experiences that have instilled confidence. These include appointments with the dermatologist, the optician, and to donate blood. But another stands out. We had a plumbing issue and I had to call and arrange for a plumber to come. I am still intimidated when talking on the phone, but the fear factor has diminished significantly. I was able to explain the problem adequately, speak to the scheduler, and then deal with the plumbing technicians who came to the house. Although I am consistently asked where I’m from – my accent and pronunciation need work! – I feel like my ability to communicate has improved significantly.

One new fun way to test our skills is doing Wordle in Spanish. We find it easier than English! That’s because the way vowels behave in Spanish is predictable and only the C, L, R, and N can be doubled. Also, there aren’t any letter odd combinations like GH or PH. So far, our vocabulary has been sufficient to figure out each day’s word.

There’s not a lot going on here. We’re keeping a low profile as we try to avoid getting infected with the coronavirus. If we ever get to stop wearing masks, our Spanish could improve even more! The mask adds a degree of difficulty to understanding and being understood.

Stay healthy and safe,

Shana & Jeff