Vino Con Vino: June Happenings

While May was filled with daytrips, June has been relaxed and easygoing. The weather has improved, although we’ve still had a good amount of rain. Considering 40% of Spain is experiencing drought conditions, we won’t complain about the big storms that have come through recently. We’ll have more to report in July as we head out on our first trip since returning, but in the meantime, we thought we’d catch you up on June happenings.

In between all the typical stuff like cooking, seeing friends, gym and yoga classes, watching baseball, trip planning, and walks through the city, we went to see Bob Dylan (June 20). When I saw Dylan was giving two concerts here, I figured we ought to go. After all, the man is a legend and Nobel prize winner. While neither of us is a fan, we thought we should check it out. Since he is 82, it’s not like we’ll get another opportunity. Plus, big names like Dylan don’t make it to San Sebastian very often. (Although over the decades he’s played here twice before.)

The concert was probably the most unusual concert we’ve ever been to. And not just because you were obligated to place any electronic devices in secured pouches. (We just left ours at home. Besides this was a positive – no interruptions to your vision or enjoyment.) Dylan is not the most social person. He is notorious for being elusive, reclusive, and quiet. He said “thank you” twice and introduced his band – who were amazing musicians – and that was it. He still has a strong voice. Honestly, we could understand only about 50% of what he sang. He was either perfectly clear, garbled by mumbling or whining, or sounded like he’s had a stroke. Sometimes the music overwhelmed the lyrics. I’m not sure how the Spaniards understood much. As native English speakers we struggled. Still, his recent bluesy-style music was enjoyable, and we’re glad we had the experience.

The concert was a great birthday “appetizer.” We continued the celebration the next day with a mini-spa afternoon and dinner at one of our favorite Basque restaurants.

The summer season is getting busy here. We were invaded by more than 50,000 French rugby fans when the city hosted the semi-finals of the French rugby league. It was a very noisy weekend.

Next week the region will host the first three legs of the Tour de France, with the second leg finishing right here in San Sebastian. There are yellow and bike-themed decorations being put up already. We’ll be out of town for this chaos.