Today, July 25, marks 8 years since we arrived in San Sebastian. And counting, because in two more years we can seek Spanish citizenship. Doing so is not something we planned to do when we arrived, but now that it’s not that long to go, we would say that it is fairly certain that we will do it. We have never regretted our decision to move here, not even for a minute. So, why wouldn’t we seek the advantages of being dual nationals?
We continue to be enthralled by the Basque region, culture and people. Just last weekend I went to see a mini concert of the city’s Txistulari band, made up primarily of txistu players. The txistu is a vertical recorder, typical of the Basque Country, with three holes that are played with the left hand. This band plays every Sunday morning on the street below where we live and also at various city events. We think it sounds a bit like a fife and drum band from the American revolution.
Note that some of the musicians play two instruments at a time – the txistu with the left hand, and a drum or tambourine with the right. While the crowd was small, the enthusiasm was genuine. It was delightful to watch young children dancing with their parents and grandparents.
Living in such a small city with most everything within walking distance makes it easy to take advantage of everything on offer, if we choose to do so. On Tuesday, the last day of good weather we had – yes, it’s been raining a lot this week, which we don’t mind – I decided to inflate my inner tube and head to the beach for a float. It was a great decision. One I hope to repeat often during August. This afternoon, we’ll catch one of the free jazz concerts that are part of Jazzaldia. Tomorrow, we head to Bilbao for the Blues Festival there – an annual favorite.
More on the musical summer we’re enjoying soon.
Hasta pronto,
Shana & Jeff
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