A Year in Salamanca, Spain: San Sebastian

Finally, I made it to the north of Spain! I honestly never thought I would. Geographically and culturally different than the rest of Spain, the northern coast is a green, lush, mountainous landscape where (in certain parts) Basq is spoken and traditions and food are specific to the region.

When I was debating whether or not I should go, I decided that I would probably look back and kick myself for not going....and I figured I would rather spend my money on train tickets and food in San Sebastian than on clothes and food in Salamanca! My cousin Carrie arrived on March 16th from Florida, so wanting to show her more than just the flat plains of central Spain, we hopped on a train Saturday afternoon and began a 6 hour journey to San Sebastian. PLUS, I didn't have any school on Monday, so it just made sense.

An ariel view of San Sebastian

After a relaxing 6 hour train trip through the green hills and farmland, we arrived in time to see a beautiful sunset over the coast. Seeing the rolling hills of the north made me quite homesick for the nature and mountains of Vermont, my real home! Soon enough, I reminded myself. Because sooner than I realize, the moment that seems to last a lifetime will be a memory. That seems to be a common pattern of my travels so far.

After the sunset, we wandered through the old part of the city, and finally decided to get some of the famous "pintxos," or tapas, that San Sebastian is so well known for. The combination of the rich cheese and meats and fresh bread definitely exceeded my expectations.

For dinner, I reheated a ham and cheese sandwich that Montse had given me and boiled a little bit of rice, and for dessert, had an orange. Basic, but filling, and free! I had tried giving up bread for Lent, which had been going really well in Salamanca. That is, until I was faced with a decision: to take the free sandwiches from home, that my host mom made for me, or spend money on meals? I figured, waste not, want not. I caved in, and decided I would eat my 4 bocadillos in the interest of saving approximately 15 euros.

That night, Sunday night, I tried studying for my grammar exam before bed, but it proved to be impossible. I was way more interested in talking to the friendly German traveler sharing the room with us, who had walked down from France and was spending a few nights in Spain before heading back to France, then onto Germany via train. 2 weeks he was living out of his backpack and exploring; how lucky!

Spent Monday afternoon exploring the coastline while Carrie took a train up to France to get her much desired banana and nutella crepe. I stayed at the top of the hill where we parted, gazing out to the views of the ocean and landscape. Seeing the green rolling countryside against the turquoise water made me miss Vermont’s green mountains and Lake Champlain!!! I never thought I would write this, but

I am getting excited to go home.

I'm excited to be back in green, natural landscape, where there are lots of trees and forests and rivers and lakes! Anyways....

We met up that evening to watch the sunset together. It was beautiful, seeing the sun set into the blue ocean with the mountains in the distance, hugging the coast. It made me so nostalgic for...well, everything! Ireland, home, Michigan, Florida...all places where I have seen magnificent sunsets. To kill time after the sunset and before our overnight train back to Salamanca, Carrie and I spent the evening in a wifi-cafe where we shared a salad, pasta, and a hamburger. I tried eating my 2 day old salami sandwich...but it was bit sticky and squished at that point. After a couple bites in, I decided “not worth it!!” So I splurged and got a hamburger! Sad to leave San Sebastian, we got on a 10:30 pm train back to Salamanca. I slept like a baby, with earplugs, an eye mask, and neck pillow. At 4:15 am our train pulled into the station 15 minutes earlier than scheduled, I was shaken awake, grabbed my bag, and stumbled out of the station.

You might be curious as to how my exam went the next morning? Rough, but I managed. At the end of the day, travel is always worth it!

Beautiful landscapes from the window of the train.

Really excited to see Warren Miller art in a San Sebastian cafe. See the shape of Vermont in the cow? Trademark of his artwork. Oh Vermont, how I miss you!!!