Sunday, March 23, 2014

that time I drove to spain

Please note: when I say "I", I mean "we", and Leslie actually did the driving. We couldn't not go to fall in love with San Sebastián.
You see, we were so, so close by in Biarritz. It's a popular vacation itinerary to seaside town-hop along the Basque Coast. There are various public transportation options to bring locals and tourists to and from in the summer. But we were visiting in off-season, which meant international buses and trains were limited, making a full day in Spain seemingly impossible. The best solution: rent a car, of course! So although neither of us had ever driven in Europe (let alone across any European borders), rent a car we did.
We look trustworthy of such responsibility, right? Most definitely. Leslie got used to the endless traffic circles and I brushed up on my navigation skills. As mentioned, we did get stuck at a toll on the way because we didn't quite have enough money in coins and the machine wouldn't accept our credit and debit cards... but we made it to the charming and sophisticated San Sebastián eventually.
Then we wine and pinxto-ed all damn day. That is, once we'd parked, stopped for coffee, found a group of Spanish men and women to follow into a bar, and asked the server how to do so. "Hola... no entiendo cómo esto funciona..." He offered Leslie a plate to choose from the cold dishes on display and handed me a menu to order a few hot bites. I'm not sure which pinxtos we ate in the end, but they paired perfectly with the house red. We payed honor system-style on the way out. Afterwards, we walked along the Playa de la Concha and hiked up Monte Urgull before stopping by Bar NestorBar Zeruko, and Gandarias. We also wandered through the San Telmo Museum and lusted after every item in Noventa Grados. And now I want to drive to Spain again. Come with?

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