The Vagabond Diaries

Monte Urgull San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 03:46:54 +0200

Monte Urgull

San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

thrift store find of all time… Placa Catalunya, Barcelona,...

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:44:29 +0100

thrift store find of all time…

Placa Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Thrift shopping Placa Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:21:10 +0100

Thrift shopping

Placa Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain

Nativity scene near Jaume I Barcelona, Spain

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:13:00 +0100

Nativity scene near Jaume I

Barcelona, Spain

Christmas in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:58:22 +0100

Christmas in the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona, Spain

Pet Markets on La Rambla Barcelona, Spain

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:48:00 +0100

Pet Markets on La Rambla

Barcelona, Spain

Semester Abroad

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:23:00 +0100

Semester Abroad:

A sweet little video my roommate, Gil, made about her time abroad…if you look closely, you’ll find me in the Barcelona and Toledo pics. Enjoy!

San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:40:49 +0100

San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

San Sebastian harbor, Basque Country, Spain

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:18:08 +0100

San Sebastian harbor, Basque Country, Spain

December 10th – San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain to Barcelona

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 00:11:00 +0100

I woke up today in Roger’s House Hostel, which is in the alternative bar scene of San Sebastian. It’s a great location for pintxos and not too bad of a stay either. Although, they felt the need to tell me I was only allowed one shower per day, which left me wondering if my ten-day old wardrobe smelled or I just looked homeless. Probably both at this point.

I got up super early to grab a ticket from the Renfe station because their website is worthless and it was cheaper than all the bus tickets I had planned that would leave me traveling through the night. Major relief. Then I headed out to take pictures of the Maria Cristina Hotel, Playa Gros, which is the local surf hang out, all the bridges along the inlet from the sea, San Vincente Cathedral, and the church of Santa Maria. By that time, things were starting to open up, so I ducked into a local café near the Bertxa market and had a tortilla de chorizo pintxo, which is like a mini baguette with a chorizo omelet folded inside, and a café con leche for breakfast.

Then I explored the underground Bertxa food markets. The building is like a large mall with a Boqueria-style food market on the underground floor, called the Lidi markets. It was decorated for Christmas and quite impressive. The stalls selling small baked goods and tea cookies are adorable this time of year.

I ambled through the Parte Vieja to the Museu San Telmo, which is actually a pretty impressive museum of Basque history and art. I loved reading up about the politics and development of the region. Then again, I should preface that by saying that I am a huge Che Guevara/revolutionary junkie. I am attracted to anyone that seems like that might have been homeless in another life, ergo surfers, skaters, rock stars, revolutionaries, frat boys…

Next, I made my way to the harbor and Playa Concha. The area is incredible. I couldn’t believe what a beautiful and varied city it is. There are mountains, harbors, rivers, bridges, avenues of shops that go on for miles, markets, and churches galore. It’s really incredible. In the middle of December, the beach was packed. There were kayakers at Concha and surfers spotting Gros as far as the eye could see. Everyone in Basque Country is seemingly always out and about, toting a child, dog, or surfboard.

I decided to take the nature trail up Monte Urgull for the view. It’s no easy trek, but it wasn’t too bad either. Pretty sure a couple toddlers and grandparents with canes passed me on the way up. It’s an absolutely stunning and effortlessly Kelly green nature trail that winds its way up to the Castle, Napoleon’s Fort, the English Cemetery, and a giant statue of Jesus with arms spread wide, like the one in Rio as the cherry on top of the sundae that is San Sebastian. The view from up there is stunning. Mountains, harbor, sea, and colored blocks of buildings as far as the eye can see. I have seen the mountaintop, as they say, and it is pretty freaking awesome.

After that trek, I naturally made my way to my last Smooy visit for the foreseeable future, seeing the famous Hotel Londres on the way. It was a bittersweet parting (literally tart yogurt and sweet avellana cream – can you say NOM?!), as they usually are. But I’m on to bigger and better things. Those things are called Yogurtland and Bigg Chill, but I am going to have to figure out how to make avellana cream. I also peaked into a perfumerie that has been around since 1902 and is quite upscale. There were five employees for about 5 square feet of space and they all stalked me around the place.

I stopped for two last pintxos on the way to collect my backpack from my hostel at a bar near the main square in the old town (where I saw a protest last night that was pretty intense). I went with a bola de queso, literally fried cheese ball, and a croquette, which are delicious and surprisingly, not made out of potatoes as one would think. By then, it was time to say my goodbyes to San Sebastian, although it is some place I wouldn’t mind moving to, let alone seeing again. I made my way to the train station, passing by the Smooy to see if the shift had changed (contemplating another cup) and seeing that it hadn’t, I tried a Yogurteria that I found on Garibai Kalea. They had an avellana sauce of some sort, but it was a sugary drizzle on a tiny Dixie cup full of sour yogurt. It was okay, but nothing close to a delicious cup of Smooy. Agur, dear Basque Country. It’s been real.

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:22:00 +0100

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:18:00 +0100

Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Funicular views of Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:14:55 +0100

Funicular views of Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

December 9th – Bilbao to San Sebastian, Basque Country, Spain

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 21:12:00 +0100

Bilbao was quite the pleasant surprise and, as are most of the cities in Spain, incredibly unique compared to everywhere else I have explored in this country. I would describe it as the San Francisco of Spain with its crisply cold weather (and hence, abundance of coat, hat, and infinity scarf wearing locals), grey skies, beautiful deciduous (yes, I just used that in a casual sentence) trees, and abundance of notable bridges and museums.

Even the drive to Bilbao from Madrid was beautiful, while unplanned. The countryside as you enter Basque territory is suddenly mountainous and covered in blobs of green trees and blinding white rock as far as the eye can see. Even getting out at rest stops, you can see your breath in the air and feel your hair defrizzing itself (thank, God). The city is a small haven in these mountains, spotted with an incredible mix of modern and Victorian architecture that makes it rather charming. The river that runs around the heart of the city is scattered with beautiful bridges, every one unique, some modern and others of a decidedly older variety of construction. The vibe is a cozy community, rich in culture and food. It is warm, hearty, and all together conducive to the Christmas season.

Marzipan Perritos!

A word of warning that Bilbao is mostly pintxo tasting, museums, and wandering the crowded streets looking for street venders with warm sunflower seeds (they look like steel train cars) or cones of churros and chocolate. But I was loving the laid-back fireside vibe of the townies. I started out the morning with a metro ride to Moyua Plaza and walked to the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum to be there when it opened at 10am. The architecture of the building itself is worth the visit and the steaming river, cool bridge, and sculptures in the back of the museum are worth a peak. Inside, there are three floors of modern art. While it’s not quite my thing, there are some Jackson Pollock’s and other cool works that will catch your eye. The guards are a little bit like stalkers here; they followed me like I was about to pilfer a precious Pollock at any moment (nice alliteration, I know).

There is, however, one gem of an exhibit that I LOVED. It was a tiny dark room covered with black and white photographs of people and single light bulbs hung from chords at various links to illuminate the room. It had a really cool feel that I will totally be stealing for the imaginary studio loft in New York that I seem to think I own.

Afterwards, I walked down to the Palais des Congres et de la Musique Euskalduna. It’s under construction, but the outside of the building is interesting and the walk along the waterfront is beautiful and lackadaisical. It led me right to the Museu de Bellas Artes, which had a HUGE line just after I got in so I would suggest buying tickets online. While not as famous as the Guggenheim, I actually enjoyed it more. They have an exhibit by Antonio Lopez at the moment that is better than the rest of the museum. His paintings are incredible and range over a bunch of subjects. Whether you like naked ladies or still-life paintings of fruit, this guy is sure to please. The rest of the museum is pretty extensive and impressive as well for only 4.50 euros as a student.

Wandering through town, I made my way to the Ribera market, which is a famous food market, akin to the Boqueria in Barcelona. This two-story indoor market along the river is pretty interesting though, if you can stand the smell of fish. Don’t use the bathrooms; they have no soap, which concerns me considering all the food handling going on here.

From there, it was a short jaunt to the Santiago Cathedral, which is impressive in size, aaaannd that’s about it – good man that he is, dear Santiago. Only a couple streets over is a great little pintxos place on Perro Street, called Xuxeia. There is a bar of about a dozen types of pintxos (pinchos) and each one is only 1.60 euros for a bite-sized sandwich. I tried three different ones that were akin to a crouton with cheese and meat on top (of different varieties) and they were all delicious. The place is really cozy, painted all red with dim lighting, and poster-covered walls.

I made my way to the Funicular de Artxada after walking around town a bit more. The funicular is only 1.80 euros and gives you an INCREDIBLE view of the city and the surrounding mountains. It only takes a couple minutes and is totally worth it. Even the walk to the plaza is nice and not too far from Casco Viejo.

I contemplated going to the Archaeology and Basque Museums, but was pretty museum-ed out for the day and decided instead to make my way to San Sebastian early to find the illusive Smooy frozen yogurt. Smooy and I have a tumultuous relationship (as you remember it not being open when I went all the way to Tarragona to procure it), so this will be our final rendezvous. You know, to provide us both with some closure. And some freaking avellana crunch toppings. Yum in my tum.

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain at Christmas time

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:08:48 +0100

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain at Christmas time

Toy Store window front at Christmas time Bilbao, Basque Country,...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:05:07 +0100

Toy Store window front at Christmas time

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

December 8th - Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:03:00 +0100

Walking through the cobbled streets of Bilbao in the early evening, I was shocked to find how lively the city is. Everyone, from babies to old men hobbling on canes, is out and about in the streets, walking along the Christmas-lit plazas, ordering churros at pop-up churrerias, lounging in cafes, and admiring store-front windows. The air is crisp and Christmas songs echo through the alley ways, played by street performers of all kinds. The Casco Viejo section has a large lit Christmas tree and just across the bridge, there is an entire row of trees strung with lights. The window displays of a toy store that fills an entire block even sport these adorable teddy bears celebrating Christmas all over the world. Take a look for yourself…

My search for a great frozen yogurt (in this yogurt-less land...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:55:48 +0100

My search for a great frozen yogurt (in this yogurt-less land called Europa) continues. I’ve discovered that the secret is to go into Gelaterias and look into the case for a yogurt flavor. This place, just over the bridge (Puente Arenal) from Casco Viejo, even has a sugar-free frozen yogurt that was pretty awesome. The real win is finding the fro yo with avellana (hazelnut) cream toppings. A word of warning: all frozen yogurt here is tart, but delicious. Be open-minded.

Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Found this great little cafe in the Plaza of Santiago. It has...

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:51:00 +0100

Found this great little cafe in the Plaza of Santiago. It has the Starbucks feel of comfy high-backed velvet chairs along a large floor-to-ceiling window mixed with the new Euro-chic crisp white lines and neon signs. The interior is cozy and accompanied by a cute juke box and retro counter, serving HUGE chocolate milkshakes with whip cream on top, & is an amazing place to grab a tea and plan out your travels for the next day. I spent a couple hours in there studying and no one bothered me. There’s even a clean bathroom and FREE WI-FI. WHAT?! Alert the media - Spain handed out something for (nearly) free.

Cafe Santiago, Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain

Cinque Terre Destruction

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:39:58 +0100

Cinque Terre Destruction:

Can’t believe I was at Cinque Terre a mere 2 and a half weeks before this happened…