Akartegi
This week has been full of adventuring! This past week in Spain I was able to visit Donostia-San Sebastian, Vitoria, Salou, and La Rioja. In between traveling to different wineries, as a group we were able to make several stops to soak in the differences in sceneries and just how much a cities can differentiate despite the close distance.
Vitoria
Spending the night in Vitoria was refreshing because the city is alive with shopping centers, restaurant strips, and encourages both a young and older crowd. I was lucky enough to visit on a weekend so I was able to get the full effect of just how vibrant the are could be. It was easy to sink into the crowd because of all of the foot traffic, people shopping, and people socializing and simply enjoying themselves.
Donostia-San Sebastian
San Sebastian is an amazing, vivid place that is hard to compare to anywhere else. It has all the makings to mark it as a must-visit when in Spain. Not only does it have a beautiful beach, but also offers a plethora of restaurants, markets, bars, clothing stores, local-bakeries, you name it. One of my favorite aspects of San Sebastian is despite being such a popular city, it nonetheless holds appreciation for local producers/businesses; as you walk along the streets you will notice very little chains and more so family-owned establishments, whether big or small. Because of its proximity to France, it isn’t uncommon for you to hear a couple speaking in French while passing, and because it is such the city itself is such an attraction, don’t be surprised if you hear a few other languages as well.
Food of the Week: Grilled steak resting atop a bed of alioli-smothered potatoes and of course, olive oil. On the side lies a bowl of oil-based sauce (parsley, garlic, pepper), a bowl of red pepper, and chips. In Spain, especially in the summer, there are a lot more cold-served dishes as compared to the U.S. Furthermore, in my host family house hold, large portions of meat are rarely the center of a meal. As I responded with this at dinner one night when my host mother asked me how food here compared to back home, as well as admitting that I do miss it a bit, my host prepared this dish for me the next night! It was such a nice gesture and not only that but it tasted amazing!
Song of the Week: C. Tangana – Llorando en la Limo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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