Boise (because Basque food!)

I'm fairly certain that I'm the only person at work who enjoys being sent to Idaho for trainings. Sandpoint? Love it, and I can spend the weekend with Nana and Grandpa! Idaho Falls? I'll have dinner with M's brothers. Boise? Basque food!

the Wreck and Rebuilding of the San Juan

Jone asked me what I wanted to do monday afternoon, and I thought we would just hang around Tolosa. Then she suggested going to see the construction of the San Juan in Pasaia. Why not?

Pasaia San Juan from San Pedro. Photo by Jone

Tolosa Hike

My voice was back Monday morning, and I felt completely recovered from the festivities of the day before. Jone and I had a hike planned, so after a light breakfast we headed for the hills.

Donostia Regatta

Jone walked me to the train station Sunday morning to make sure I got my ticket, then I jumped on a train with hundreds of colorfully dressed enthusiasts headed to Donostia. It was regatta weekend!

Flysch

Gurutze had arranged on Saturday for us to go to Zumaia to see a unique geological phenomenon, flysch. Layers of roc sediment and organic matter were laid down at the bottom of an ancient lake or bay and were them lifted up at a crazy angle to make the amazingly rugged coastline of the Basque Country.

Adventures with Kike, Liere, Jone, and Gurutze

Euskal Herria

People ask me why I keep going back to the same places (Basque Country, Germany, Europe in general), our for that matter, why travel? I think my reasoning breakdown looks like this: 40% friends (old and new!), 40% food, 20% culture, history, and all that good stuff.

Our adventure in pictures

I finally uploaded our pictures to Picasa!

To view the album directly, check out the album online here.

Travels so far (Paris-Basque Country)

That was getting a little long, so here is the second part of our week in overview

Bas took us to Hallum (where Opa's family came from) in the morning and then dropped us off at the train station in Leeuwarden. We spent the afternoon going to Paris, with a short layover in Brussels on our way.

Mylene and her friend Aman picked us up in Paris and treated us to a FANTASTIC 3 course French dinner (i ate frogs legs while sipping Bordeaux and watching the Eiffel tower sparkle) and a driving tour of Paris by night, complete with drop off service at our cute little hostel.

oh blast, I am out of time. More to come!

Donostia/San Sebastian

   Kike invited us to visit him at 'work' in San Sebastian Friday morning. I had never been in a studio before and was amazed by the brightness and business of the MKLZ set! There was so much going on at the same time, both obvious  and behind the scenes. People running around controlling cameras and cueing the audience, sound and video mixing in the upstairs booths (sooo many buttons!), and Kike and his co-host Ilaski talking while a producer was whispering into their ear buds. A guy named Julian gave us a tour of the entire studio building, including the sets of a news program, tv show, and even a green screen stage. Afterwords we watched them film an episode of MKLZ and got to walk around the set. Basically we were given the vip treatment- and it was so much fun! A huge thanks to the MKLZ/EiTB/Amonarriz crews for their hospitality and the experience!
    After lunch at home we drove back to Donostia to explore the city. It is really different from what I have seen anywhere else. The buildings are "new" compared to others in Europe, having been re-built after the Napoleanic wars. They are a warm sandy colour and arranged along straight, orderly streets. The windows above the street level are lined with flower pots and have flags hanging from them. After months of the twisted passages and painted facades in Austria, Donostia was a little bit of a shock. I think that to really appreciate the city I would need to go back and spend a few weeks, maybe a month, living it. (click read more)

   Liere (Sister 3) came back from a week of hiking in the afternoon, and while she recovered from her adventures Mom, Dad, and I stopped by the Tolosa puppet museum and explored town. When I finally wandered back to A-Z HQ, Mom, Gurutze, and Jone were busy in the kitchen making Nanaimo bars. It brought back so many memories of the last two summers! That evening we all went out for dinner (less Sister 1, who had to work) at the restaurant that we visited my first day in Tolosa. More Kroketas and cider!

   Saturday, being our last day with the A-Z family, we decided to go and take a more relaxed morning in Donostia. After a tourist's pilgrimage to the Peine de los Vientos sculpture, Dad and Kike split to visit another fishing town just east of Donostia. The five of us girls went to a fabric store- although not before stopping for a coffee first! Mom and Gurutze found some inspiration and supplies for new projects, and I found a small Basque-English dictionary at the fantastic bookstore next door. A few hours later we met up with Dad and Kike for a last meal before leaving for the airport. It was, of course, pintxos at a nearby bar :) With many an Eskerrik Asko (thank you) and goodbye hugs, we said our final goodbyes at a rest stop where the highway splits between Tolosa and Bilbao.

First day with the parents- Bizkaia

   Mom and Dad got in to Tolosa around 10 pm Wednesday evening, just in time for another dinner. Kike opened a bottle of local cider, which was shared over shrimp and a seafood and rice dish prepared by Gurutze (really, she is a fantastic chef!). After our meal, she and Jone took us over to Kike's sister's new house, which they had prepared for us to sleep at. We all crashed within a few minutes and slept like logs.
   Thursday morning launched another whirlwind tour of the basque country, this time in the province of Biskaia. We started with a visit to Gernika (Guernica), the historic seat of the Basque government which was bombed in 1937 by the Luftwaffe as a sort of pre-war target practice. Next, we walked through Bermeo and introduced Mom and Dad to pintxos and pelota. The sun was out and it seemed like most of the town with it- the waterfront park was packed. Kike hosts a show called MKLZ on the Basque television, so wherever we walked people would recognize him and stop to chat. I realized why the Amonarriz family goes to France for vacation!
   We drove a little ways along the coast from Bermeo for lunch, finally stopping at a place overlooking the mouth of the river that flows through Gernika. Rather than a muddy delta there was a wide, sandy beach with evenly breaking waves and aquamarine water. Kike and Gurutze insisted on treating us to lunch. I ordered a local dish made of little stuffed squid in a black ink/tomato sauce- I know that it sounds a little strange, but it was actually very very good! We decided that it was a little bit like Dad's steamed muscles in the northwest- the locals love it, but everyone else thinks they're crazy until they actually try it! We walked down to a nearby beach after lunch and explored a little harbor full of txalupas. Dad counted three boat launches and wanted to know why Anacortes couldn't have even one in town.

   The last stop on our tour was Bilbao, beginning with the Guggenheim. We didn't go through the museum, but everyone we talked to said that the best piece there was the building itself! We played around the sculptures outside and then walked along the river to the oldest part of town, where we had coffee in a square which at one time was an old bull ring. Compared to the other Basque towns, Bilbao is very cosmopolitan and just plain big- but it still had an Ikurrinia flying from the town hall (next to the Spanish flag, as required... although Tolosa gets away with only flying the Basque flag!).
   After dinner that night we went to a festival in nearby Lazkao and enjoyed some traditional music and dance. The central town square was set with a stage, lights, and great entertainment. The lead was on an accordian, accompanied by a bassist, drummer, a unique flute, and guitar/lute. The musicians were joined often by dancers. Fun fun!

bah, I am seriously behind- 1.5 days in Donostia yet to cover and then 2 in Vienna, and we have already been one day in Graz- I apologize for my long-windedness and promise to get caught up!

Tolosa!

Hi from Tolosa! After 12 hours travelling (train, bus, plane, car) I arrived at the Amonarriz Zubeldia house last night. woot! This morning I took a walking tour of Tolosa with Kike and Jone, had Kroketas with the family on the side of a mountain, went to the Donostia/San Sebastian aquarium after walking the sea wall and enjoying the salt air, and met Liere (sister 3) when she got off the bus from her basketball tournament, and finished a dinner of Tortilla Patata by tasting some wine and cheese with Kike and Maddi (sister 1). We discovered that I am the oldest of the girls here, while Jone is the youngest of the girls in Anacortes.