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To the Beach
Some cold, cloudy weather has blown in from the west. The green hills around the Hotel Bereau looked green and damp this morning. We drove down to the ocean where Spain meets with France. Turning left we headed into the heart of Basque country. Our afternoon destination was San Sebastion, a rich coastal town that is popular with tourists from all over. Continuing in our non-tourist fashion, we managed to see absolutely nothing of the town.
Another Siesta
Perhaps the schedule is a bit different on Sunday, but again the streets were quite empty upon arrival. Today we chose a cheap Spanish restaurant chain called Pizza Queen. It is good combination of the American Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen. The atmosphere was clean and bright like a fast food joint, and the television were tuned into the Spanish version of MTV. Evidently there are Pizza Queens in most Spanish cities, but somehow this chain restaurant doesn't seem to fit the country.
The Boardwalk
It was a little too cold for swimming, so we took a seat on the boardwalk. As the afternoon wained, more people came to stroll along the beach of San Sebastion. I was still feeling a bit drained from this cold that I caught recently, so we just stayed on our bench. We
practiced the European art of people watching for almost two hours. At first we would try to guess what country people were from. Then we tried to guess occupations. Everyone seemed quite interested in us as well. Spain does not have the Asian and Black population that France does. Everyone seemed amazed at the three foreigners sitting on the bench. Of course, maybe we just look funny in general. One woman advised that our sandals (she called them slippers) are for house use. Anyway, it was a relaxing, if chilly, afternoon. My cold did not get any better, but we were content just doing nothing.
Seeing Spain
Since Yai will be returning to California on Wednesday, I asked if there is anything else she would like to see in Spain. Then we began to think of what we had seen so far. People who return from a week abroad often come home with grand stories. "All French people are so nice." "Spanish people never smile." "French food is too expensive." The truth is that even after I lived in Japan for a full year, I could not explain the whole country in such simple terms (although I often do for the sake of argument). We can only say that we have seen some interesting places and met different people.
Posado Rio Cubas
We decided to search for a hostal close to the beaches around Santander for the night. Took a really small country road that seemed to lead nowhere. After a bit, we passed a sign for a pension. Up on a hill a few kilometers from the beach we came up Posado Rio Cubas. We were not sure at first if we had come to the right place, because it looked like a simple country home. Some people were gathered out front. The owner seemed a little surprised, but smiled and said that there was plenty of space.
Evidently this place is quite new. We had to wait in the lobby-dining room while they prepared a room. The man also warned us that the warm water would not be ready for a bit. He was also very happy to tell us all about the sights and sounds of Cantabria. We have now left the Basque region. The people here speak only castellano (Spanish). And they seem to be very proud of their state.
Restaurante Sinfo
The owner recommended a restaurant down around the corner. We dined there until almost 1am. A very expensive and long dinner, but the people were quite nice. After we paid, the chef and his wife began speaking to us about the things to do and see around Santander and Santillana del Mar. Despite the fact that we planned to spend two nights instead of our usual one, everyone seemed to think we should see more. We vowed once again (we have yet to get up before noon more than once or twice---vacance) to get up early and see something of Cantabria tomorrow.
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