It’s not often that you get to see both the sunrise and sunset in one day. Well I guess that depends a lot on where you live and your daily schedule . But for me it rarely happens. I forget that the sun even rises because I see it rise so rarely.

And there’s something about sunrises and sunsets for me. Something that says to me, “Hey, God is bigger, and God is in control.” And then I can breathe a little more peacefully…

And I needed those today. I was having a bit of a rough couple of days. Don’t get me wrong, I’m having a great time. But if you travel enough, while still wonderful and exciting, the act of traveling in itself loses it’s “honeymoon phase”. Sometimes when I am having a hard time abroad, people think (and say), “Oh my gosh you’re in (name the country)!! How can you feel (name negative emotion)!??!” But the truth is, travel had in a way become just another piece of life to me. And while still wonderful and enriching, real life is still happening. Emotions are still happening. The bliss of travel unfortunately doesn’t stop the other ever-grinding cogs of life.

So anyway, like I said, I was having a difficult few days for various reasons that we won’t go into here.

And, well, I needed to start my day with that sunrise. I didn’t even really watch the sun actually rise. But as I walked to the train station, I saw the sky go from dark to dawn to light.

And then, 6 hours later (but it felt like 2 because I seriously love trains that much) I arrived in San Sebastián.

I did not at all anticipate it’s beauty.

First, I went and dropped my stuff of where I’m staying. I am convinced that I chose the BEST airbnb option in all of San Sebastian.

Let me show you the view:

Right?!

That’s Zurriola beach. It’s usually the main beach for surfers. Though today the water was really calm. To the left and around some hills there are 2 more beaches… More popular for swimming rather than surfing. One is La Concha. I can’t remember the other.

Oh, and did I mention the weather was a PERFECT 75 degrees? Beautiful.

So I went out and ate my lunch on the beach. I walked around and waded along in the water. I’m pretty sure I had a dumbfounded smile on my face because it was just so perfect.

Then I walked over to a tiny mountain with an old old castle on top. I hiked around and up. Stunning views of all 3 beaches. And an ancient castle that has all kinda of books and crannies you can explore. Wow.

After all that exploring, I came back to Zurriola beach – the one near where I’m staying – and took a nap and read some Sherlock Holmes as the sun got lower in the sky. What a perfect afternoon.

Next, there’s something exciting I have to tell you about. Maybe for you it’s not that great, but for me, it’s one of those things that I’m like “wow, someone must have created this idea with me in mind…”

Pintxos.

It’s basically the basque version of tapas. Tapas is kind of like a small fancy snackish thing that you eat with wine or beer before dinner. Pintxos are the same idea just even smaller portions.

Most are like 2-3 euros each. Which can get expensive if you’re going to eat a lot, but for me, 2 or 3 is PLENTY, so it’s absolutely perfect.

My first one was the best. I went to a Pintxos bar that had been recommended to me, and then I asked one of the servers what he recommended. The menu was in basque so I couldn’t read it… But I know it was a tiny sandwich involving tuna and some kind of pepper and an anchovy. It was actually delicious.

So basically you eat one and then move on to another pintxos bar. I just went to 2 different ones. After stuffing my face WAY too full in Italy, pintxos were a nice change. I had something else with squid that was tasty too.

After dinner I wandered around town and watched the sunset.

Something unique happens here in the evening. A student had told me about it, so it was fun getting to see it.

After 6pm, all the locals go home afte their day at work or the beach, get cleaned up, and then dress up and get all fancy for the evening. It’s mostly noticeable with the older ladies. Young people’s ideas of getting made up are certainly different from those of their grandparents around the world. So you see all these cute older ladies out and about who look like they’re all in their Sunday best.

San Sebastián is incredible.