by Jake Hoffman

Group Pintxo Pote Adventure

This weekend started off with the best aspect of San Sebastian, Food! A large group of us had the opportunity to attend a weekly event in the city Pintxo Pote. The idea of this event is very simple, restaurants that participate offer a standard deal, 3,50 euro for a pintxo and a drink. A number of us had heard stories of Pintxo Pote and how exciting it was via friends at Lacunza our Spanish language school. I can confidently say that it exceeded all expectations. It took us a little while to get our bearings but once we did, we were off to the races trying a wide variety of different pintxos and drinks. This night was a perfect culmination of everything I’ve grown to love about the city; the streets and bars were full of people having fun eating great food, and socializing. I had so many amazing pintxos (The ham croquettes still being my favorite) and made some great memories with new and old friends. We even managed to run into a group of other students from Lacunza. To add to the night, I now have a great video of my good friend doing the worm.

A New French Frontier

The next morning three of my friends and I headed off to the bus station to go adventure to the French City of Bordeaux for the weekend. The bus ride although long went fairly quickly and before I knew it, I was standing in the Wine Capital of the World. We spent our first few hours here getting to know the area and finding our way to our hostel. Walking through the streets we saw some beautiful sites and numerous bakeries and restaurants. Soon enough we met up with a friend of my friends who had travelled all the way from Poland by bus.

The rest of the night consisted of some card playing and some excellent ramen. Although Bordeaux was beautiful, from the moment I got off the bus I just couldn’t shake a feeling that it was not the place I wanted to be. At first, I chalked this up to the same nerves I had flying to Spain two weeks prior, but even as we explored that gut feeling did not go away. I was with my friends and an amazing city some people only dream of visiting, so why wasn’t this feeling going away? It took me until the next day to understand this feeling more in depth but that night my friend Ethan and I made a game time decision to take another bus ride back to San Sebastian.

That night after dinner Ethan and I packed up our things and left for a 3-hour bus ride back to Spain at 1 am. I can’t say in the moment this was an enjoyable ride, but I already know this is a shared story he and I will remember for a long time.

The View of a Lifetime

After sleeping in till midday post bus ride Ethan and I decided to hike up a mountain trail he had been shown previously. The hike up there was a blast. I love being in nature and the lush flora of the mountain was just perfect. To be there with one of my closest friends joking around and admiring the scenery was a cherry on top.

Being in the city I have seen a gallery of beautiful sights – from beautiful ornate churches to stunning beaches – but none have taken my breath away like the cliffside view he led us to. Here I was looking over a cliff down at one of the most beautiful cities when my feelings from Bordeaux starting to make sense. Even though I had already been in San Sebastian for two weeks not a single ounce of me was ready to leave it. That gut feeling wasn’t nerves or anxiety it was a form of home sickness I had never felt before. Deep down I couldn’t bear the idea of losing even a few days in this city that I had come to love deeply. I already know if I get a chance to come back, I will take it in a heartbeat.

The Sun Sets on Another Weekend

After my hike on Saturday my weekend was very relaxed. I spent a lot of time relaxing at the beach and ate some great food. On Sunday evening we decided to make one more trip to a Basque art installment, the combs of the wind. Here we sat for a while as the sun went down admiring the natural beauty mixed with the man-made sculpture and just had a talk for a while.

No Regrets

From the moment I got on that plane I was worried if I made a mistake coming. I am a creature of comfort, so this trip steps far out of my comfort zone. Regardless of this I have made memories that will last a lifetime here. Between the wonderful sights and the fun times with friends new and old, there’s not a thing I would change.