The second free weekend had finally come, and after days of relentless rain, the sun showed its face once more. It felt like a good omen – a sign from the universe that it was time to go out and explore. 

I started that Friday with a 5-mile run along 2 of San Sebastian’s 3 beautiful beaches, Ondarreta and La Concha. The temperature was perfect, the wind pushed me through the city streets, and I felt incredibly alive. After my run Felix and I decided to hit the beach, as it was too beautiful a day to waste inside. Originally, Felix, Tobi, Kenny, and I had planned to go to Biarritz, France that night for a party we had been invited to. Unfortunately, being poor planners, we didn’t think to buy bus tickets until the Thursday night before. This left us with few options for times, and extremely expensive tickets, so we had to scrap the plan. We remedied this mistake by buying bus tickets for Pamplona, Spain, on the Saturday of our free weekend. After the beach, we went to a few bars, trying new pintxos and drinks along the way. This has been one of my favorite things to do while in San Sebastian. I feel like I get to taste a small bite of the city with each pintxo I try. You also really see how life works here in Basque country. All kinds of people in every bar, talking and laughing, all together. It truly was a wonderful sight.

The next day, we took a bus to Pamplona. I had a small revelation on the bus of all places. I was looking down at my phone, an almost instinctive habit, and looked up to be graced with one of the most stunning views I have ever seen. I was on a highway, staring out the window at a valley of lush, green forest, speckled with orange-topped white houses. Everything seemed to be glowing, reflecting the sun’s warmth. It felt unnatural to be looking at something so beautiful while driving on a random highway. If I hadn’t looked up from my phone, I would’ve missed that spectacular view. I wondered to myself how many times this had happened. Times where I had been staring at a screen, when if I just looked up, I could’ve seen something magnificent. I didn’t even glance at my phone for the rest of that ride.

Once we arrived in Pamplona, we stepped out into this huge sun-bleached grass field. There were huge stone walls at the end of the field, making up what looked like an old fort. This was Ciudadela de Pamplona, a 16th-century military fortress. The citadel was a maze of stone and grass fields, littered with small ponds throughout. While this was the first thing we saw, we decided to explore some other parts of Pamplona. Less than a 5-minute walk from the bus station was Casco Antiguo, the old town. This area was made up of narrow streets and pastel-colored buildings. The Cobblestone paths were filled with people once again, congregating at the bars. We stopped for pintxos and drinks, then continued through the city. We didn’t come to Pamplona with any kind of plan for the day but eventually stumbled upon the Plaza De Toros. This was my favorite part of the whole weekend. For only 6 euros, we toured the famous bull fighting arena, with it also being the finish line for the running of the bulls. The tour began with a video, showcasing what the running of the bulls really looked like. People were being gored, trampled, and some even dying, but the tradition continues to live on. It was strange, even with it seeming like this barbaric and almost cruel sport, something about it was enticing for all of us. We all agreed that had we been in Pamplona about a month earlier, we’d have run with the bulls ourselves. Next we were led inside the arena, a vast open space with white sand. The arena was empty, but we imagined what it would be like with a full crowd. The stands packed, people yelling and cheering, the energy must be on a different level. After leaving the arena, we again wandered the streets of Casco Antiguo, stopping for gelato. I got a chocolate brownie mix, with a hint of orange. This was the best ice cream I have had in my entire life, without exaggeration. It was the perfect pick-me-up for us after a long day of exploring. To end the day, we walked back to the Ciudadela de Pamplona. We ventured through the labyrinth, eventually finding a way on top of the inner walls. This gave us a beautiful view of the park that lies within the fortress, as well as the outer walls. It was a great sight to top off our day trip to Pamplona. 

The final day of our free weekend was simple. It was sunny and hot, so the only logical choice was to hit the beach again. We bathed in the sun, swam in the waters of Ondarreta, and slept. For dinner, we wanted something cheap and consistent, so we had to get Turkish kebabs. We sat in a plaza near our language school Lacunza enjoying our food and discussing our weekend. One of our favorite things to do while living here in San Sebastian is discover new parts of the city, trying to map out as much as we can. With this in mind, we decided to walk to some neighborhoods we hadn’t been to yet, like Egia and the lower part of Gros. While not very exciting, these are the things that have made this trip so much fun, exploring new places, making new friends, and getting to call San Sebastian home.