The Bullfight

So while I was in Deba, I got to be there during the festival of San Roke, which meant everyone dressed up in white and red and there was a mini carnival and music and everyone drank all night and slept all morning and hit repeat for four days.  During the festival, there also ended up being bull fighting, which is tradition to have at any of the festivals. If you’ve ever talked to a Spaniard about bullfighting, you’ll know that it’s an either or situation. For them,  there’s no middle ground, you either agree with it or else you don’t.  

Hello San Sebastian

During our second week in Deba,  my HM, the kids and I headed to San Sebastian for the day. These first two photos made me think of my trip to Nice this spring, though with sand instead of rocks on the beach. Things I’d forgotten about going places with kids: their moods determine oh so much. They weren’t in the mood to do a lot of walking/being outside (which was a bit of a bummer since it was absolutely gorgeous outside and I was more than ready to do some sightseeing), so we headed to the aquarium for a couple of hours (which is also a marine museum and we all know I feel about those). I did, however, get the chance to hunt down a Basque flag for my travel backpack. I’ll take what I can get. And, yes, I’ll be planning a trip back for a longer look. At the city, not the fish.

The Way of St. James

The second week I was in Deba, several family members and friends and I walked part of the Way of St. James. It’s a popular route for backpackers and you can definitely see why. We started off at 10am and took the train to Zumaia and walked back to Deba. All in all, it took about five hours and was absolutely stunning. It takes you along rolling hills and by the sea, through various little towns and tiny paths tucked away in forests with parts of it taken up by mud. Which doesn’t sound all that appealing, and for some of our group it wasn’t, but I’m really glad I agreed to go.

Welcome to Spain

After leaving London,  I took the bus to San Sebastian, where I was then driven to Deba, which is located along the coast in the northern part of Spain, in the Basque country.  It’s a small village halfway between San Sebastian and Bilbao, with the ocean on one side and mountains keeping it a private hide away. We spent two weeks there during which I got burnt (again),drank cider like it was going out of style (I can also now ‘throw it‘ like a pro) and celebrated the feast of San Roke. If that’s not a holiday, I don’t know what is. 

Ships & Things

My last day in London was spent at the National Maritime Museum. Now, I have a working theory that, in a past life or alternate universe or YA steampunk British novel, I would have been one of those female characters that either snuck onto a ship  and ‘learned the ropes’ (my puns are as bad as my mother’s) and later on had her own crew or was adopted by a pirate as a baby and lived on boats her entire life. Yes, this is a thing I have actually put thought into, which is what happens when you grow up on a diet of books and living in Saskatchewan where there is no ocean. Which is all to say: I absolutely loved it and probably could have spent all day there if I had had the chance.