kaixo from basque country

so i thought i´d update my adoring masses on my travels thus far. i´m currently basquing, as tyler harlan so cleverly put, in San Sebastian in the heart of Spanish basque country. we started our trip in Biarritz, where we had the good fortune to stay in the apartment of Keith´s family friend. we were thus able to cook dinner and have a base of activity. this was especially nice, since biarritz is fairly dull. being winter, there weren´t a lot of people in the area, and the weather was somewhat unfavorable. the exception was monday, when we rented a car and drove through the French countryside to a couple of towns: Saint Jean Pied-de-Port and Saint Jean de Luz. the former is a town along the Chemin de St Jacques or El Camino de Santiago. also in the town is a fascinating pelota or jai alai court.

yesterday, tuesday, we caught a bus down to San Sebastian. after a brief search, we found our current "pension"---the first guy threw us out because we didnt decide quickly enough, so we´ve swung to the other end of the spectrum where our current hostess calls us her "ninos" and "chiquitos" and continually touches our faces. i guess you cant beat spanish hospitality. we´ve had a good number of tapas(called pintxos here) and will likely eat more tonight. last night we heard the local Basque orchestra play Rossini´s Guillermo Tell Overture, Schubert´s 8th Symphony, and Mendelssohn´s 5th. with the exception of a trumpet player, they weren´t bad.

tomorrow it´s on to Bilbao, for the famed Guggenheim and some other museums that seem to live in its shadow. we´ve got a connection in that city as well, as keith´s parisian roommate Diego has put us in touch with some "very Basque friends". then friday night we fly to Barcelona late where we will eventually meet up with Keith´s friend from the States who told him two days ago he was flying to Barcelona. promises to be an adventure.

i hope to give another update in Barcelona, or when i´ve made it to Lisbon next week. hasta luego.