Monday afternoon - shopping in Donostia with Emily, Tiff, Darrel and me. We got ice cream and shopped at Britt's favorite stores.
Tuesday afternoon - funicular in Donostia and kids swam at the beach there.
Wednesday morning we relaxed - spent the afternoon and early evening in Biarritz, France - after kids got out of school-went to the beach and played in the waves with boogie boards. Fun, fun, fun!! Went shopping and had ice cream while strolling the streets and looking at the beauty of the beach. Breathtaking! We ordered a special dinner from the bar below Jason's house when we got home since it was too late to fix dinner. It was so delicious....and fun!
Thursday morning we were going to take a hike but we saw the market in the Orio plaza and we got delayed. Tiffany and mom bought loose flowy pants and a shirt with a London scene for mom. We showered to get ready for our afternoon with Itsaso. We met her at The Good Burger where we had lunch, saw her university, walked along the Donostia beach (la concha), went shopping, bought clothes, ate ice cream, walked around Donostia a little more, had a pintxo, saw her apartment, then caught the 8:20 p.m. train back to Orio, where Emily and Jason had prepared a delicious meal-Basque salad and hake, a type of fish
Friday morning, we had pastries from the bread store, then Tiffany went for a run on the path toward Zarautz while Darrel rode Jason's bike and grandma walked. Played games with the kids. For lunch we had a delicious pasta and shrimp dish. Shopped in Orio and found the cutest top for Tiffany! Went to the store with Cooper and played at the park. Dinner - another delicious meal - steak and mom had her first fresh grilled tuna steak, with a side salad and Parmesan potatoes. Delicious! Colored with Brittney!
*(Blog about our time with Itsaso's family in Bergara and the farm we stayed overnight at - Saturday, June 4th to Sunday, June 5th.)
Saturday morning, June 11th, we took the 10:30 a.m. bus to Donostia where we hiked to Pasaia, Spain, where Victor Hugo lived and perhaps was inspired to write "Les Miserables". It was a long hike! We walked over 10 miles that day, with the hike and walking in Donostia. When we got home, Emily whipped up a quick delicious meal of bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich all on a delicious baguette. The kids went to bed and Jason, Darrel, Tiffany, and I attended a concert in their town which included Basque dancing. It was a real cultural experience and extremely entertaining! We loved it! It started at 10:15 p.m. and lasted 2 hours. After such a long, full day, we didn't have any trouble falling asleep this night!
Sunday morning, June 12th, the kids do had their school program at 11:00 a.m. It seemed like the entire town attended because the auditorium was packed with families, strollers, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We were glad to be able to attend this school event. Again, it had a very Basque feel to the program. Afterwards, everyone stood around the school enjoying tortilla patata and txistorra and talking. The entire town seemed to be outside today. It is a delightful atmosphere. Afterwards, Tiffany and I walked to the bread store and fruit market together. This has become a familiar daily outing. We ate lunch and relaxed part of the afternoon, took the kids to the park, pulled Braden back home on Jason's bike while he rode his skateboard, 😄then finished the day watching the movie "Zootopia" together while eating dinner. It's hard to believe our time here is quickly coming to an end.
Monday morning (June 13) we hiked from Orio to Zarautz one last time, going a little different route so we could do some last day shopping for items to take back with us to the USA. We spent the afternoon and evening with Jason's family, taking the kids to the playground, doing last minute packing and trying not to think about leaving them again. It was a wonderful trip and we knew it would have to come to an end, but we are going home with wonderful memories, new perspectives and a greater understanding of life for Jason, Emily and their kids in Orio, the Basque culture, and the people who call themselves Basque.
Tuesday morning (June 14) began very early so we could catch our flight out of Bilbao. Jason drove us to the airport and we said our final (tearful) goodbyes.....again. Back to the United States, literally,.....using the words of Grandpa Coon.
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