Upping the ante in SanSe

Another thankfully phenomenal weekend, to erase the previous week and recharge me for the coming one, was had in San Sebastian...

I got some recomendations for tapas places to check out (sorry, Sasha, I couldn't find yours, maybe next time don't give me directions like a pirate treasure map). My hotel was in the Old Town ("La Parte Vieja"), so I decided to try the place in that area: El Fuego Negro. What followed was one of the best meals I have ever had. For the real play-by-play, here is the link for the album that contains photos and course descriptions:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=329548&id=521205092&l=e516939f19

I highly recommend checking it out. 11 courses, 3 glasses of the best wine I've ever tasted (or at least, my favorite), very small place, decorated with badass art, chill vibe, high-end gourmet Basque food in a hip, relaxed atmosphere. The food aspired to the heights of gastronomy in every sense: presentation, originality, taste, flavors, textures, use of local ingredients, freshness, technique... and nowhere did it fall short.

After dinner, some more strolling around the city, a short nap, then a walk around the bay that took me from sun-high-in-the-sky to twilight. Every breath of sea air was savored, and to feel the sand beneath my feet was, in the context of my current day-to-day, perfection. Got to skype with the folks (love you guys!), then read for a little while in a bar next to my hotel with a glass of rioja and some more tapas: goat cheese on baguette w jam, baguette w roasted green pepper, iberian ham, and anchovy fillets (Yes, Julia! Anchovies! And I loved them!), savory chicken wings, all yummy. And best of all, this was just a small sample of the stuff placed out along the bar. I LOVE IT!

And then.... I got to go to sleep in a real sized bed! In my own room! With my own bathroom! King in the castle, king in the castle...

I woke around 11, ate breakfast on the terrace of a nearby cafe (slice of toast w/ marmalade & cafe con leche), then ran some errands; most notable of which included some intense gel-pads to line my shoes. Cross your fingers, if they can make my feet feel even 50% better I will be overjoyed. The rest of my day has been uneventful: some house cleaning, laundry, etc. But I have a skype date with Julia in an hour... which makes me happy happy.

3 weeks till my weekend with her in Barcelona, 8 weeks to go in all. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."