Wow, so I was completely unaware that I would squeeze in a trip to Basque Country during my time here, but I did! Visited San Sebastian in "Pais Vasco," the North Eastern part of Spain (which also extends a bit into France). It's very distinct in its culture and history and they speak a unique language called "Euskara" that isn't related to any other language on the planet and its origins are not known anymore. (Ex: Pozten naiz zu ezagutzeaz" = "Nice to meet you") They have some of the most beautiful countryside and best food in the entire Iberian peninsula and I can't believe I almost didn't go!
Molly, Judy, and I took the 12:30 night bus which landed us in San Sebastian around 6 am. After the long night on the train, we got a quick caffeine fix, then walked along the entire shore of the main beach, known as "La Conche" for it is shaped like a seashell. The place reminded me of a mix between Newport and some sort of rich beach vacation spot. We wore nicer dresses for the trip so we could at least pretend we were well-off and spending a day at our favorite resort...! lol. 
It was breathtakingly beautiful all throughout the day, but especially so at such an early and calm hour. We headed up to the viewpoint on a hill near the coast and could see the entire coastline of the city! We headed to the Old Town afterward and ate pintxos galore!! "Pintxos" (peen-chos) are like tapas but with much more variety and served in a unique way. The bars/restaurants have them all out on the counters and you pick and choose like an hours'd'ourvs buffet, then you tell them how many you had and which ones. We stuffed ourselves silly (I even tried the seafood: scallops, shrimp, and merluz!) and then went shopping around cathedrals, churches, and the river in the Old Town. 
During the afternoon Judy and I went into cuteness overload when a man with two fluffy white maltese puppies let us hold and take pictures of them! That, along with the futbol festival we came across, made the afternoon one cool random thing after another. Then we went to the beachfront bar and then down to the water to take pictures in the (surprisingly warm!) Atlantic Ocean. We had such a fun and freeing time swimming and playing in the waves, then we went to La Perla Spa right there on the beach for sea-mud wraps! It was so relaxing and we felt so spoiled after our treat... such girls! We headed back to Old Town for one last round of pintxos and ice cream before catching the 6 pm bus back to Madrid. The weather was on our side every part of the day: cloudy and perfect for photos in the morning, warm but overcast for shopping, sunny when we swam and played on the sand, and the first droplets of rain started as we boarded the bus for home! A full and fun 12 hours perfectly spent with my girls Molly and Judy!!
I am so glad I met and got to know these chicas on my trip from living and travelling and exploring together. We had so much fun going places, even when it was accompanied by bad luck (I blame Molly!)! Although I appreciate solo travelling and can be independent for many things, it wouldn't be the same if I didn't get to share my experiences (the ups and downs) with truly great people. These "on a whim" trips to unexpected gems have been bursts of bright color in my already colorful experience here in Spain!
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