I finally ordered a true cheeseburger and fries for lunch today! It was amazing because the french patties are thinner and are far less greasy, AND they come with french cheese on top. Not bad for 3 euros huh? Our second segment of class went by far quicker than the morning, thank goodness, and afterwards Roshanna, our spanish-speaking friend Erin (who actually invited US to go to San Sebastián with her), and I grabbed our bags and booked it to the bus. Because we were leaving Pau around 3:45 rather than 5:30 we were beating the crowd of people that leaves every friday for a weekend away. We made it to the gare with plenty of time to buy our tickets and find our correct platform. Once we made it on the train, we realized we had totally scored because the train wasn't the crammed type that just has two columns of seats down either side, but instead was the kind with compartments... like the train in Harry Potter! :) We found a compartment that had just one other person inside and he got off after a few stops. Eventually it was just us in our own little space and we were able to shut the door and enjoy a quiet ride to the Spanish border. There was a small hitch along the way when in Bayonne, our train was "terminated" and everyone who wanted to continue to Spain had to get off and board another train. We hadn't understood the announcement very well because it was in rapid-fire french so we sat in our compartment thinking the train would eventually start moving again and we would be on our way. Thankfully, there was a nice old man who walked by our compartment and asked if we were going to get off. We were like, "uh, no? We want to go all the way to Spain." He was kind of like, "yea, so you need to get off 'cause this train isn't running anymore." Oh.
We finally made it to Hendaye where we boarded a tram-type car called the Euskotren that would take us the remaining 45 minutes to San Sebastián. After that it was simply a matter of walking to our hostel, dropping off our things, and enjoying our first night in Spain! We had a tiny bit of a shock when we reached the hostel and found out that the term "hostel" is sometimes used rather loosely. Ours ended up being three beds in the spare room of an elderly couple's apartment. Hmmm. And we were unnerved when one of the owner's (Kati, who the 'hostel' is named after) told us that the two other beds in our room would definitely be occupied while we were staying with them. Kati told us that she hoped for our sake they would be cute boys.... yea, good idea Kati! =P
While I was a little creeped out by the possibility of two strange boys spending the night in our room with us, this was a pretty cute room to be able to stay in.
Once we felt a little settled in and refreshed, us three girls headed out for some true Spanish/Basque grub! We found a typical Spanish restaurant very close to our hostel and decided to just go for it. I'd like to describe to you the deliciousness that was my first meal in Spain but alas, I cannot. Let me just say that I had some of the best cod fish, marinated peppers, and more at this restaurant than I could have ever imagined. All of the flavors were so hearty and filling and my stomach gladly accepted every bite. *Warning, prepare for your stomach to rumble with desire: I am chocking these posts full of pictures of food because the truth is, I ate like an absolute pig in Spain.*
The famous San Sebastián Cider!
Cheers!
My chorizo and potato "tortilla" and my 1/3 of the wildly delicious cod "tortilla"
Fried cod fish with some of the most delicious marinated peppers I've ever tasted
Oh yes, look at that smoke and sizzle
Dessert- A thick, sweet apple sauce-type compote, a crunchy almond cookie, and Spanish cheese
The inside of the restaurant. (Notice the pigs legs hanging from ceiling on the left?)
Needless to say, we gorged ourselves at this place. Between the three of us, there might have been 5 or 6 out-of-body experiences, but I'm probably just being dramatic. I haven't been feeling hungry lately but I know that I am eating much lighter and smaller meals in Pau than what I am used to having in the U.S. Spain filled up that food-void that was starting to grow and I think I'll be good for the next two weeks or so. :)
After our incredible dinner we took a stroll around the city square to just have a good long look at the place. We found a gelato joint and Roshanna and Erin just had to get something. I was too cold to buy ice cream buy I happily went in to marvel at all of the delicious flavors they had. There seemed to be everything from Almond Cream to Bueno Bar (a candy/cookie/chocolate bar we Americans have been trying desperately to permanently deplete from the vending machines at school). It certainly was fun to look at...
Gelato :)
We walked around for another half our or so looking at buildings and taking pictures. Roshanna was the first girl to finally crack and really need a bathroom. To avoid potentially insulting the owner, you should avoid going into a bar or restaurant in a country you aren't familiar with to only use the bathroom and not pay for anything. We found a bar with a cheap house beer (Amstel Cerveza) so Erin ordered a round for us and Rosie was able to use the toilet. Unfortunately, the beer was pretty disgusting, but at least it was cheap. It was one of those 'plug your nose and chug it' kind of moments. We walked around some more after that and eventually went into another bar to order a beer and actually sit for a little while. That beer was much better, thankfully, but it wasn't good enough to keep us sitting for more than 20 minutes. So, we went back out a third time before seeing two other USAC girls- Megan and Kali- through a window in another bar. It was good we ran into them because they had been struggling a little bit with the language barrier and Erin was able to help them order some drinks.
"I'm in Spain!!!"
Me with a Mojito that Erin graciously bought for me. :)
We enjoyed our drinks for a little while and then decided to head to another place to hang out. (We were trying to experience as many different places/scenes as we could).
Kali, Me with my Rum & Coke, Megan with her Sangria, and Erin with her Rum & Coke
We danced here for a little while but it was mostly just us and a couple other people in the whole bar who were actually dancing. Erin is a Spain fanatic and she wanted us to get the true taste of Spain's lively spirit, so she insisted that we go find a club to dance for real. Roshanna was feeling pretty tired at this point so she headed back to the hostel. The four of us found a place that was crowded with people our age and everyone was dancing. It was hot and uncomfortable inside but we decided it was an experience and we danced the best we could for a half hour or so. Megan kept insisting that she really wanted to try a shot of something but didn't wanted to do it by herself. I was already feeling a little, how do I say, out of sorts? But I agreed to do one with her. We pushed and shoved our way up to the bar and she order two shots of Tequila. It came with lemon and salt on top, which was probably my Saving Grace for getting the thing down. We might have been slightly staggery after this but I'll just say that it helped me sleep very well when we got back to the hostel at 3a. Phew! Day one in Spain: a grand success!
Erin, Me, Kali after dancing in the hot, sweaty, crowded club
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