Second Visit to Spain

I returned late last night from my second visit to Spain. My first visit was last weekend, when my host parents took me to the beach in Bayonne for the afternoon, followed by an evening spent drinking and eating in Irun, just across the border (five minutes by boat, the fastest route) from France. This time, however, I went with my USAC group on a two-day excursion to visit Bayonne, St. Sébastien and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.

We spent the night, Friday night, in Saint Sébastien. It was a very enjoyable experience. In both France and Spain, much of the government's revenue comes from sales taxes; in France, the sales tax is considerably higher than in Spain (20% as compared to around 7%), so I spent much of Friday afternoon shopping. In the evening, I went out with several friends to the different bars in the old part of Saint Sébastien. The custom in that part of Spain is to go from bar to bar, eating small hors d'oeuvres called "las pinchas" before finally eating dinner around 10:30. It was a very fun. We ended the night by walking along the beach, the famous Playa de la Concha, back to our hotel at about 2:00 am. The view of the ocean, the lights of the boats moored offshore, and the large, illuminated statue of Jesus that stands on a hill above the city were all spectacular at that hour. We spent about 45 minutes on the beach, taking our time in returning to go to bed.

The downside to the trip was that it rained all weekend. During our four hour stop in Bayonne, it rained so much that streets were flooded in several parts of the city by the time we tried to return to the bus. The rain was so miserable that my friends and I all elected to spend most of that time hiding in a cafe rather than exploring what is a very old and beautiful Basque city.

Nevertheless, it was a beautiful area to visit. The Basque country is very quiet and relaxed. I have every intention of going back again during better weather for a relaxing escape.