San Sebastian

I had the most relaxing weekend imaginable. I went to visit my best friend Dan, who is studying Spanish in Salamanca, Spain. We met in San Sebastian, which is located in the Basque country in Northern Spain. It is a beach resort back-dropped by the Pyrenees(aka awesome).
On Friday, I had to deal with the frustration that is Italian transportation. The air traffic controllers were on strike and, therefore, my flight was delayed 3 hours. It was maddening trying to figure out my connecting flight, but also rewarding knowing that I could handle traveling in foreign countries. I got there at 1am Saturday morning and pretty much just passed out.
The next day, Dan found a restaurant that served a big American-style breakfast. I got to eat bacon; I was very happy. Then we went for a very long walk along the beach, harbor, and one of the mountains that overlooks the city. It was great to just relax and talk. The weather was incredible, sunny and in the 70's. San Sebastian is a beautiful port town with a long white beach. There were several kayakers surfing the waves...I was very jealous. The entire town seemed centered around the water, which made sense because it was so beautiful.
After our walk, we went to the spa :-) La Perla is a saltwater spa located right on the beach(www.la-perla.net). On the first floor are hydrotherepeutic baths designed to massage different parts of your body. There is also a waterfall and a huge jacuzzi surrounded by glass that overlooks the Atlantic. Downstairs, it is dark except for the underwater lights that give a nice glow. There, the pools have underwater work-out machines and there are a few saunas. I could have spent days sitting in those pools. At one point, I was stupid enough to listen to Dan and we ran into the Atlantic before jumping back into the jacuzzi....the water's cold over here too.
Saturday was definitely one of the most relaxing days I've ever had. On Sunday, Dan and I did some walking and talking, then I headed home.
Now that I'm back to reality, mid-terms have started. It's going to be a busy week, but I get to look forward to Paris and Marion on Friday. Ciao miei amici!