spain

This was not my first visit. My freshman college spring break, rather than gawking at drunk and uninhibited coeds on Daytona Beach, Florida, I came out to Spain and France (with three generations of Harper women) for a short trip along the Mediterranean. Those two days in Barcelona were my first, but I didn't appreciate them nearly as much as these (this time with my own family), nine years later.

Unsurprisingly, this trip was about eating. The region is known for its food, and we discovered just why. We spent the first few days in Barcelona, then making for the Basque region along the northern coast. We spent our few nights among Zaragoza, Bilbao, and San Sebastian, and dined in a handful of picturesque small towns along the way (detailed reviews to come). Zaragoza, where we simply rested the night, was bigger and livelier than expected. Bilbao seemed a fun place to end up to study abroad—a hip town with great museums . San Sebastian is a town for a couple of simple activities: beach going, and pintxo bar-hopping. Pintxos, the local term for tapas, are the force behind the region’s food scene. A late-night visit to one such local bar ran circles around (and was a tiny fraction of the price of) the three-starred restaurant from the night before.

I reminded myself why I hate driving in big European cities: traffic is awful, and it’s just as cheap and ever more convenient to use taxis. Once out of the city, as the designated navigator, I pulled out my hair trying to figure out why the motorways couldn’t be better-labeled: just give me a direction and a clear road name. Instead, we navigated twisty mountain back roads that called themselves one thing even though our directions told us another. We got there, but not without some yelling, frustration, and confusion.

Still, if one is going to get lost avoiding the toll roads (about $75 in tolls for the six-hour drive from Bacelona to San Sebastian!), the mountainous region between Bilbao and San Sebastian is breathtaking. All is lush and green, and when it gets warm, the coast offers secluded cliff-backed beaches. Stopping to peer down to the rocky beach, I imagined an ideal summer afternoon: bathing in the cool water, eating jamon and drinking ocean-chilled beer and wine. Plans were for us to get some time on the beach in San Sebastian. The weather thought nothing of our plans: it scoffed, blowing cold air and raindrops our way, in the middle of July. Bygones: our time in Spain was quickly gone, and there would be plenty of time for the beach in Israel, our next stop.