Ahh.... San Sebastian and the Basque Region

Wow, this is what i came to Europe for! This place is beautiful. After spending 7 hours (yes - 7 HOURS) on a bus this morning, I arrived in San Sebastian, a spanish city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Separated from the rest of Spain by a series of mountains, this city, along with its neighboring cities (including some in SW France) make up what is collectively known as the Basque region. The Basque region is known for it's unique language (pre-roman) and for it's food. Tonight, I'm going to check out the food.

It's also known for a little bit of instability and violence, as there is an active group in this region that wants independence from Spain (think PLO for the Basque region). Any way, I'm not concerned.

I was amazed today at the hospitality of the people here. I was walking around this afternoon, trying to find my hostel and I stopped into a cafe to ask for directions. None of these people spoke English and their spanish was bad (mine is much worse). After a few minutes of them trying to figure out what the foreigner wanted, one of the guys (his name is Leo) offered me a ride to my hostel. Sick of walking and wanting to put my feet up, I accepted his generous offer (probably not the smartest thing I've done, but it all worked out) and hopped in his car. He had no clue where my hostel was either, but Leo kept pulling over, stopping in restaurants & shops and got me to my hostel! What a great first experience with the locals! Also, the hostel isn't quite a hostel, but a step or two up from it.

Next Up: Thanksgiving in the tiny mountain country of Andorra. I figure, if I am spending the holiday from family and friends, I might as well do something special and different.