Etxarri, Spain
After a long day with most of it spent at Madrid airport, we safely arrived in San Sebastián at 9.30pm. I use the word 'safely' lightly, as when preparing to board our propellar plane from Madrid to San Sebastian, I see a good looking Spainard skipping out and giving the pilot, who is already in the cockpit, a handshake. pilot # 2 than swiftly pulls himself up through an opening, as a monkey would swing from branch to branch. At least I had comfort knowing that there was someone praying for us all.
My first impression of San Sebastián, was one of awe and beauty, as the sun was coming to a close and the night lit up with coastal lights. Rock face cliffs were beating down the white surf and the lush green landscape left me mesmerised by its beauty it held.
Our hosts Cristina and Francisco were waiting for us at the airport to drive us out to AZPIKOETZEA Casa Rural Etxarri, a farmhouse which has been in Cristinas' family for 4 generations now. 3 years ago, Cristina left her job as a journalist to undertake the painstakingly restoration of this 17th century farmhouse. The results are simply wonderful. I couldn't wait to wake the next morning to see the view that lay before my eyes, as I looked out the window beyond our verandah. Fields of feed corn and pastures for grazing sheep with the only noise of cow bells, attached to the sheep of course and the local framer tinkering in his barns. We had 2 weeks of reading, game playing, exploring, daily exercise, visiting with friends and eating of course. Etxarri has a population all of 50 people and this is where we rested our heads for the last 2 weeks while we explored the Basque Region. With only a short 2 KM away was the town of Lekumberri, this became our new locale. We would walk down and back each day enjoying a coffee and croissant, the walk back was mainly uphill, so no guilt with the baguettes or croissants we devoured. Quite a civilised way to start the day I think.
We were blessed to receive our friends Craig, Christina and their 2 gorgeous boys Callum and Charlie for 4 days. I think it was wonderful for the children and seeing that the VW's had been away from their Aussie mates for a lot longer than us, I am sure they appreciated seeing familiar faces. The children absorbed themselves with chess, alphabet letters game, UNO, checkers and many varieties of these games. The outdoors of the farm had them observing sheep from the cozy neighbour playground (approx. 15 sq m) with the mountain ranges as their backdrop. The adults were able to play catch up on past and present events. We took a trip to San Sebastian in search of tapas, which we later found out is referred to Pintxos. Literally, dozens of these bars line cobblestone laneways and have a wide selection of Pintxos laid out across the entire bar, pair it with a splash of vin blanco and you are captured by the culture. It is said that San Sebastián does it like no other and is rated the best food in all of Spain, maybe even the world as stated in my Lonely Planet. There are a few Michelin star restaurants in the Basque region, but we did not visit them, we would have paid dearly for a taste of a branded star. After we bid farewell to the CVW's, we got on with seeing more of the Navarra region.
We spent a couple of days at the beach getting the sand in our toes and swimming in the Bay of Biscay and enjoying beers and pintxos on the beach. On one particular day it was rather warm and I had not intended on going to the beach instead opted for some time browsing the shops and sitting in cafes. Once back at the beach, I could not resist the water, so what does any mid 40's woman do...get her gear off and jump in the refreshing water. As Tony said, they are all doing it and no one is going to pay you special attention just beacuse you are flashing your breasts which are lily white with a touch of strawberry. I didnt have my lace knickers on but those that are thread bare....I will leave it at that, as dont think you need anymore of a visual.
We took a lovely bike ride, or what we thought would be a great morning out cycling the rugged track here, it compares to the Bibbulem Track in Western Australia. Well, pretty much straight off Hamish got the jitters and couldn't make his way down the steep hills and granted, they were very rocky with large chuncks of gravel which made your bike tires lose traction and made your heart flutter. After a painstaking 3.5 km and a couple of stand offs, we turned around. After a few more tears, I finally managed to get Hamish on his bike. On the final decent Hamish lost control of his bike and was doing the Batman, hanging onto the handlebars as his body swayed in the wind behind him. Nothing Tony or I could do at that point. After a less than graceful landing on a unsuspecting runner he was OK, lucky though as his stomach landed on the kickstand which decided to erect itself, he didn't puncture anything or worse yet impale himself...he walked the last kilometer home.
We took to some indoor rock climbing and this was exceptionally good. I was a little nervous when I realised that my children's safety was in my hands, as Tony and I were required to secure the ropes and tie the knots...I got it down pat and have now learned rock climbing secure knots. Such fun for the kids, though my neck was a little sore from craning up at them.
A visit to Bilbao to see the Guggenheim Museum. This is an extraordinary piece of architecture designed by a Canadian Architect, Frank Gehry. We didn't enter the museum as it is more about the building and design itself which is the main attraction here. If I am honest, I am more entranced and excited about the buildings themselves rather than the artwork which is housed inside. The children were more than happy to play in the water art fountain on display on the west side of the museum as well as the fabulous playground, while Tony and I took it in turns walking around the perimeter of the musemn. Bilbao is large filled with concrete, roadworks and traffic, we couldn't get out of there fast enough. It wasn't fast enough though, as Annoying Annie ( the GPS) was insistent that we were going on a bridge that no longer existed and that they were presently deconstructing. I will leave it at that.
Our little spot of heaven is ideal for those who want to come for rest and relaxation. If you are an author, writer or avid hiker and nature lover, this is the perfect spot to immerse yourself in. We loved this perfect piece of paradise. Ernst Hemingway did!
Tomorrow, we are off to Narbonne, Avignon and Villefranche-sur-mer in the South of France. Adios!
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