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July 22, 2006
Internet Saves Day, Again
Derek and I are trying to get ourselves to Spain this fall, but I'm not so good at planning. Derek is usually the designated trip planner, but since I'm the one who has spent many months there and should know a thing or two about planning a trip to the country, he's waiting for me to give suggestions. This is not a good strategy.
When I travel anywhere, I go, and then I figure out what to do. I rarely plan much beyond the tickets and accommodations, mostly out of boredom but partially out of a (possibly misguided) desire to be spontaneous and discover things as I go. This sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. For Budapest, it didn't really work. I walked around various traffic circles, missed a train, and ate mediocre meals where the locals stared at me. For Scotland, it worked like a charm. Derek and I drove all over the place, discovered B&B's to stay in on the way, took in the scenery, and ate many very hearty British breakfasts.
Also, planning a trip to Spain would be like planning a trip to my grandmother's house. Whenever I've been, I've been lucky enough to be part of an exchange program, so I've stayed with Spanish families and have had itineraries mercifully planned for me. The trips were like extraordinary visits to see distant relatives (I realize now how lucky I was to have those opportunities). I loved the feeling of being taken into a family -- in a country where family is so important -- and experiencing things by simply tagging along. It helped me learn the language and develop my current obsession with good Spanish food. My first Spanish family thought my fascination with the food was so funny that they sent me home with half my suitcase filled up with jamon serrano and Milka chocolate and Colacao -- all things I'd discovered and fallen in love with.
When I think about going back now, I mainly think of the potential for more wonderful food. Blood sausage, La Boqueria (the big market in Barcelona), seafood, tapas, cheeses, wine, etc. I would love to visit both Spanish families, so I'm thinking that we should go to Santander (and possibly neighboring cities, like Bilbao), and Barcelona. I've tried to describe what I'd like to do the rest of the time to Derek by saying I'd love to be someplace old, and quiet, and distinctly Spanish. For instance, couldn't we rent an apartment in a smaller, cobblestoned city by the sea and go the market every day and then sit on our terrace and eat and drink?
This idea isn't long on specifics, so I was very happy to find this post by Chez Pim completely by accident. Perfect! There's a remote, castle-like, fabulous restaurant in San Sebastian (somewhat near Santander). It meets my vague criteria perfectly: food, ambience, and a good fit with a loose itinerary involving the north of Spain. It's a start. Thank goodness for this lovely thing called the Internet.
Update: The NY Times just published an article on Spanish paradores (state-run hotels) in the north.
Posted by csageday at July 22, 2006 10:41 PM