Day 12

Tuesday we went to Donosti! It´s a beautiful little city by the ocean; we spent the day at the beach. Nuria and I went with 3 of her friends, Arantxa, Maria, and Iñigo. It was supposed to be a much bigger group but some changed their minds at the last minute while we were buying tickets. The bus ride was about an hour and 15 minutes long, passing through beautiful mountains and pueblos. It ended up being the perfect group because there weren´t any other Americans to speak English with... and Nuria has the best friends. : )
We ate bocadillos and any other snacks the moms had packed (we had 1 of ham and cheese and another with chorizo in an omelette, between the amazing fresh bread). We walked, walked, walked til we reached the beach, and found a spot for our towels. It was SO crowded; later found out there was a fiesta (for San Ignacio). We played cards with 2 of Iñigo´s friends, and dipped in the water.
The water was much bluer than the beaches on the East Coast, and clearer too. Where we were the waves were pretty big and it became deep really fast, so we didn´t stay in the water too long.
After a while we walked around the streets facing the water (one area was called La Concha), took pictures and got ice cream.
There was a famous performing arts center right by the water. Learned Donosti is one of the most expensive place to live in Spain. It´s a vacation site, with many homes and hotels for the rich. We stopped in a really nice oyster bar for a drink, since all the regular bars/cafes were so full.
Around 8:30pm we headed to the bus station to wait for our 9:15pm bus. It felt nice to do something fun and spontaneous. The teens here are pretty independent, and know their way around. I love the transportation available everywhere - buses, the Tranvia (local cabel car), bikes. In Vitoria you can walk everywhere.
After our ride home (and a beautiful sunset), Nuria´s dad picked us up from the bus station and drove us home. We had salad, roasted chicken with lemon, and fried potato bits. Yum. Yogurt for dessert.