I woke up around 11:30am, since I was up so late last night. I ate breakfast (I will write about that in another post) and fiddled around for a bit, waiting until early afternoon for my friends to get up and be alive, since they were all probably hung over.
I walked over to Las Columbianas around 1:40pm, apple in hand to have a snack for later. I hung out with them for a bit, enough for them to say they were so sick/hungover that they would stay in at least until dinner. I called up Luke and Dave and they were actually going out, so I went with them so they could grab lunch. We went to this "Hamburger Disco" or something or other, and I can't remember its name. It was trying hard to be an american restaurant, that's for sure. After that, Dave decided to go back and take a siesta, so Luke and I wandered around shopping. It was a nice 55 degrees F, so I only had on a tee and sweater. Luke had to get some jeans and shoes, so we went to a ton of stores and basically just browsed the area.
It was basically the first time that I've been here where I got to browse at my own leisure. And it was the first time where I got to look at stores since I have been in Chicago. We went to a TON of stores. We went in La Parte Vieja and El Centro, where all the shops are and such. After that, we went to Gros, where Luke lives, and wandered around that area. That I liked a lot more because it was more Spain than La Parte Vieja, with the crooked streets, less people, and more cool architecture. Cassie, a girl who is here for a year-long program since Fall through USAC, suggested we get notebooks and other school supplies at the Chinese stores here, which have a hodge-podge of random stuff.
Luke and I saw one while we browsed through Gros, and we stopped in and found the most random stuff. Only intending to have me buy notebooks, we bought a lot more. I got some notebooks with lined paper (very hard to find, graph-paper notebooks are much more popular) and then we wandered the aisles for a good half hour. They had juicers, coffee grinders, chef hats, durms, glasses, shot glasses, extension cords, backpacks, cleaning supplies, towels, drying racks, ponchos, watches, photo albums, costumes, glitter glue, and a TON of other random stuff. I even saw that rubber-duckie shaped soap dish I've been looking for. And the morally questionable gold sparkle dress with a super short length!
And, for the big celebration on the 20th here in San Sebastian, I really want to buy a chef hat and drum (the big celebration includes people dressed up as chefs and people playing drums for 24 hours straight). But I feel like that aspect of the parade is only for kids, but we shall see. Speaking of which, walking home I saw a ton of kindergarten-age kids dressed as such, since today is the last school day before the big celebration.
They even had food and a frozen section, where Luke bought edamame.
Then we went back to the upstairs ground floor where Luke and I set our eyes on their candy display. He bought a done of gummy candy covered in that sour powder stuff, then I was trying to ask the woman what these round chocolate balls were (I really wanted malted milk balls), but I had no idea how to say it. Trying to communicate with a Chinese Spaniard is quite hard. Finally Luke suggested that I just ask to try one. It was like a giant piece of rice krispie cereal covered in chocolate...not what I wanted.
Then I saw these giant euro-shaped papers that I assumed would be candy since they were in the bins like all the rest of them. I was so curious that I just had to get one, since it was only .20 Euros. After I got it, we left and I was eating it as we walked, and the closest thing I could compare it to is Host from church. And now I took another taste and it's like the sweetness of certain kinds of flavored lipgloss. So...lipgloss-flavored Body of Christ, anyone? Luke was all "Are you sure we are supposed to be eating this?" I think so...it WAS by the candy along with gummis and sweettarts and whatnot.
We continued walking, and Luke stopped in una panderia (bakery) to get a baguette. I have to say, the Spaniards LOVE their baguettes. I think I have eaten the equivalent of 4 or 5 whole baguettes since I arrived in the country.
I think I remember Angela even saying that back in Madrid she was with the boys and they found some baguettes on the sidewalk and had a sword fight with them. They are EVERYWHERE.
After that, we parted ways and I walked along the river back to my host home as the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful thing I have felt since I have been here. It was so lively with people walking around, and it felt like a vacation with the time of day and relaxed feeling I had. Walking along the river is incredible, almost better than along the ocean when I go to class every morning since there are less cars here and more people. The scenery is spectacular, where you can see the profiles of all the old buildings surrounding you, with tons of space in between so it doesn't have that stuffy city feel. I was just grinning as I walked, probably freaking out the Spaniards (they don't like to smile...Luke and I saw some Spaniards take a picture in front of a fountain and not smile. It was weird). It was fantastic.
Now I am relaxing a bit until dinner time. Well, I guess more than "a bit" since I got home around 5pm and dinner is usually around 9ish.
I love it.
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