Mission Accomplished.

I have a list of things that I needed to get done here in San Sebastian before I went home.

I accomplished a ton yesterday.

Weather.com failed me yet again, yet this time in a good way. When I checked on Monday, it said the weather for Monday would be sunny and nice, Tuesday would be rain rain rain, and Wednesday would be super sunny and warm.

Instead, it was SUPER nice on Monday, then later (luckily I was in for the day at this point) it was a HAIL STORM. Yes, it was bright and sunny, kids were eating ice cream, dogs playing in the park, then (while it was STILL SUNNY AND NICE), golf ball sized hail started raining down from the sky along with heavy rain, then there was lightening and thunder. It did this until early evening.

Tuesday was supposed to be terrible, then it ended up being 73 and sunny and cloudless. What!??! Everyone on facebook posted their statuses as "at the beach" "hanging at the playa" "sitting in the sand and soaking up the sun!" It was completely unexpected. To think San Sebastian has NICE weather? I dunno, it sure did surprise me.

And as of now, Wednesday is looking pretty nice too. There are clouds in the sky, but they are wispy and light. Other than that, it is sunny, and it is about 70 degrees.


Anywho, what I am trying to get at is that I got a ton of stuff done yesterday because of the unexpectedly nice weather.
I got to rollerblade around Jesus Mountain, which isn't really called that, but there IS a giant Jesus statue on top. I think it's actually called Mount Urgull or something.
I got to HIKE UP Jesus Mountain. It used to be some kind of fortress back in the 1800's and there are ruins all over the mountain of different stations. There are old cannons, withering stone walls, and lots and lots of greenery. It's also pretty touristy, which isn't what I was expecting. What I mean is not that it was crowded, but that there were signs pointing out what was in which direction, plaques describing what stuff was, and...
When I got to the top where Jesus was, I thought it would just be the statue and stuff. Instead it was a large lookout point with cannons, then some security guide summoned me into this building under the statue and it was a tourist center for the site! You could buy postcards, there was a mini museum of artifacts from San Sebastian, movies playing about the history of the area, posters, maps, etc etc. Up the stairs you could get to the top and see a panoramic lookout of the whole town. It was gorgeous.

After that I went to lunch at this restaurant I've been dying to go to (it was on THE LIST), called La Perla. It is right on the ocean, and there is a fancy restaurant part as well as a cheaper outdoor grill. I got a DELICIOUS cheeseburger with grilled onions and plopped down at a table right on the balcony overlooking the beach. From there I got a wonderful view of the ocean as well as a 65 year old woman tanning topless.

Then I went to La Parte Vieja where I did my last minute souvenir shopping for friends and family. I also got myself a scarf, one of the things here that EVERYONE has.

Finally, I got a "Cookie"-flavored ice cream on the boulevard. That wasn't on the list...but I couldn't resist.

I tried calling up people to do all this with, but as always that failed. Instead I accomplished everything on my own, which was a lot better because I found it more peaceful and fun that way.



Now, all I have left is to get Chocolate y Churros today (wednesday) or tomorrow before I leave for Madrid. It's a super common snack here of rich hot chocolate (basically a liquified chocolate bar served warm) and churros (you know, those fried pastries with cinnamon and sugar...YUM). My host mom recommended a good place to go in Parte Vieja for that, so I am excited.


PS: Sun down here since daylight savings has been around 9:30pm. Like, straight up brightness until 9:30. My parents told me that sundown is like 7pm in the states. That will be weird to come home to.

My day today

A day in the life of me, today.

-Wake up at 11am. Feel too lazy to get up. Set alarm for 11:30.

-Wake back up at 11:29, shut off alarm before it goes off. Turn on computer.

-Brush teeth, get dressed, check weather online.

-Eat breakfast, consisting of a nearly-brown banana spread with Nutella and oatmeal and brown sugar for the first time in at least 2 months(YES, I finally found granular brown sugar and not cubes!)

-Read email and fiddle on computer until 1pm

-Walk to school. Sweat more than humanly possible while wearing only a long sleeve shirt in 58 degree F weather.

-Get to UPV (Universidad del Pais Vasco) 20 minutes early.

-Chat with Cecilia about where to buy Rollerblades. Get new map since old one is nearly unreadable.

-Go to bathroom and finally remove backpack. Observe enormous and embarrassing sweat stain on upper back. Find salvation in being able to cover it with my long hair.

-Go to Grammar class, listen to unconventional lecture on Spanish Civil War. Get RyanAir receipts to get refund on unnecessary fees from Barcelona trip from Natalia.

-Listen to Cecilia get frustrated with the fact that RyanAir overcharged us for what she believes to be no reason at all.

-Ask Cecilia if previous students have gone to DisneyLand Paris before. It's a negative.

-Run into Tiffany, Jill, and Kelly in bathroom, discuss Spring Break plans. Conclude that I still have zero plans for an entire 2 week period, and discover that no one will be around San Sebastion.

-Walk partway home, stop to eat some packed Nutella/Peanut Butter covered crackers and apple juice in park with fountain while sitting near a Spaniard Charles Manson lookalike who asks me if I have rolling papers, then stares at me while I do homework for 45 minutes.

-Walk through Queen's summer home and gardens on the way home, passing by a group of students doing a clothing photo shoot. Realize that they probably aren't students.

-Get rejected by an ATM that tells me I have gone over my withdrawl limit. Get rejected again. And again. And just once more for luck, again.

-Get accepted by different ATM, but only for withdrawing 1/3 of original intended amount. Stuff excess cash in shirt for extra safety.

-Walk to Gros to find second hand shop. Realize directions to shop either fell out of back pocket or were stolen by someone who thought it was bank related by my world ATM tour.

-Find second hand store. Ask man if he has "patillas." Get corrected by man, ask for "patines." Realize that I asked the man for sideburns.

-Purchase used rollerblades for 29 euros. Put on rollerblades and ride home. Nearly fall over on bumpy "blind-person notifier" concrete by stoplights. Along way, realize why not many people rollerblade on the tiled pedestrian walkways: it feels like a minor epileptic seizure without shock absorption.

-Roll along smooth bike paths. Realize I won't have to chip my teeth after all. But I will have to sweat profusely.

-Get to apartment in 1/839475 the amount of time that it would take to walk.

-Get to apartment, tell host parents I bought sideburns (patillas). No, shoes with knees (zapatos con rodillas). No, skates.

-Take much-needed shower.

-Rock out to some Lily Allen and KC and the Sunshine Band while writing a blog entry...