9/23-9/30, San Sebastián, Kelly

Our second week in this little coastal city was overcast and rainy. While the stormy seas didn’t seem to keep the locals off the beach, we decided to turn our exploring focus indoors, and inadvertently became more cultured for the experience! We went to a nearby museum housed in an old convent that included an exhibit featuring two famous Basque sculpture artists (we prefer Chillida, but feel Oteiza did some fine work, too.) We explored the sanctuaries of the incredibly grand and solemn churches that are sprinkled throughout San Sebastián and were awed by their frescos, carvings, paintings, stained glass, and architecture. We accidentally attended the premier of a Moldovian film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival (SSIFF), and then purposefully joined the local surf community for opening night of a surfing documentary filmed in El Salvador (both had English subtitles.) We’d finish each day at the pinxto bars, drinking wine and discussing art, architecture, and film – but mostly cheering with our fellow patrons for Real Sociedad (the local futbol team) proving that we are still primarily sports fans at heart.