Today was another blissfully well-slept day. Since today was super warm outside and we were visiting a coastal town (San Sebastian), I dressed very summery, wearing the shirt I bought yesterday. Everyone else had the same idea, and we were all decked out in stylish outfits for our first stop of the day, the flea market. Open most Sundays, the flea market took up a strip along the river near Casco Viejo, and included stalls dedicated to vinyls, books, jewelry, and flowers. It was really nice to walk around and browse, even if I didn’t see anything that particularly caught my eye. After, we were given some free time before we had to meet back at the hotel to depart for San Sebastian. We walked around and found another Frigo Pie, and I made McKenna and Paige try one (verdict: delicious, as I already knew). In Plaza Neuva, we met Nora and Saioa to try Rabas, which is basically like fried kalamari, and Mosto, a classic Spanish drink made with grapes. Then, back to the hotel to get ready to ride the hour-and-a-half bus ride to San Sebastian.

Armed with the book I bought (and started!) yesterday, lots of sunscreen, and my AirPods, I braved the long bus ride, and before I knew it, we were pulling into the coastal city. We launched right into a guided tour of the city; gorgeous architecture and buildings were pointed out to us, and this side of the Atlantic Ocean stared back at us. It was funny to me how on the other side, my family is going about their daily lives while I am having the time of my life on this global experience. I took lots of great pictures of the water and the buildings surrounding us. I really liked the Basílica de Santa María; I’m always a sucker for an architurely-pretty cathedral. Additionally, I really wished I had brought a bathing suit; the water was so blue and pretty, and it was so hot that swimming sounded just like what I needed. Unfortunately, I had neither the time nor the means to swim, but we did eventually dip our toes in (more on that later).

In our free time, we took a short (but very steep and stairs-heavy) walk up the side of one of the hills to an overlook over the city. We had a whole photoshoot of the skyline of San Sebastian and the ocean; I sent a couple of the pictures I took to our group chat with everyone in it, and I was proud to see that so many people saved them. Despite the heat weighing us down, the sights were beautiful, and the walk down was even nicer, as we saw more of the ocean and were in the shade for the most part. Afterwards, we headed towards San Sebastian’s most famous aspect: pintxos. Lots of the options were seafood-based, so we explored a couple of different places to find something for everyone. I ended up ordering a ham croqueta and a cheese croqueta/unknown crispy ball thing, and both were delicious. Then, onto the best part of the day: the beach. It was so busy because it was such a gorgeous day out, and dipping my toes into the water, which was only a bit cold at first, was so, so nice. Even walking through the sand with my bare feet was such a great feeling! Despite the challenge of trying to figure out how to minimize the amount of sand left on our feet (which we handled so, so poorly), the day ended in a success (and maybe a little sunburn). My only complaint was that I wish we had more time to explore the city and stop in some shops, but it was still a great adventure.

The bus ride back was scenic, as I decided to take a break from reading, and the rolling green hills reminded me of the Spain I’ve grown up with. Listening to music and aesthetically looking out the window made the ride go quickly, and now I’m ready for a small bite to eat and sleep. Tomorrow is back to company visits, and I’ve really enjoyed the past few casual, fun days! I can’t wait for what the rest of this trip has in store!